AN~ hey all, this is just a trial, see how you like it and give me some
R&R!!
Harmony over Destruction. Peace over Hate. Tranquility over Vengeance. Song over Silence.
Such are the teachings of the Elves, Ender thought. If only the rest of the world were to follow in these teachings, it would spawn a golden age.
The Humans would follow these laws, but would be quick to deviate from them, as their world is ever changing - their lives are so short, one must pity them.
The Dwarves and Half-Orcs would not follow these teachings faithfully, for they are in love with combat, and live to flirt with death.
The Halflings are more geared towards chaos, and care nothing for laws, while the Gnomes are more interested in their holes, and playing jokes on each other.
Such is the world today Ender sighed. Harmony, what was what he craved for most, but already, he himself had deviated from the teachings. He had become what few other Elves of his village had - a Druid. A caretaker and defender of the wild. A being that no longer drew solely on strength from himself, but also from nature. It was because of this way of life that he had already not followed the teachings of the Elves as best he could.
He hated all things unnatural to the wild - Abburatoins and Undead were just a few. He was at peace with nature, although he leaned more towards the good and living than the true neutrality of nature.
He stood from the rock he was sitting on, looking out over the wooded valley and over the town of Coolahent beyond. The sun had begun to rise, sending a heavenly, reddish glow over that valley that seemed to linger like a poisonous gas in the air as it mixed with the still early morning fog. Spider webs in the trees beside him sparkled with the early morning dew, like little jewels on a thread.
He sighed again as he turned away from the breath - taking view, he had been through a lot because of death - he had seen close friends fall in the heat of battle; various animal companions that he had become quite close to, perish to give Ender a chance to live and see that the others got through it ok. Hoochi - Hoochi, Kaeleas, Nightclaw, and others he had befriended so well that they were the ones that chose to die to save him. Too many had perished along his long road of life and adventures. His parents and brother were also among the curse of tragedies that seemed to follow him wherever he went. As he turned, a fierce amber stare caught his eye, as he looked a fully-grown male Bengal tiger in the face. The deep amber eyes hinted of a greater intelligence, and his powerful muscles were coiled up like a tight spring under him like he was ready to strike. A low growl rumbled from deep in his throat as he seemed to be saying 'Don't mess with me, I'll kick your ass.'
"Hello Rashied."
"Good morning, Ender. The forest is alive with the smells and sights of life.shall we press onward?"
Ender turned and took one last look out over the valley and turned back to follow Rashied.
"If you'd Wildshape, we'd be able to cover much more ground in a quicker fashion." suggested Rashied.
Ender nodded and closed his eyes. Almost immediately, he felt a prickly sensation crawling over his skin. He opened his eyes and his skin had turned the typical orange and black of the Bengal tiger. As he watched, his skin seemed to become hazy and insubstantial, and finally spill outward to become tiger hair. He felt his ears slide up to the top of his head and change to become tiger ears. All the while the ground got closer and closer. He could hear his bones cracking and reversing, his organs sloshing around and changing to become those of a tiger's. Then, as abruptly as it had begun, it ended, and there stood a second Bengal tiger next to Rashied.
Rashied, used to be just a regular Tiger with an Animal Friendship spell cast on him, but now, he was much more. Ender had finally gotten strong enough to cast Awakening, a spell that grants an animal or plant human-like intelligence, giving the animal or plant the ability to think and speak. Rashied has been with Ender for about five months before he cast it, about a month ago.
Rashied took off at a full run to the west, away from Coolahent towards the valley of Bhrum, where he hoped to discover the origin of the disturbance he and his council had felt growing in the natural world. Ender filled with the sheer, childish joy and power of the tiger, and leapt after Rashied.
The green vegetation of the forest rushed by, no more than a green blur of leaves and underbrush. The wind whistled harshly in Ender's ears as the sky slowly and gradually became lighter, the red fading off to become bright blue.
As he was running, Ender's keen tiger senses picked up the charming sound of a Shalm, an instrument made of wood, somewhat like a recorder, but with a different sound, playing off in the distance somewhere to his right. He growled up to Rashied, who growled back that he heard nothing of the sort, which was odd, as Ender was usually the last one to pick up on such things. A clearing appeared ahead, and both Tigers slowed and approached it cautiously, as they had been jumped in a clearing before by a band of Goblins. The music seemed to be coming from the clearing. It could be a nymph, a fey, a dryad, or even a god come to the material plane enjoying the scenery. Ender told Rashied to stay, while he investigated the strange music. Rashied still heard no such music, which even stronger suggested it be Siren, or some being of the same sort.
