Everyone on the aft-deck watched Honour intently as she began to tell the tale of her vision. While Viridian and Jonneran had both heard it before, they nonetheless paid close attention, absorbed by the details, as though the vision were about them. Honour herself stood with one hand upon the gangway rail, steadying herself against the rocking of the waves as the Puffing Bey steamed southward through the coastal shallows.
“My dream begins at a manor house,” Honour said. “It is a fine building, built for a noble family. There is an enclosed courtyard, with a high wall and a strong gate. I’m in the courtyard, but in the vision I am not a woman; I am a dog, a puppy hound.”
Garreck gave an snort of a laugh, but his humour was cut short as he realised that no one else present shared his amusement. Honour gave him a withering glance of unrestrained contempt and in response he sank down to the deck, sitting with his back against the sides. He studied the decking, eyes down, avoiding her gaze.
“Yes, I am a puppy in my vision,” Honour continued. “I play in the morning light; there is food and water for me in the courtyard. It is lonely, but I am content. Sometimes, over the wall I can hear the baying of wild dogs, or wolves. Then the day begins to wane, the sun dips beneath the wall, and the shadows lengthen. In the late afternoon, my owner comes into the courtyard and his face is concealed in shadows. I am happy at first, and I run to play at his feet but he does not play with me. Instead he takes me by the scruff of the neck and hauls me to the courtyard gate. Before I even realise what is happening, he throws me out beyond the wall.”
A single tear formed in the corner of Honour’s eye as she recounted this part of her vision. The sense of loneliness and rejection in the scene she was recounting seemed palpable to all listening. Matthias closed his eyes, cocking his head to one side to show that he was still listening.
“The day finally ends and I am left whimpering at the gate, in the darkness,” Honour explained. “Soon though I hear the baying of the wolves and I am afraid. A pack of them gathers about me and I expect to be devoured. Instead, they bring me food, a fresh kill, and they invite me to share in their meal. As I eat with the wolves I realise that I am not a hound. I too am a wolf; I am one of them. I tear the flesh with vehemence and as I eat, I grow from a puppy to a she-wolf. I eat with my pack and then I run with them into the nighted of the forest, unafraid of the darkness.
“In the pack are two other she-wolves and we are especially close, we three. The pack gathers about us; we are its core, its heart. We hunt and range together, strong and unafraid. Then, nearing midnight, a shadow comes amongst us and one of my sister wolves is stolen away. We two who remain, we snarl and wail, but the shadow ignores us and swiftly disappears into the woods. The pack tries to follow, tracking our sister’s scent, but soon we are lost. As we race through the woods, hoping to catch her scent, we come to a frozen lake. In the middle of the lake is an island. Between the woods and the lakeshore, the hoarfrost glistens on the rocky ground.
“In the moonlight we see another wolf, a stranger to us, upon the stony shore. He is a mighty timberwolf, with a thick pelt of grey and black. His eyes glitter in the moonlight and he has claws of iron. He does battle with shadows as we meet him, shadows like the one that has stolen our sister. He rends the shadows and they attack him without mercy. Then he defeats them and they do him homage, then they withdraw into the woods.
My sister and I stalk forward with the rest of our pack and the wolf with iron claws leads us across the ice to the island in the lake. He sniffs the air and finds our sister for us; she is safe. The pack crosses back over the lake. As we do the shadows emerge from the woods again, but the wolf with iron claws howls a challenge and we all do battle with the shadows. Together we win through the darkness and flee into the woods, to our freedom.”
Honour fell silent in the telling of her tale. Viridian watched her friend with a mixture of pride and concern, feeling her vulnerability, but respecting it as well. Matthias stood quietly, his eyes still closed. Garreck still stared at the deck, not really taken with the story, but unwilling to break the atmosphere again. Jonneran though leaned forward eagerly; “Tell them the rest,” he urged.
Honour cast a slow look at him, but eventually nodded her assent.
