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Yay another chapter!
Don't you love me?
You know you do!
Congrats to Boomeantalist for the answering the riddle right!
Murtagh's trainer was Tornac!
I like typing exclamation points!!!!!
If you think I'm weird then you're right!
sigh I know I'm babbling YET again...
ONWARD TO THE STORY!
cough don't forget to review cough
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Chapter 7
Shifting
Marak woke before anyone could wake him. He was excited. 'Today is the big day!' he thought sheepishy. As he got out of his bed of hay and went down the barn ladder his thoughts turned to how he was going to get rid of Mary.
'I'm probably just going to have to ditch her. But near the farm so she can make her way back' he thought. He would hate himself for doing this but it wasn't safe for her on the road.
'And maybe the Waredog will come again' he thought thinking of the last meeting. 'I'm going to have to try to 'shift' as my father called it' his eyes started to water at the thought of him. He wiped his eyes with his arm quickly.
He made it to the garden and saw that Mary, Ophelia and Master was waiting for him. Mary was wearing yellow boys tunic and breaches which surprised Marak but he didn't say anything.
He bowed to Master and then waited for him to say something. It didn't take long. "Ok slave boy. In these packs" he pointed to two bulging packs by his side "is a weeks worth of food for each of you. I don't want you eating all of the meat on the way back."
Master pointed to the picnic table where the slaves eat. There leaning against it was a brown sack the took the shape of a bow and quiver. "In there is a bow and quiver I don't know much about weapons but you open it and take a look and see if it is useable" Marak obeyed.
He opened it to reveal a finely made oak bow and oak quiver. There was at least seven-teen arrows in the quiver. He strung the bow and bent it to test it's flexibility. Master waited for him to say something.
"It's a finely made bow and will work well. As will the quiver. I don't know about the arrows though. But they should do." he said to Master keeping his voice low and humble.
Master nodded "Good. Now you will find in your pack the butchering tools that you will need. As you will find a bedroll for Mary. I don't think you will need one" he said.
"You will find in Mary's pack the food. So be careful with it for I don't want it to be wasted." He turned to Mary. "Mary keep an eye on the slave. If he runs you run back and we'll get him. Also in your pack you will find a compass so you can find your way back if he does run" Mary nodded.
Master turned once more to Marak. "If you run we will get you back and you will find I am not so nice if people cross me" said Master threateningly. Marak did a simple nod. "Also like I said before if Mary comes to harm you will wish you were never born" he let the threat hang in the air. Marak nodded again.
'This is too easy' thought Marak hiding a smirk.
"Good. Now be off." Master waved them away. Marak started to walk. Mary hugged her mother and started walking down the road northward with Marak.
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(That night)
"I'll take first watch" said Marak. "Why? Why do we have to do watches" asked Mary. "Mary let me tell you something. You're father doesn't know how bad the roads are these days. He was being rash to make you come" replied Marak.
"Marak! I was the one that wouldn't shut up asking if I could come! So you should be thankful that father is letting you go hunting" cried Mary. "Listen I'm sorry but if my parents were alive they would never let me off the farm if they knew about what would happen to me" Marak apologized to her.
"It's ok" said Mary feeling bad for Marak. "You should get some sleep now I'll watch. You need your rest it's going to be a long couple of days" Marak said. Mary nodded and slipped into her bedroll. That left Marak to think.
Secretly they had been going around in a wide arch around the farm so instead of facing north they were facing south. This was because that is the direction Master thought they were going.
He didn't plan to leave Mary here right now but wait two other nights so they were far enough away that it would give him more time to teach her how to get back and more time for him before the men come when he runs away.
'I'm never going to forgive myself for ditching her but it has to be done' he thought to himself. He sighed 'this is going to be a long trip'. Suddenly a bird twittered down in front of him. It was a black raven and it's left wing was held at a awkward angle.
"Oh hello there little bird" said Marak. "Is your wing hurt?" he asked. He remembered the time when he shot at the Waredog and how he healed it. 'I'll try to heal it' he thought. "Ok little birdie I won't hurt you" he held out a finger towards the bird. "Come on jump on" the bird jumped on to his finger to Marak's surprise.
