Longbow joins the Holt.
written by: Shaun Witt/longbow co-written & edited by: Kenzie Kennedy/silver
I was awakened by my wolf Snowrunner when I felt her cold wet nose touch my face. ::Elf-friend hunt now?:: I just smiled at her then shook my head yes. We went into the woods tracking down some ravvits to eat. After killing two ravvits we sat down in a area under a tree surround by many bushes. Eating our fill we decided to take a nap so we went to sleep.
Not too far away.
The hunt had been glorious with enough meat to last for days, perhaps a week if we made soup with it. All the elves of Guiding Star holt had eaten their fill and had smoked the rest of the meat to store for winter. "So, Dreamcatcher, tell us a story?" Rainbow asked calmly. Dreamcatcher distributed dreamberries and the story began. After the story was over, most of the elves went home. Not Silver and Darkeyes, though. The cubs went home with Vinedancer to sleep in their den. Silver and Darkeyes stayed up, swimming by the waterfall and generally frolicking in the cool night breezes. Exhausted a few hours later, they too went to sleep.
In the morning, however, Silver didn't feel so well. 'Oh, I'm sick. I never get sick, but this time I'm really sick.' Silver shrugged the furs off her body and began to get dressed. "Silver, where are you going?" Darkeyes asked sleepily. "Just to see Mist. Go back to sleep dearest." Darkeyes nodded his head and fell instantly back to sleep. Silver sneaked out of the tree quietly, threatening to rip her stomach out if it made her sick while she was in a tree. Down on the ground, she stole silently through the wood paths. Finding a tree to lean against and bushes nearby to be sick in, she sat down and put her head on her upraised knees. She would have nodded off, but the churning in her stomach made it hard for her to obtain that sort of peace. But her stomach finally got rid of whatever was making her sick and Silver covered it with dirt. A twig cracking behind her made her turn. Longtooth.
I was awakened by the sounds of someone getting sick nearby. I peeked over one of the bushes I was napping behind to find that there was a silver haired female bent over a bush getting sick. After she was through, I saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. It was a giant cat
**DARKEYES!** Silver sent. At the exact moment she sent, the longtooth jumped at her It collapsed in mid-jump an arrow between it's eyes. Scenting the air, Silver smelled nothing. Her nose twitched of it's own violition, but no elf-scent. None at all.
**Silver? Is something wrong?** a sleepy voice crept into her head. **Nothing, dear. I'm sick, I just got attacked by a longtooth-** **WHAT? Stay where you are!** Silver sighed. I didn't even get to tell him about the arrow.
Later, when the holt had gathered around the longtooth. Changewind was remarking to Mirage that they usually didn't come in this far. No one had any idea who had shot the arrow. "I thought I felt a whisper of a mind, but at this close I can't tell whether it's one of us or a stranger." Fardreamer spoke. The elves carted off the longtooth for the long winter season and left the idea knowing that it would sort itself out. Silver wasn't content though. A small shred of leather had been found. Except it was too small to get a scent off of. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" came a low voice. "Because you'd worry over me-" "You're my lifemate, I'm supposed to worry over you." Darkeyes responded. Silver sighed. "I'm not good at this. I'm not used to telling people where I'm going. I can take care of myself." Darkeyes hugged Silver. "Just be careful. I don't want to lose you." Placing a hand on her abdomen, "Or this." "Yes, dear." Silver sighed. "Um, I'm hungry?" Darkeyes chuckled. "Better feed you then. Mirage might have a pot of soup bubbling?" Silver made yum! noises.
The next day
Mirage was getting the last tomato out of the basket in the storehouse when Silver showed up. "Mirage, how's the garden doing?" she asked. "The garden is fine, though it badly needs to be harvested. With so many elves wanting soup now that the winter's approaching and the new tears everyone seems to get in their clothes" Mirage hung her head. "Why don't I go harvest it today? You can take a break." Silver offered. Even with a twisted leg, Mirage managed to be tanner, cook, and tend the garden. Silver shared the duties with her. A watershaping talent came in handy especially when Vinedancer came along with her to tell which plants needed more or less water. Mirage gave Silver a grateful look. "Would you? I've got enough to make another batch of soup after I clean out the kettle" Silver helped her carry out the vegetables for vegetable soup with venison in it. "Mirage, if you have about three waterskins, I'll clean it for you." Silver offered. Mirage came up with the water and Silver used her talent to spin the water around so fast inside the metal kettle her sister and Mirage had brought to the holt that the dried bits of leftover soup came out easily. Grabbing a basket out of storage Silver started off toward the garden. You might think that a garden in the middle of the woods would be a salad bar for small furry animals. Not when you have an entire wolfpack around it. Silver settled down and picked all the red tomatoes, pulled up a few onions, and made a mental note to come and pick the punkins in the next few days. Later that day, Silver and Darkeyes aired out the furs for the long winter. Vinedancer came over and did a routine check on the tree seeing if it would be sound for another winter. At the day's end, Silver was very tired.
A week later.
Silver headed down to the punkin patch with Vinedancer, Rainbow, Stormwind and Dreamcatcher. "Yup, they're ripe." Vinedancer said with her hands on one. The elves started to pick them and carry them to the storage section. Vinedancer was the only one to run back immediately. Silver and Rainbow were fussing where to put them exactly. Vinedancer put her hands on one of the stems when a deep voice interrupted her. "You don't want that one. It's not completely ripe yet." A male elf stepped out from behind a tree. "What's your name?" Vine asked curious. "Longbow, and yours?" "Vinedancer. How long have you been here?" "Long enough to shoot an arrow." "Oh, so it was you who shot the longtooth then. Silver'll be here soon. She'd probably like to thank you." "I'd like to what?" Silver carolled out, striding into the patch. She stopped when she noticed Vine wasn't alone. "Who are you?" "Longbow. I shot the arrow." "Oh, thank you. On behalf of me and my child." Silver said. Longbow's forehead crinkled. "I did not see a child." Silver placed a hand on her abdomen. "This one." **Darkeyes, we have a visitor* **We do?** **Another elf** **Be right there.** Silver and Longbow made small talk and checked the punkins with Vinedancer while Darkeyes rounded up a few elves. Fardreamer was the first one there. Staring into his eyes piercingly, she nodded. "It was you I sensed." At his puzzled look, she added, "I can tell when elves are around and I knew there was someone different I just couldn't tell who." Once everyone had arrived and been introduced, Longbow was asked to stay in the holt for as long as he wished. Everyone was about to leave, when Silver quirked an eyebrow. "Where does everyone think they're going? Pick up a punkin and trot over to the storage!"