“When the four of us go into the woods together, the timberwolf and I…,” she stumbled over her words, losing her way in the story for the first time. “Uh…the…ah…wolf…the wolf with iron claws and I…we…ah…we mate. There’s more, but I don’t wish to tell it now.”
Matthias opened his eyes, looking at Honour, who seemed confused, and troubled. He looked at Viridian, who was glaring across the deck at Jonneran. For his part, the Fraternal Order mage had a look of triumph on his face, as though he had just won a race or been awarded a great prize. Matthias studied him for moment and then turned his face back to Viridian.
“You’re one of the she-wolves, aren’t you?” he asked her. The half-elf pistoleer nodded.
“A priest in Caspia, famous for the gift of interpreting visions, explained much of the dream to me, though not all” said Honour. “Viridian is one of my sister wolves. Tarleen, the woman we go to rescue, is the other.”
“And tell them who the ‘wolf with iron claws’ is,” Jonneran all but commanded. Matthias and Garreck looked at the man in open disbelief, the pieces of the vision connecting in their mind with the realities of Honour’s life. Jonneran stiffened at their doubtful stares; “Do you doubt me?” he demanded.
Garreck could not stop himself from chuckling this time. “Sorry lad,” he said with a smile. “It’s jus’ tha’ you don’t strike as the ‘wolf’ sort.”
“Tell them, Honour, how we met,” said Jonneran. “How we met, the very day after you had the vision!”
“It wasn’t the ‘very day after’,” said Honour quietly, but she continued with the tale. “Tarleen, Viridian and I were on the streets in Caspia, when we heard screams further down. We rushed to see and found that an iron statue of a woman was attacking people randomly on the street, laying about it with a sword and with long spikes that projected from its skin.”
“It was an iron maiden,” added Viridian, interrupting for the first time. “A wizard’s construct that had gone mad.” Honour nodded.
“It was killing without restraint,” continued the paladin. “We were wondering how we could arrest its rampage when Jonneran emerged from the crowd. He confronted the iron maiden and when it charged him, he reached out with his magical gauntlet. The magical touch rusted the construct’s skin, and it soon corroded into pieces.” Jonneran brandished his gauntleted hand, triumphantly.
“Claws of iron,” he declared. “I had only just completed the gauntlet’s construction. It was fortuitous and fateful.”
“So that’s how you got engaged?” asked Garreck, a dubious tone in his voice. “Just like that.”
“Jonneran proposed to me as soon as he heard of my vision,” replied Honour, nodding. There was a seriousness in her face, neither sad nor happy. For a moment there was quiet among them, with only the sounds of the sea. At last, Matthias let out a sigh.
“You have my sympathy,” he said. All heads snapped to look at him, Honour and Jonneran glaring.
“What?” demanded the paladin of Katrena.
“Do you think to mock me?” Jonneran nearly screamed over top of her, his voice causing gulls upon the waves nearby to take wing, crying to each other with their high pitched voices. Matthias fixed Jonneran with a level gaze, stern and unafraid, but he spoke to Honour.
“It is never easy to live one’s life according to the vagaries of prophecy,” he said in a steely voice. Honour’s angry look softened momentarily, then hardened again.
“My faith carries me over any uncertainties!” she declared. “Katrena guides my steps!”
“No doubt, lovie,” said Garreck. The dwarf shook his head in wonder. “But vagaries is right.”
“Enough of these insults,” ordered Jonneran. The young mage gathered the shoulders of his robe and straightened his back. “This is fate; the will of the gods! Your faithlessness only proves that your status as a heretic is well deserved!”
“I figure ‘e’s talking to you there,” said Garreck to Matthias with a flippant nod. Then the dwarf fixed Jonneran with a hard look. “Tell me mage, if yer faith in this vision is so pure, ‘ow is it you two is still only engaged? Why ain’t you ‘mated’ already?”
“Remember the vision, dwarf!” answered the mage with a contemptuous sneer. “The wolves don’t mate until after the sister wolf is rescued! It is plainly obvious!”