"Ok now hold out your wing." The bird did so trusting Marak with his life. He put his right hand on the bird's wing very gently. "This won't hurt" said Marak in a soothing voice. He closed his eyes and searched his mind for the magic inside him. He felt a wall and he searched for a weak spot. He found one and pushed at it. He felt it breaking down. He pushed a little harder.
It crumbled. He opened his eyes to see a flash of green light. The light subdued and he saw the bird was still there on his finger. But it's wing was not held at an awkward angle anymore. He smiled.
"What did you do?" He looked up and saw Mary sitting up in her bedroll. He cursed inaudibly. "What did you do?" she repeated the question. You could see she was awestruck by the way her eyes danced. Marak sighed. "To be truthful I don't know" he said.
"You- you just healed that bird" she said shakily. The bird on his finger began to tweet at her. "Yes, I guess I did" said Marak. "You can do magic" she stated. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked not wanting her to be.
"No, I know you wouldn't hurt me. You're my friend. Friends wouldn't hurt each other right?" she asked and said at the same time.
"No friends don't" he all the sudden felt very guilty about him going to ditch her. He decided to tell her about the thing under the floor boards maybe she would understand and help him escape some way.
"Mary?"
"Yes?"
"Remember when I told you about how I became a slave?"
"Yes of course"
"Well when we were in my bedroom my mother told me something was under the floor boards that would change Alagaesia forever. And It was my job to retrieve it and give it to some" he search for the right word "friends" he concluded.
Mary looked confused. Then her face turned into a understanding one.
"Marak you were going to ditch me to get this mystery thing right?" she asked hurt.
"Mary understand it's my mother's last wish for me. I have to do it" he said sighing.
"Ok I'll let you go"
Marak's face went into shock.
"You're going to let me go?" he asked unbelievingly.
"Yes, but under one condition"
"Name your price" he said.
"I come with you"
"WHAT?" he cried. "Like I said before the road is no place for you" he said trying to give her some reasoning.
"You have to let me go. You just told me you're plan and if you don't let me go I'll start running back now"
"That's blackmail!"
"I'm coming. My life is boring. All I do is stay inside the house and sew and do girly stuff. I want to have some action in my life! I don't care about the dangers. I can face them" she said stubbornly.
He was beginning to regret telling her.
"Fine. You can come but if we get caught you tell your father it was your idea and you made me come along with you. Deal?"
"Deal" she said smiling.
"Good now let's go to sleep. I'm actually pretty sure that we don't need to watch tonight because were so close to civilization."
"Then why didn't you go to bed before?"
"I needed to think" he replied truthfully.
"Well I'm tired so I'm going to sleep."
"Me too"
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They woke up next morning to a nice sunrise and got up ate and packed up camp. "Where is your old farm?" she asked. "Near Melian" he replied.
"But that's a long way!" she whined. "Having second thoughts about coming?" he said smirking.
"No! But how long will it take?" she said defensively "About four weeks on foot. But I think I have a idea that I want to try out and it probably cut that time in half." Marak said thinking. "But it might not work" he added.
"Tell me your plan" she said. "You're going to laugh when I say it though" "fine then humor me" she said.
"Well I think I can turn into a horse and you can ride me bareback."
She burst out laughing. "I told you!" he said. She took in a deep breath to stop laughing. "You actually think that is possible?" she said bursting out laughing again.
"You never know what's impossible until it happens" he said. He just realized that he just quoted his father. He bit his lip and blinked a few times. "Look I'll be right back I want to try it" She nodded half believing it.
(A/N: I know this is unrealistic but when he changes into an animal his clothes will still be on when he changes back so he doesn't go naked...hey it's magic right?)
He walked a ways into the grass and sat down. 'Now what am I supposed to do?' he thought.
Think about the animal that you want to become and become the animal.
Deolm?
Try it.