"It's just in your head Ender, ignore it, and lets go, we still have many miles to transverse," Rashied said.
"No, it's not the song of a Siren, if it is, then I'll call for you to come and give me a hand. This music almost too beautiful to be a Siren's and it is most definitely too beautiful to just pass on by without investigating," Ender protested.
"Fine, fine, you've done this by yourself before, just remember, 'Curiosity killed the Cat.'"
Ender turned and gave him a half-serious, half-sarcastic look that said 'You're such a retard, Rashied.' Rashied just gave that strange little smile that he did with his eyes.
Ender crouched low to the ground, and started inching his way forward, his belly rubbing on the cool, damp, earth, careful to stay concealed in the tall grasses that filled the clearing. His stripes helped him blend in with the grass, making as little noise as possible. He crept closer and closer, pausing occasionally to listen for any sign that the mysterious instrumentalist had heard his approach. When he finally got close enough to see what it was, it was no dryad, nymph, fey or god. It was a mortal, one that was dressed in chain mail, with a pennant of whose design he could not discern yet. A long sword hung at the figure's side and a longbow was propped against the tall birch tree that the figure was sitting up against. As Ender crept closer, he could see the smooth precision that the fingers of a master musician moved gracefully over the wooden instrument, creating a warm, smooth, flowing and relaxing melody. Ender moved silently closer and closer, always stopping and listening, and being careful to stay low to the ground. Closer and closer he crept until he could make out the design of the pennant with his sharp golden - yellow eyes. It was a symbol of his god, Obad-Hai, the god of nature. He could start to make out more features of the figure. It was a young woman sitting against the tree; Her brown hair cascaded down loosely onto her chain mail shirt. Her eyes were closed as she was fully pouring herself into her music. The music flowed like water flows down a riverbed, smooth and soft, sometimes violent and with much power.
Ender crept around to the right, back into the woods, where he Wildshaped back into his Elven form. Ender walked out of the woods and walked over to the young woman sitting against the great birch. She stopped playing, but didn't look up.
"What do you want?" she asked in a voice that was almost as musical as her Shalm, but held a hint of a dangerous edge in it.
Ender paused for a moment, what did he want with her? He hadn't stopped to consider his actions and consequences before he had leapt into action again. Stupid, stupid, stupid!!
"I, uh, I was walking through the woods when I heard you playing your Shalm. I didn't know what it was, so I came to find out," Ender explained, but kept his true purpose a secret. "I followed my ears to this spot, and, well, here I am.' She finally looked up at him with hazel eyes that sparkled with a hint of suspicion. Her eyes told that she had been through many hard times, but she had been able to laugh through a lot of it. Her eyes held a great intelligence, and an even greater understanding of the happenings around her.
She raised one eyebrow, "Just happened to be wondering through the woods, huh?" she said a little softer this time. Her face formed a small little half-smile in which the dimples in her cheeks showed.
Ender found himself staring into those big hazel eyes, lost in his own thoughts. "Um, yeah, I happen to like.walks in the woods. Yes. I like walking in the woods. Woods are nice," he stammered quickly, coming to his senses from a hypnotic state. Ender had learned to read people's body language very well, since he was a member of his own Druidic Council back home. Most of all, he had learned to look deep within someone's eyes. 'The eyes always tell a story,' his Psionic friend, Alamantar had once told him. "And just what is a girl like you doing out here just playing her Shalm?" Ender shot back. He didn't like the feeling that someone unseen was watching through those eyes too, and captivated him so.
She stared up at him, amused, "How did you know that this was a Shalm?" she inquired. "Most wouldn't be able to discern this from a lyre these days. They'd just say it was some sort of magical pipe. It is no magic, it just takes the time and skill to learn to play music." She looked Ender down from head to foot and back up again, "But, you are not just an everyday commoner, now, are you?"
"I am too a commoner, one that enjoys music and likes to escape every once in a while." Ender replied quickly, hoping that he wouldn't spill the truth.
"Yeah, sure, and I'm Pelor. Since when do commoners wear Scimitars and Hide armor? You are no commoner. You worship Obad-Hai, the supreme god of nature, otherwise you wouldn't have known what my instrument was.which would make you." she paused, her eyes filling with conviction, "a druid," she concluded quietly.
"And I presume you are a Cleric, judging by your outfit, and symbols.?" Ender responded, a little shaken that this girl could discover him so easily.
"Yes, in fact I am, to the same god as you, Obad-Hai."
"Fine, you've figured out quite a bit by just studying me, but I still don't know your name, Miss."
"My name is Mataji Celestialrose," she responded. "And yours is.?"