“Tha’ may be, Jonny lad, tha’ may be. But if we’re going by the vision, the lady wolf ‘ere don’t even meet ‘er ‘mate’ ‘til after ‘er sister is stolen away by dem shadows. ‘Ave I got tha’ right? I thought she just said tha’ the three of ‘em was together when they met you?”
Garreck’s observation stilled conversation, as all present contemplated the implications. Jonneran and Viridian both tried to speak at once, then stopped, waiting for what the other had to say. Before either could speak their piece, Dokor the ogrun staggered out onto the aft deck, his grey skin pale almost to white. He was naked to the waist and had many bandages where he had been wounded in his battle with the Gosling Street Runners. He staggered to the stern gunwale and poked his head out over the water. A strangled groan escaped his lips as he was violently ill, vomiting loudly into the ocean.
“I guess that’s why ogrun don’t make good sailors,” quipped Viridian, in between the sickening noises that Dokor was making. Matthias and Garreck both laughed, the formerly tense mood broken by Dokor’s surprising arrival. The gunmage made his way fore-ward, while the dwarf headed back down to the boiler. Honour and Viridian looked to their giant companion, to see if they could care for his needs in some way. Honour laid her hand gently upon his massive, bare shoulder.
Jonneran stood on the aft deck for a moment, as if refusing to acknowledge that the confrontation had concluded unresolved. He glared at the deck, then at the ogrun and two women, still present and yet ignoring him. At last he strode from the deck, heading alone into the cabins.
She Wolves and the Son of Nine Dragons – Part 10
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, Dec 15 2003 07:04 AM
11 replies to this topic
#3
Guest_Maidros_*
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Posted 15 December 2003 - 01:16 PM
Shalom,
Nice to see another chapter of 'The She Wolves'
Interesting audience she has - a dwarf, an elf, a half-elf and a human. There is nice variety.
It is her own story - only in purely figurative terms - I guess.
She has a nice way of blending into the new circumstances. The pack is the army, I would hazard.
The story gets queerer.
That is an optimistic view of the whole thing - and it leaves so many things still murky.
Hmm. That is curious.
Hardly surprising.
I would rather not speak of that part - but I would not stake my money on Jon being the timber wolf.
It is magnificent - the way he puts it.
Doubtless, but that is not the point here.
He is absolutely right - how much of this could come true depends more on the actual actors involved rather than the dream. And if Jon is dreaming of a triumphant celebration over the enemy, he is sorely mistaken. In the first place, no one knows why she was taken.
Doubtless, but the agents of the divine being mortal, it is never easy to work out a salvation.
Well, talk about building castles in the air - he takes too much for granted.
Excellent observation, although it may have not been very charitable to point it out - why rob a fool of his delusions?
The chapter is excellent. Hope to see some more.
Regards,
Maidros
Nice to see another chapter of 'The She Wolves'
Everyone on the aft-deck watched Honour intently as she began to tell the tale of her vision. While Viridian and Jonneran had both heard it before, they nonetheless paid close attention, absorbed by the details, as though the vision were about them. Honour herself stood with one hand upon the gangway rail, steadying herself against the rocking of the waves as the Puffing Bey steamed southward through the coastal shallows.
Interesting audience she has - a dwarf, an elf, a half-elf and a human. There is nice variety.
“Yes, I am a puppy in my vision,” Honour continued. “I play in the morning light; there is food and water for me in the courtyard. It is lonely, but I am content. Sometimes, over the wall I can hear the baying of wild dogs, or wolves. Then the day begins to wane, the sun dips beneath the wall, and the shadows lengthen. In the late afternoon, my owner comes into the courtyard and his face is concealed in shadows. I am happy at first, and I run to play at his feet but he does not play with me. Instead he takes me by the scruff of the neck and hauls me to the courtyard gate. Before I even realise what is happening, he throws me out beyond the wall.”
It is her own story - only in purely figurative terms - I guess.
