Disclaimer: If you recognise it, it ain't mine….if it was then I'd be Mercedes Lackey and have lots of money, rather than being a poor, overdrawn etcetera-cat with no money at all sob sob ~cat looks at evil-cat~ Well it could work you know, and if it does guess who'll be not joining me on a tropical island? ~evil-cat mutters, cat ignores her~

Anyway! First fic, first Valdemar fic, so be nice! J Please review, but no flamers…cos that'll make me depressed and evil-cat'll get all sarcastic and when she gets like that she forgets to feed the blue pills to cat-astrophe, and before you know it, we'll have cat-astrophe trying to clog dance on the ceiling again, which is murder on the artex….

Chapter One- Hunter, stalker.

  The early evening sunlight lanced through the foliage, turning the woodland floor into a many-coloured mosaic of light and dark.  The bucolic scene was completed by the scattered furry forms of grazing rabbits, busily inhaling the lush grass dotted round the clearing.

  A slight rustle in the undergrowth at the side of the clearing caused no few ears to twitch and one of the warren bucks reared up, ready to thump an alarm.  When nothing further happened the buck returned to grazing.  This meant that the rabbit never saw the lead shot that thudded between his ears, killing him instantly, the sharp cracking noise scattering the other rabbits.

  The sudden silence was broken by more rustling from the bushes, this time the cause of the sound was revealed as a slight girl who wiggled free of the bushes, retaining no small amount of them in her hair, and trotted across the clearing to retrieve the lead shot and the rabbit.

  ~'lright! My third one today…lesse, two fer mum for dinner an' I reckon Old Ma Keman'll trade this'un for summat good.~

  Saffri scooped up the rabbit and shot and returned to her hidey hole in the bushes to retrieve a further two dead rabbits, contemplating what in the way of edible treats a fat bunny would coax of Ma Keman.

  Stringing the rabbits together and slinging them over one shoulder Saffri started to head back to the village, pausing to brush an untoward scrap of hair out of her eyes.  The pause became somewhat longer as Saff attempted to run her fingers through the tangled morass of hair on her head and encountered enough woody foliage to start a fire.

  ~A small fire, but a fire nonetheless.  Eesh, I'd better clean up before anyone sees me and tells mum an' she has kittens.  Again.~

  Changing direction so that she intercepted a small stream Saffri dumped her gear and attempted a clean up, brushing loam and foliage off her much-worn dark green rough spun tunic and trousers, before plunging her hands and arms into the cold water.

  ~Eesh!  Cold!  Very cold…now if only I had some- aha!~

Spying the soaproot plant Saff yanked up some of it and began scrubbing at her arms.  After she had rinsed them off she looked down at the shaky reflection staring back at her.

  Deep green eyes set in a ghostly pale face, hours spent outside only adding a scattering of freckles rather than a tan.  Hawk like nose and a stubborn mouth completed a wholly original face.  Crowning this visage was a permanently tangled mass of dark brown hair.

  ~Oh, right.  Cos I'm such a beauty to gawp at.~

Sighing Saff scraped her hair back, removing as much of the dead leaves and twigs as she could, and levered herself to her feet and struck out for the game trail that headed back to the village.

~***~

  Reaching the outskirts of the village, Saff listened, with her ears and with the inner sense in her head.  Satisfied that all she could sense was the normal rumblings of a rural Border village she made her way quickly towards her family's house, skitting from shadow to shadow, not a great task in the fading light of the autumn day.

  Upon making the house she slipped through the ajar door.  Right into her mother.

  "Saffri Rahda!  Where have you been child?"  Nerla Rahda trilled, arms akimbo.  "I have been worried sick.  You didn't return with your brothers and I can't stand the thought of you out in the Forest on your own.  Who knows what might attack you!"

  Nerla took a deep breath, obviously intent on indulging in her second favourite pastime, vapouring at her only daughter.  Before she could launch into full voice Saff interrupted her.

  "Eesh! Mum, c'mon!  You know I can shoot better than Deek an' Arzzi.  And there's nowt that's dangerous out there, tis only the Forest."

  "The Pelagiris Forest young lady, as well you know."

  "Mum, you know it's been cleansed and the Hawkbrothers only passed through last season."

  "That is besides the point!  You are my daughter Saffri, my only daughter.  You should be helping me and embroidering things for your dower, not gallivanting about the Forest like a Changechild!"