"Ender. Ender Elementalis." He turned and made a noise that sounded like a cross between a mourning pigeon's call, and an owl's hoot, and a tiger sprung from the grass with a great roar, and landed in front of Ender, now looking very sheepish. Mataji jumped visibly, and grabbed Ender's arm, which was quite amusing seeing her startled out of her comfortable little shell of understanding, and immediately going for the protection of Ender. He may be able to make a friend, if not more out of her yet.
"Sorry Ender, I thought you needed me to get you out of another sticky situation." Rashied apologized. "Good day Miss," said Rashied as he turned and looked up at her, grinning with his eyes again.
Mataji's jaw dropped this time. "Your tiger can talk?!" she whispered, awed.
"Yeah, Druids can do that you know.give people intelligence, when they have very little." He gave her a full-faced grin, but she gave him a stern look.
"What are you trying to say, Mr. Elementalis?"
"Nothing! Nothing! It was merely a joke!"
"Sure.maybe you should try it on yourself, as you obviously don't know how to treat women properly. You'll get a good lesson yet, maybe." She stood there for a second with a harsh look on her face, which gradually transformed into a full-hearted smile. "C'mon lighten up a bit! I was just getting you back." She stood and patted Ender on the back. "It's nice to meet you, Ender. I haven't seen a decent Elf such as you in days. Where were you off to that brought you through the forest?" she inquired.
"Brum."
"To see the King?"
"In a sort."
"I have nowhere to go and nothing to do, would you mind if I joined you?" Ender looked down at Rashied, who looked back up at Ender with that same little smile playing over his eyes again. I have no problem with it. Rashied answered Ender in Druidic, a secret language known only to Druids, and occasionally their animal companions.
Ender turned back to Mataji and said, "Yeah, sure, I don't see why not, we may have use of a cleric sometime."
Yeah, right, when will we need a hotheaded, hardcore worshipper anyways? Ender said to Rashied with a sarcastic look on his face after Mataji looked away.
You never know, but in any case, we can always 'disappear' if we ever need to right? So there's no harm in at least having someone else to talk to at the very least. Rashied replied. Besides, the tiger continued, you may be able to use those lady skills she threatened to teach you, right?
Shut up, Rashied
The tiger loped after Ender and Mataji with a satisfied look on his face that clearly read 'One for the Tiger, None for Ender!'
Harmony over Destruction. Peace over Hate. Tranquility over Vengeance. Song over Silence.
Such are the teachings of the Elves, Ender thought. If only the rest of the world were to follow in these teachings, it would spawn a golden age.
The Humans would follow these laws, but would be quick to deviate from them, as their world is ever changing - their lives are so short, one must pity them.
The Dwarves and Half-Orcs would not follow these teachings faithfully, for they are in love with combat, and live to flirt with death.
The Halflings are more geared towards chaos, and care nothing for laws, while the Gnomes are more interested in their holes, and playing jokes on each other.
Such is the world today Ender sighed. Harmony, what was what he craved for most, but already, he himself had deviated from the teachings. He had become what few other Elves of his village had - a Druid. A caretaker and defender of the wild. A being that no longer drew solely on strength from himself, but also from nature. It was because of this way of life that he had already not followed the teachings of the Elves as best he could.
He hated all things unnatural to the wild - Abburatoins and Undead were just a few. He was at peace with nature, although he leaned more towards the good and living than the true neutrality of nature.
He stood from the rock he was sitting on, looking out over the wooded valley and over the town of Coolahent beyond. The sun had begun to rise, sending a heavenly, reddish glow over that valley that seemed to linger like a poisonous gas in the air as it mixed with the still early morning fog. Spider webs in the trees beside him sparkled with the early morning dew, like little jewels on a thread.
He sighed again as he turned away from the breath - taking view, he had been through a lot because of death - he had seen close friends fall in the heat of battle; various animal companions that he had become quite close to, perish to give Ender a chance to live and see that the others got through it ok. Hoochi - Hoochi, Kaeleas, Nightclaw, and others he had befriended so well that they were the ones that chose to die to save him. Too many had perished along his long road of life and adventures. His parents and brother were also among the curse of tragedies that seemed to follow him wherever he went. As he turned, a fierce amber stare caught his eye, as he looked a fully-grown male Bengal tiger in the face. The deep amber eyes hinted of a greater intelligence, and his powerful muscles were coiled up like a tight spring under him like he was ready to strike. A low growl rumbled from deep in his throat as he seemed to be saying 'Don't mess with me, I'll kick your ass.'
"Hello Rashied."