“The day finally ends and I am left whimpering at the gate, in the darkness,” Honour explained. “Soon though I hear the baying of the wolves and I am afraid. A pack of them gathers about me and I expect to be devoured. Instead, they bring me food, a fresh kill, and they invite me to share in their meal. As I eat with the wolves I realise that I am not a hound. I too am a wolf; I am one of them. I tear the flesh with vehemence and as I eat, I grow from a puppy to a she-wolf. I eat with my pack and then I run with them into the nighted of the forest, unafraid of the darkness.
She has a nice way of blending into the new circumstances. The pack is the army, I would hazard.
“In the moonlight we see another wolf, a stranger to us, upon the stony shore. He is a mighty timberwolf, with a thick pelt of grey and black. His eyes glitter in the moonlight and he has claws of iron. He does battle with shadows as we meet him, shadows like the one that has stolen our sister. He rends the shadows and they attack him without mercy. Then he defeats them and they do him homage, then they withdraw into the woods.
The story gets queerer.
My sister and I stalk forward with the rest of our pack and the wolf with iron claws leads us across the ice to the island in the lake. He sniffs the air and finds our sister for us; she is safe. The pack crosses back over the lake. As we do the shadows emerge from the woods again, but the wolf with iron claws howls a challenge and we all do battle with the shadows. Together we win through the darkness and flee into the woods, to our freedom.”
That is an optimistic view of the whole thing - and it leaves so many things still murky.
“When the four of us go into the woods together, the timberwolf and I…,” she stumbled over her words, losing her way in the story for the first time. “Uh…the…ah…wolf…the wolf with iron claws and I…we…ah…we mate. There’s more, but I don’t wish to tell it now.”
Hmm. That is curious.
“You’re one of the she-wolves, aren’t you?” he asked her. The half-elf pistoleer nodded.
Hardly surprising.
“And tell them who the ‘wolf with iron claws’ is,” Jonneran all but commanded. Matthias and Garreck looked at the man in open disbelief, the pieces of the vision connecting in their mind with the realities of Honour’s life. Jonneran stiffened at their doubtful stares; “Do you doubt me?” he demanded.
I would rather not speak of that part - but I would not stake my money on Jon being the timber wolf.
Garreck could not stop himself from chuckling this time. “Sorry lad,” he said with a smile. “It’s jus’ tha’ you don’t strike as the ‘wolf’ sort.”
It is magnificent - the way he puts it.
“It was killing without restraint,” continued the paladin. “We were wondering how we could arrest its rampage when Jonneran emerged from the crowd. He confronted the iron maiden and when it charged him, he reached out with his magical gauntlet. The magical touch rusted the construct’s skin, and it soon corroded into pieces.” Jonneran brandished his gauntleted hand, triumphantly.
“Claws of iron,” he declared. “I had only just completed the gauntlet’s construction. It was fortuitous and fateful.”
Doubtless, but that is not the point here.
“You have my sympathy,” he said. All heads snapped to look at him, Honour and Jonneran glaring.
“What?” demanded the paladin of Katrena.
“Do you think to mock me?” Jonneran nearly screamed over top of her, his voice causing gulls upon the waves nearby to take wing, crying to each other with their high pitched voices. Matthias fixed Jonneran with a level gaze, stern and unafraid, but he spoke to Honour.
“It is never easy to live one’s life according to the vagaries of prophecy,” he said in a steely voice. Honour’s angry look softened momentarily, then hardened again.
He is absolutely right - how much of this could come true depends more on the actual actors involved rather than the dream. And if Jon is dreaming of a triumphant celebration over the enemy, he is sorely mistaken. In the first place, no one knows why she was taken.
“My faith carries me over any uncertainties!” she declared. “Katrena guides my steps!”
Doubtless, but the agents of the divine being mortal, it is never easy to work out a salvation.
“I figure ‘e’s talking to you there,” said Garreck to Matthias with a flippant nod. Then the dwarf fixed Jonneran with a hard look. “Tell me mage, if yer faith in this vision is so pure, ‘ow is it you two is still only engaged? Why ain’t you ‘mated’ already?”