  Nerla's tirade against her wayward offspring was cut short by the clattering arrival of Arzzi and Deek, Saffri's two elder brothers.  Both of the men shared with Saffri the green eyes and dark hair of their father, unlike her however, they also sported heavily tanned skin, a mark of the hours both spent outdoors.

  Compared with the rest of her family, Nerla was most definitely the odd one out, with her honey blonde hair, roses and cream complexion and china blue eyes.

  Deek looked from Saffri's sullen face to his mother's indignation filled one, as seventeen year old Arzzi beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

  "Hey now, what are my two favourite ladies arguing about?"  Deek inquired placatingly.

  His question was met with stony silence from both sides.  Seeking to brighten the atmosphere, Deek's eyes fell on the rabbits still slung over Saff's shoulder.

  "Hey now!"  He exclaimed enthusiastically, "Look what our Saff's brought home for dinner."

  ~Oh no.~  Saff thought with a groan, ~Deek…why'd ya have to mention the buns? Mum is going to go mental now…mention my hunting when she's in the middle of the 'Why Aren't You A Lady?' speech…eesh!  Not a good plan brother dear.~

  Saffri knew that she was being unkind to her brother, he wasn't to know what he and Arzzi had walked in on.  As these thought ran round Saff's head her mother's gaze locked on the offending rabbits and her mouth pressed into a thin line.

  ~Now I'm for it.~

  "Really Saffri!  You shouldn't be killing things!  You're a lady and my daughter.  Why don't you do embroidery?  I know that Lorshi has some new patterns in and I'm sure that she'd love to share them with you.  It would also make me happy, Lorshi is such a nice girl and so ladylike…  Maybe I could arrange for you and…"

  Saffri's attention wandered and she lost track of what her mother was saying and it all blurred into a kind of low level aggrieved worrying that flowed round Saff and made the inside of her head itch.

  ~Why aren't you a Lady?  Why don't you like embroidery?  That is all she ever goes on about.  That and what a lovely girl Lorshi is.  Feh.  Lovely like a snake.  Nice to look at, but get on her wrong side an' you get bitten…I hate her I really do.  Her and the rest of them.  Acting like they're Haven courtiers rather that village merchant's brats.  And I know they hate me.  I can feel it.~

  Saff sighed internally and glanced at Deek, who was now included in their mother's tirade.

  "…I don't understand why you had to teach her all those things.  It really is not suitable for a lady to outshoot her potential spouses!  A lady should be impressed by a man's hunting prowess not vice versa!"

  Nerla paused for breath, looking slightly flushed.

  ~Marriage?!  I'm fourteen!  Lord and Lady…~

  "And speaking of ladies," Nerla was off again, "you, Deek.  You're twenty!  And still no wife, or even the hint of anything."

  "Ah now mum, please-"  Deek injected, flushing a bright red.

  Before either Deek could continue or Nerla could ride roughshod over his objections Arzzi's voice called from the kitchen.

  "Mother, the dinner is about to burn."

  "Well take it off the range then you silly boy!"  Nerla exclaimed and vanished into the kitchen.

  In the now silent hall Deek and Saffri looked at each other.  Deek cleared his throat.  "I'm sorry Saff, I shoulda guessed that'd set 'er off."

  "Don't worry about it Dee.  She never really stops.  I just blank her out."

  "Maybe if you went along with her plan… y'know got friendly with Lorshi.  That cou-"

  Saffri looked levelly at her elder brother.  "I'd sooner eat argonel soaked mycofoetida Dee.  And I'm sure Lorshi feels the same." 

  Deek looked uneasy.  "Now Saff, Lorshi and her friends aren't that bad."

"You think so?"  Before Deek could reply Saff turned and stalked into the kitchen.

~***~

  Later, much later Saffri sat at her bedroom window, staring blankly out at the dark mass of the Pelagirs, swaying in the night time breeze.  Downstairs she could hear the rest of her family, Deek and Arzzi discussing the harvest with her father and her mother clattering in the kitchen.

  ~Funny how she weeps and wails at me for being a woods-wild changling but will end up quite happily using the bunnies I got fer pies.~

  Saffri yawned as exhaustion began to catch up with her.  Sighing she pulled the window to and crawled into bed.

  Maybe things would look better in the morning.