He closed his eyes and thought about a horse. It's long legs and strong white body. It's white snout. The hair long white tail. The pointed ears. He concentrated and when he tried to 'become' the animal he found a barrier. He pushed at it. It didn't budge and pushed and still didn't budge. He looked for a weak spot. He found one and pushed as hard as he ever could. It felt like a explosion in his head.
He felt a tingling feeling going up his arms and legs and head. Then on his body. He opened his eyes and saw that he was slowly changing. He felt oddly calm as he changed. His legs were getting longer and his snout was growing too. He was growing bigger and bigger. The hair was starting to grow on him. And quickly the tingling sensation left him.
'Oh goddess it worked!" he thought. He walked forward. His horse legs felt different then walking on human legs but it felt like it was right. 'Mary!' he thought.
He turned behind him. There standing was Mary looked dumbfounded.
"M-m-marak?" she asked. 'Wait. How am I going to be able to talk to her?' he thought.
'Wait maybe the way Deolm talked to me by mind speak.'
Mary?
"Marak! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it" she said regaining herself.
"Marak you are the weirdest person I have ever met" she stated truthfully.
I take that as a complement
She laughed. "But wait how are you talking to me?" she asked
Mind speak
"Wow how do you do it?" she asked excited.
Talk in your head directed at me.
Marak?
Good. Now get the packs on me and lets go!
" Aye Marak!" she said smiling.
It took them fifteen minutes to get ready to go because of Mary falling of numerous times. By the time they were ready Marak was anxious to go.
He took off running fast. Mary had to hold on to his mane and duck down from the wind. It was a steady beat. Marak for the first time felt the joy of running under the sun. He kept on for an hour before Mary ordered him to stop due to her aching back.
Marak reluctantly stopped running and went slower. This continued for the rest of the day. For awhile Marak would run and then when Mary complained about her back form arching forward.
The sun started going down and they had to stop. Mary dismounted rather clumsily. Marak started to change back by do the opposite that he did that morning by thinking about humans. He felt the tingling sensation and found himself taking shape of a human.
They had covered more ground on horse in one day then it would take three days on foot.
"That was the most fun I have ever had in my life!" Marak cried as he was done changing. "I can't wait until tomorrow!" he said to Mary who looked the worse for ware. "I can" she mumbled.
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The day past the same way as the first one did. They would get up, eat, load up camp, ride until lunch, eat and take a brake, ride more then set up camp again and eat then take a brake then sleep.
When they took breaks Marak would teach Mary about how to find her way without a map by looking at the stars. He also showed her how to identify different animal tracks. When he practiced with the bow she would watch him.
One day Mary asked if she could try it. She couldn't pull it back. Mark helped her by showing her how to hold it and she knocked an arrow and shot. It didn't even land six feet before her. After that day she kept on trying it and became exceptional at it.
It took a week and a half to get to Melian.
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(The night before Melian)
Marak had just changed back from shifting. "Are we going to go though town?" asked Mary. "No I don't want to attract any attention.
I mean it would be suspicious if I show up from apparently being sold into slavery" he said reasonably. "I guess I just wish I could eat some food other then stale bread and water" she said. At this Marak laughed.
"Welcome to my world" he said sheepishly. They laughed together. They looked up at the night sky. "Mary?" "Yes?" "Do you miss your family?" Marak asked. Mary thought for a moment. "I miss my mom. I don't miss my dad so much though. I'll admit he wasn't a nice man to own slaves" she sighed.
"Mary?" "Yes Marak?" "I will admit you are the first friend I've had my age. And a good friend too" he said. "Likewise" said Mary. They smiled at each other. There was an awkward silence.
"I think we should go to bed we have a long day tomorrow. I'll take first watch" said Marak. "Fine" she yawned the word out. She went to bed and Marak was content to look up at the night sky.
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Yay the chapter is done! Did you like it? Tell meeeeeeeeee! Was the shifter thing cool or what? You know you like it! Oh yes the riddle!
What does 'Osthato Chetowa' mean in the Ancient Language?