“Remember the vision, dwarf!” answered the mage with a contemptuous sneer. “The wolves don’t mate until after the sister wolf is rescued! It is plainly obvious!”
Well, talk about building castles in the air - he takes too much for granted.
“Tha’ may be, Jonny lad, tha’ may be. But if we’re going by the vision, the lady wolf ‘ere don’t even meet ‘er ‘mate’ ‘til after ‘er sister is stolen away by dem shadows. ‘Ave I got tha’ right? I thought she just said tha’ the three of ‘em was together when they met you?”
Excellent observation, although it may have not been very charitable to point it out - why rob a fool of his delusions?
“I guess that’s why ogrun don’t make good sailors,” quipped Viridian, in between the sickening noises that Dokor was making. Matthias and Garreck both laughed, the formerly tense mood broken by Dokor’s surprising arrival. The gunmage made his way fore-ward, while the dwarf headed back down to the boiler. Honour and Viridian looked to their giant companion, to see if they could care for his needs in some way. Honour laid her hand gently upon his massive, bare shoulder.
Jonneran stood on the aft deck for a moment, as if refusing to acknowledge that the confrontation had concluded unresolved. He glared at the deck, then at the ogrun and two women, still present and yet ignoring him. At last he strode from the deck, heading alone into the cabins.
The chapter is excellent. Hope to see some more.
Regards,
Maidros
#4
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Posted 16 December 2003 - 12:30 AM
Garreck gave an snort of a laugh, but his humour was cut short as he realised that no one else present shared his amusement. Honour gave him a withering glance of unrestrained contempt and in response he sank down to the deck, sitting with his back against the sides. He studied the decking, eyes down, avoiding her gaze.
*ouch* A good description of a moment I'm sure all of us have experienced.
“Yes, I am a puppy in my vision,” Honour continued. “I play in the morning light; there is food and water for me in the courtyard. It is lonely, but I am content. Sometimes, over the wall I can hear the baying of wild dogs, or wolves. Then the day begins to wane, the sun dips beneath the wall, and the shadows lengthen. In the late afternoon, my owner comes into the courtyard and his face is concealed in shadows. I am happy at first, and I run to play at his feet but he does not play with me. Instead he takes me by the scruff of the neck and hauls me to the courtyard gate. Before I even realise what is happening, he throws me out beyond the wall.”
BAWL!!!!
“When the four of us go into the woods together, the timberwolf and I…,” she stumbled over her words, losing her way in the story for the first time. “Uh…the…ah…wolf…the wolf with iron claws and I…we…ah…we mate. There’s more, but I don’t wish to tell it now.”
Very epic and beautiful, the whole vision.
“It was an iron maiden,” added Viridian, interrupting for the first time. “A wizard’s construct that had gone mad.” Honour nodded.
Iron maiden... *shudder*
“Remember the vision, dwarf!” answered the mage with a contemptuous sneer. “The wolves don’t mate until after the sister wolf is rescued! It is plainly obvious!”
I like this.
You write beautifully, No One.
#6
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Posted 16 December 2003 - 02:18 AM
Shalom,
Nice to see another chapter of 'The She Wolves'
Shalom, always nice to please a reader.
Everyone on the aft-deck watched Honour intently as she began to tell the tale of her vision.
Interesting audience she has - a dwarf, an elf, a half-elf and a human. There is nice variety.
A slight error - no elf here. A dwarf (Garreck), a half-elf (Viridian) and two humans (Matthias and Jonneran). And of course, Honour herself is also human.
“Yes, I am a puppy in my vision,” Honour continued. “I play in the morning light; there is food and water for me in the courtyard. It is lonely, but I am content. Sometimes, over the wall I can hear the baying of wild dogs, or wolves. Then the day begins to wane, the sun dips beneath the wall, and the shadows lengthen. In the late afternoon, my owner comes into the courtyard and his face is concealed in shadows. I am happy at first, and I run to play at his feet but he does not play with me. Instead he takes me by the scruff of the neck and hauls me to the courtyard gate. Before I even realise what is happening, he throws me out beyond the wall.”