"Good morning, Ender. The forest is alive with the smells and sights of life.shall we press onward?"
Ender turned and took one last look out over the valley and turned back to follow Rashied.
"If you'd Wildshape, we'd be able to cover much more ground in a quicker fashion." suggested Rashied.
Ender nodded and closed his eyes. Almost immediately, he felt a prickly sensation crawling over his skin. He opened his eyes and his skin had turned the typical orange and black of the Bengal tiger. As he watched, his skin seemed to become hazy and insubstantial, and finally spill outward to become tiger hair. He felt his ears slide up to the top of his head and change to become tiger ears. All the while the ground got closer and closer. He could hear his bones cracking and reversing, his organs sloshing around and changing to become those of a tiger's. Then, as abruptly as it had begun, it ended, and there stood a second Bengal tiger next to Rashied.
Rashied, used to be just a regular Tiger with an Animal Friendship spell cast on him, but now, he was much more. Ender had finally gotten strong enough to cast Awakening, a spell that grants an animal or plant human-like intelligence, giving the animal or plant the ability to think and speak. Rashied has been with Ender for about five months before he cast it, about a month ago.
Rashied took off at a full run to the west, away from Coolahent towards the valley of Bhrum, where he hoped to discover the origin of the disturbance he and his council had felt growing in the natural world. Ender filled with the sheer, childish joy and power of the tiger, and leapt after Rashied.
The green vegetation of the forest rushed by, no more than a green blur of leaves and underbrush. The wind whistled harshly in Ender's ears as the sky slowly and gradually became lighter, the red fading off to become bright blue.
As he was running, Ender's keen tiger senses picked up the charming sound of a Shalm, an instrument made of wood, somewhat like a recorder, but with a different sound, playing off in the distance somewhere to his right. He growled up to Rashied, who growled back that he heard nothing of the sort, which was odd, as Ender was usually the last one to pick up on such things. A clearing appeared ahead, and both Tigers slowed and approached it cautiously, as they had been jumped in a clearing before by a band of Goblins. The music seemed to be coming from the clearing. It could be a nymph, a fey, a dryad, or even a god come to the material plane enjoying the scenery. Ender told Rashied to stay, while he investigated the strange music. Rashied still heard no such music, which even stronger suggested it be Siren, or some being of the same sort.
"It's just in your head Ender, ignore it, and lets go, we still have many miles to transverse," Rashied said.
"No, it's not the song of a Siren, if it is, then I'll call for you to come and give me a hand. This music almost too beautiful to be a Siren's and it is most definitely too beautiful to just pass on by without investigating," Ender protested.
"Fine, fine, you've done this by yourself before, just remember, 'Curiosity killed the Cat.'"
Ender turned and gave him a half-serious, half-sarcastic look that said 'You're such a retard, Rashied.' Rashied just gave that strange little smile that he did with his eyes.
Ender crouched low to the ground, and started inching his way forward, his belly rubbing on the cool, damp, earth, careful to stay concealed in the tall grasses that filled the clearing. His stripes helped him blend in with the grass, making as little noise as possible. He crept closer and closer, pausing occasionally to listen for any sign that the mysterious instrumentalist had heard his approach. When he finally got close enough to see what it was, it was no dryad, nymph, fey or god. It was a mortal, one that was dressed in chain mail, with a pennant of whose design he could not discern yet. A long sword hung at the figure's side and a longbow was propped against the tall birch tree that the figure was sitting up against. As Ender crept closer, he could see the smooth precision that the fingers of a master musician moved gracefully over the wooden instrument, creating a warm, smooth, flowing and relaxing melody. Ender moved silently closer and closer, always stopping and listening, and being careful to stay low to the ground. Closer and closer he crept until he could make out the design of the pennant with his sharp golden - yellow eyes. It was a symbol of his god, Obad-Hai, the god of nature. He could start to make out more features of the figure. It was a young woman sitting against the tree; Her brown hair cascaded down loosely onto her chain mail shirt. Her eyes were closed as she was fully pouring herself into her music. The music flowed like water flows down a riverbed, smooth and soft, sometimes violent and with much power.
Ender crept around to the right, back into the woods, where he Wildshaped back into his Elven form. Ender walked out of the woods and walked over to the young woman sitting against the great birch. She stopped playing, but didn't look up.
"What do you want?" she asked in a voice that was almost as musical as her Shalm, but held a hint of a dangerous edge in it.
Ender paused for a moment, what did he want with her? He hadn't stopped to consider his actions and consequences before he had leapt into action again. Stupid, stupid, stupid!!