It is her own story - only in purely figurative terms - I guess.
Quite so.
I too am a wolf; I am one of them. I tear the flesh with vehemence and as I eat, I grow from a puppy to a she-wolf. I eat with my pack and then I run with them into the nighted of the forest, unafraid of the darkness.
She has a nice way of blending into the new circumstances. The pack is the army, I would hazard.
Right again!
“In the moonlight we see another wolf, a stranger to us, upon the stony shore. He is a mighty timberwolf, with a thick pelt of grey and black. His eyes glitter in the moonlight and he has claws of iron. He does battle with shadows as we meet him, shadows like the one that has stolen our sister. He rends the shadows and they attack him without mercy. Then he defeats them and they do him homage, then they withdraw into the woods.
The story gets queerer.
It's a vision - queer is only appropriate
Together we win through the darkness and flee into the woods, to our freedom.”
That is an optimistic view of the whole thing - and it leaves so many things still murky.
They will become clearer....bwa ha ha ha ha ha...ahem...sorry!
“When the four of us go into the woods together, the timberwolf and I…,” she stumbled over her words, losing her way in the story for the first time. “Uh…the…ah…wolf…the wolf with iron claws and I…we…ah…we mate. There’s more, but I don’t wish to tell it now.”
Hmm. That is curious.
It's not really a question I'd like answered ahead of time.
“And tell them who the ‘wolf with iron claws’ is,” Jonneran all but commanded. Matthias and Garreck looked at the man in open disbelief, the pieces of the vision connecting in their mind with the realities of Honour’s life. Jonneran stiffened at their doubtful stares; “Do you doubt me?” he demanded.
I would rather not speak of that part - but I would not stake my money on Jon being the timber wolf.
That's a safe bet, I think.
Garreck could not stop himself from chuckling this time. “Sorry lad,” he said with a smile. “It’s jus’ tha’ you don’t strike as the ‘wolf’ sort.”
It is magnificent - the way he puts it.
Thank you.
“It is never easy to live one’s life according to the vagaries of prophecy,” he said in a steely voice. Honour’s angry look softened momentarily, then hardened again.
He is absolutely right - how much of this could come true depends more on the actual actors involved rather than the dream. And if Jon is dreaming of a triumphant celebration over the enemy, he is sorely mistaken. In the first place, no one knows why she was taken.
Dear Jon is doing his darndest to make his interpretation work. Time will tell.
“Remember the vision, dwarf!” answered the mage with a contemptuous sneer. “The wolves don’t mate until after the sister wolf is rescued! It is plainly obvious!”
Well, talk about building castles in the air - he takes too much for granted.
For an intellectual, it's an easy mistake to fall into.
“Tha’ may be, Jonny lad, tha’ may be. But if we’re going by the vision, the lady wolf ‘ere don’t even meet ‘er ‘mate’ ‘til after ‘er sister is stolen away by dem shadows. ‘Ave I got tha’ right? I thought she just said tha’ the three of ‘em was together when they met you?”
Excellent observation, although it may have not been very charitable to point it out - why rob a fool of his delusions?
I don't think that Garreck likes this particular 'fool'.
The chapter is excellent. Hope to see some more.
Regards,
Maidros
That's the plan - one a week for some time yet. Thanks for commenting.
#7
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Posted 16 December 2003 - 02:31 AM
Garreck gave an snort of a laugh, but his humour was cut short as he realised that no one else present shared his amusement. Honour gave him a withering glance of unrestrained contempt and in response he sank down to the deck, sitting with his back against the sides. He studied the decking, eyes down, avoiding her gaze.
*ouch* A good description of a moment I'm sure all of us have experienced.
Doesn't it just suck? Actually, I put that in to disarm the tendency that some readers might have had to laugh themselves - I know many people who would find the idea of a woman referring to herself as a "dog" so incongruous that they would laugh at it. By having Garreck laugh in the story, I'm trying to guide the reader back to seriousness. I think it works.
“Yes, I am a puppy in my vision,” Honour continued. “I play in the morning light; there is food and water for me in the courtyard. It is lonely, but I am content. Sometimes, over the wall I can hear the baying of wild dogs, or wolves. Then the day begins to wane, the sun dips beneath the wall, and the shadows lengthen. In the late afternoon, my owner comes into the courtyard and his face is concealed in shadows. I am happy at first, and I run to play at his feet but he does not play with me. Instead he takes me by the scruff of the neck and hauls me to the courtyard gate. Before I even realise what is happening, he throws me out beyond the wall.”
BAWL!!!!
She has a sad backstory to go with her arrogant pride - it's not original, I know, but I think it will work.
“When the four of us go into the woods together, the timberwolf and I…,” she stumbled over her words, losing her way in the story for the first time. “Uh…the…ah…wolf…the wolf with iron claws and I…we…ah…we mate. There’s more, but I don’t wish to tell it now.”
Very epic and beautiful, the whole vision.
Thanks.
“It was an iron maiden,” added Viridian, interrupting for the first time. “A wizard’s construct that had gone mad.” Honour nodded.
Iron maiden... *shudder*
In the Iron Kingdoms, an iron maiden is a construct - akin to a golem - except it's animated by the bound spirit of a female warrior. Normally, the spirit only remembers its fighting skills and so it is an effective body guard for wizards etc. But if the spirit begins to recall its past life, the sense of injustice at being so used causes them to go on murderous rampages.
“Remember the vision, dwarf!” answered the mage with a contemptuous sneer. “The wolves don’t mate until after the sister wolf is rescued! It is plainly obvious!”
I like this.
Why is that exactly?
You write beautifully, No One.
Thank you. There's much more of this to come I think and I'm really enjoying writing it.
Thanks for commenting.
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Posted 16 December 2003 - 02:38 AM
“Remember the vision, dwarf!” answered the mage with a contemptuous sneer. “The wolves don’t mate until after the sister wolf is rescued! It is plainly obvious!”I like this.
Why is that exactly?
The clan loyalty bit. It is the credo I live by myself, if in less dramatic general circumstances.
#11
Laufey
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Posted 17 December 2003 - 05:04 AM
“Yes, I am a puppy in my vision,” Honour continued. “I play in the morning light; there is food and water for me in the courtyard. It is lonely, but I am content. Sometimes, over the wall I can hear the baying of wild dogs, or wolves. Then the day begins to wane, the sun dips beneath the wall, and the shadows lengthen. In the late afternoon, my owner comes into the courtyard and his face is concealed in shadows. I am happy at first, and I run to play at his feet but he does not play with me. Instead he takes me by the scruff of the neck and hauls me to the courtyard gate. Before I even realise what is happening, he throws me out beyond the wall.”
Awwww...
“The day finally ends and I am left whimpering at the gate, in the darkness,” Honour explained. “Soon though I hear the baying of the wolves and I am afraid. A pack of them gathers about me and I expect to be devoured. Instead, they bring me food, a fresh kill, and they invite me to share in their meal. As I eat with the wolves I realise that I am not a hound. I too am a wolf; I am one of them. I tear the flesh with vehemence and as I eat, I grow from a puppy to a she-wolf. I eat with my pack and then I run with them into the nighted of the forest, unafraid of the darkness.
Very much enjoyed the vision part of the chapter! Nice and eerie, and just vague enough. Oh, and I like wolves, of course.
“In the moonlight we see another wolf, a stranger to us, upon the stony shore. He is a mighty timberwolf, with a thick pelt of grey and black. His eyes glitter in the moonlight and he has claws of iron. He does battle with shadows as we meet him, shadows like the one that has stolen our sister. He rends the shadows and they attack him without mercy. Then he defeats them and they do him homage, then they withdraw into the woods.