"I, uh, I was walking through the woods when I heard you playing your Shalm. I didn't know what it was, so I came to find out," Ender explained, but kept his true purpose a secret. "I followed my ears to this spot, and, well, here I am.' She finally looked up at him with hazel eyes that sparkled with a hint of suspicion. Her eyes told that she had been through many hard times, but she had been able to laugh through a lot of it. Her eyes held a great intelligence, and an even greater understanding of the happenings around her.
She raised one eyebrow, "Just happened to be wondering through the woods, huh?" she said a little softer this time. Her face formed a small little half-smile in which the dimples in her cheeks showed.
Ender found himself staring into those big hazel eyes, lost in his own thoughts. "Um, yeah, I happen to like.walks in the woods. Yes. I like walking in the woods. Woods are nice," he stammered quickly, coming to his senses from a hypnotic state. Ender had learned to read people's body language very well, since he was a member of his own Druidic Council back home. Most of all, he had learned to look deep within someone's eyes. 'The eyes always tell a story,' his Psionic friend, Alamantar had once told him. "And just what is a girl like you doing out here just playing her Shalm?" Ender shot back. He didn't like the feeling that someone unseen was watching through those eyes too, and captivated him so.
She stared up at him, amused, "How did you know that this was a Shalm?" she inquired. "Most wouldn't be able to discern this from a lyre these days. They'd just say it was some sort of magical pipe. It is no magic, it just takes the time and skill to learn to play music." She looked Ender down from head to foot and back up again, "But, you are not just an everyday commoner, now, are you?"
"I am too a commoner, one that enjoys music and likes to escape every once in a while." Ender replied quickly, hoping that he wouldn't spill the truth.
"Yeah, sure, and I'm Pelor. Since when do commoners wear Scimitars and Hide armor? You are no commoner. You worship Obad-Hai, the supreme god of nature, otherwise you wouldn't have known what my instrument was.which would make you." she paused, her eyes filling with conviction, "a druid," she concluded quietly.
"And I presume you are a Cleric, judging by your outfit, and symbols.?" Ender responded, a little shaken that this girl could discover him so easily.
"Yes, in fact I am, to the same god as you, Obad-Hai."
"Fine, you've figured out quite a bit by just studying me, but I still don't know your name, Miss."
"My name is Mataji Celestialrose," she responded. "And yours is.?"
"Ender. Ender Elementalis." He turned and made a noise that sounded like a cross between a mourning pigeon's call, and an owl's hoot, and a tiger sprung from the grass with a great roar, and landed in front of Ender, now looking very sheepish. Mataji jumped visibly, and grabbed Ender's arm, which was quite amusing seeing her startled out of her comfortable little shell of understanding, and immediately going for the protection of Ender. He may be able to make a friend, if not more out of her yet.
"Sorry Ender, I thought you needed me to get you out of another sticky situation." Rashied apologized. "Good day Miss," said Rashied as he turned and looked up at her, grinning with his eyes again.
Mataji's jaw dropped this time. "Your tiger can talk?!" she whispered, awed.
"Yeah, Druids can do that you know.give people intelligence, when they have very little." He gave her a full-faced grin, but she gave him a stern look.
"What are you trying to say, Mr. Elementalis?"
"Nothing! Nothing! It was merely a joke!"
"Sure.maybe you should try it on yourself, as you obviously don't know how to treat women properly. You'll get a good lesson yet, maybe." She stood there for a second with a harsh look on her face, which gradually transformed into a full-hearted smile. "C'mon lighten up a bit! I was just getting you back." She stood and patted Ender on the back. "It's nice to meet you, Ender. I haven't seen a decent Elf such as you in days. Where were you off to that brought you through the forest?" she inquired.
"Brum."
"To see the King?"
"In a sort."
"I have nowhere to go and nothing to do, would you mind if I joined you?" Ender looked down at Rashied, who looked back up at Ender with that same little smile playing over his eyes again. I have no problem with it. Rashied answered Ender in Druidic, a secret language known only to Druids, and occasionally their animal companions.
Ender turned back to Mataji and said, "Yeah, sure, I don't see why not, we may have use of a cleric sometime."
Yeah, right, when will we need a hotheaded, hardcore worshipper anyways? Ender said to Rashied with a sarcastic look on his face after Mataji looked away.
You never know, but in any case, we can always 'disappear' if we ever need to right? So there's no harm in at least having someone else to talk to at the very least. Rashied replied. Besides, the tiger continued, you may be able to use those lady skills she threatened to teach you, right?
Shut up, Rashied
The tiger loped after Ender and Mataji with a satisfied look on his face that clearly read 'One for the Tiger, None for Ender!'