I have my own ideas about who this is, I think.
“And tell them who the ‘wolf with iron claws’ is,” Jonneran all but commanded. Matthias and Garreck looked at the man in open disbelief, the pieces of the vision connecting in their mind with the realities of Honour’s life. Jonneran stiffened at their doubtful stares; “Do you doubt me?” he demanded.
Yes, I do. And I don't like his 'I Own This Woman' style much either.
“It was killing without restraint,” continued the paladin. “We were wondering how we could arrest its rampage when Jonneran emerged from the crowd. He confronted the iron maiden and when it charged him, he reached out with his magical gauntlet. The magical touch rusted the construct’s skin, and it soon corroded into pieces.” Jonneran brandished his gauntleted hand, triumphantly.
“Claws of iron,” he declared. “I had only just completed the gauntlet’s construction. It was fortuitous and fateful.”
Me, I think it might just as well be a reference to a certain mage with metal guns...
“So that’s how you got engaged?” asked Garreck, a dubious tone in his voice. “Just like that.”
“It is never easy to live one’s life according to the vagaries of prophecy,” he said in a steely voice. Honour’s angry look softened momentarily, then hardened again.
“My faith carries me over any uncertainties!” she declared. “Katrena guides my steps!”
Very dangerous way of thinking, if you never allow yourself to think about your decisions because you think they're always right.
Rogues do it from behind.
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Posted 17 December 2003 - 05:19 AM
Instead he takes me by the scruff of the neck and hauls me to the courtyard gate. Before I even realise what is happening, he throws me out beyond the wall.”
Awwww...
Even arrogant snobs can suffer.
“The day finally ends and I am left whimpering at the gate, in the darkness,” Honour explained. “Soon though I hear the baying of the wolves and I am afraid. A pack of them gathers about me and I expect to be devoured. Instead, they bring me food, a fresh kill, and they invite me to share in their meal. As I eat with the wolves I realise that I am not a hound. I too am a wolf; I am one of them. I tear the flesh with vehemence and as I eat, I grow from a puppy to a she-wolf. I eat with my pack and then I run with them into the nighted of the forest, unafraid of the darkness.
Very much enjoyed the vision part of the chapter! Nice and eerie, and just vague enough. Oh, and I like wolves, of course.
Thanks - its the key to Honour's personality, so I wanted it to be as good as possible.
“In the moonlight we see another wolf, a stranger to us, upon the stony shore. He is a mighty timberwolf, with a thick pelt of grey and black. His eyes glitter in the moonlight and he has claws of iron. He does battle with shadows as we meet him, shadows like the one that has stolen our sister. He rends the shadows and they attack him without mercy. Then he defeats them and they do him homage, then they withdraw into the woods.
I have my own ideas about who this is, I think.
So does my wife.
“And tell them who the ‘wolf with iron claws’ is,” Jonneran all but commanded. Matthias and Garreck looked at the man in open disbelief, the pieces of the vision connecting in their mind with the realities of Honour’s life. Jonneran stiffened at their doubtful stares; “Do you doubt me?” he demanded.
Yes, I do. And I don't like his 'I Own This Woman' style much either.
He's going to get worse, I fear, so be warned.
“Claws of iron,” he declared. “I had only just completed the gauntlet’s construction. It was fortuitous and fateful.”
Me, I think it might just as well be a reference to a certain mage with metal guns...
shhh....don't give it all away
“It is never easy to live one’s life according to the vagaries of prophecy,” he said in a steely voice. Honour’s angry look softened momentarily, then hardened again.
“My faith carries me over any uncertainties!” she declared. “Katrena guides my steps!”
Very dangerous way of thinking, if you never allow yourself to think about your decisions because you think they're always right.
For now, it's her defense mechanism. She hides from her confusions and uncertainties in the oaths of a paladin. It can't last forever, though.
Thanks for commenting.
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