Disclaimer: I don't own. Anyone who tries to sue me will get two furious
kestrels set on them. Grr.
Sorry! Just hate doing disclaimers.
Have pie, reviewers! Fresh apple pie today, with cider!
Darkfyre: Action has been taking a long stroll. I need to go kidnap it. Or maybe Krathnae has it. Fire-lizards? Hmm. Thanks! *sics fire-lizards on Krathnae's trail* Except...can they fly? Cause I'm pretty sure that Krathnae's aerie is only accessible by flying... And about the kestrels, they do fine with a few feedings a day. Kree eats a LOT, though. It takes more to fuel a large body. So I'm sure that Krathnae will come out to hunt- wait, he's a mage, dammit! He can just summon it! *grumbles*
Cerulean Sky: Don't blame you!
Kyalia: I know, I know, it's a bit happy. Liluye still has happy-new-bond syndrome. Catastrophe...hmmmmmmm.
Kierseth: Kree's feathers are golden brown, but they have a reddish tinge in the right kind of light. I'm not sure about the Liluye-shaych thing yet, she's definitely not going to be Chosen, and Helia...well, let's just say Helia is bored with her life in Riverrun.
Cat: Thanks!
Tomorrow you get blueberry pie!
Muse responsible: Rrissa! Thank you, Rrissa! I like this story!
Rrissa: *gives kyree grin* :I know...if I give you an idea you like, you do most of the work! Void in the case of Like the Moon.: (coughKrathnaecough)
Fireblade: Unfortunately.
Onto the story! Oh, and action has been taking a looong walk. So I've combined two chappies...bear with me. She signs onto the Wanderers this time.
----------------------------------------------
I awoke in the morning, nestled in a feather bed. [Mmm. I like inns. Nice soft beds.]
:And screamy chambermaids. When we leave?: came Kree's impatient query.
:Eaten already, featherhead?:
:Nice hawk-lady come, she give me tasty duck and say I handsome.: I could feel Kree's mental preening.
I startled myself by laughing so hard that I fell out of bed.
:So when we leave?: asked Kree again.
:We can go today.:
:!: came Kree's happy thought, then he cut the connection.
I looked around the room and saw neatly folded clean clothes on a chair. [The screamy chambermaids do have advantages when they AREN'T screaming...]
I pulled on my clothes and looked inside my belt-pouch.
I had left home with enough money to buy a medium-quality horse and stay a few nights at inns-I had saved for what seemed like forever. Of course, ever since I had bought the hawk furniture for Kree, I was running rather low.
[Good thing Kree can catch enough food for both of us...]
I left my room and headed downstairs to the common room, where I ordered breakfast.
A roll with a sausage baked into it greeted me, and I introduced it to my ravenous stomach.
That done, I headed outside.
There had been an arrival in the night, it seemed-a merchant's wagon sat to the side of the inn.
Interested, I wandered over. The merchant himself was absent-but a guard lazily leaned against the side of the wagon.
I looked at him for a moment. The man was tall and gangly, and had a sneer on his face.
[He could be trouble...I'd better avoid him.]
"Going somewhere?" asked the man.
[Yup. Hello, trouble.]
"What does your hirer sell?" I asked him, attempting to seem politely interested.
"Jewels."
"I see."
The man was looking at me in a way I disliked. :Um, Kree? Can you head over here, give this guy a look at your talons? He doesn't look very nice.:
:I come.:
"Really? Where were you last?" I asked, trying to act like one of my sisters-always interested in clothes and jewelry.
"Well, we were in Kata'shi'na'in, but then we headed up here-rubies sell well in Rethwellan."
"You are well informed of your master's doings," I observed.
The man shrugged. "I don't hire on without information."
:!: came Kree's warning, and I held up my arm.
Kree landed on my arm. I tried not to stagger.
:Bird, you are heavy!:
:This man not-nice. Mind slimy. Might be thief,: came Kree's commentary.
Meanwhile, the guard had gone very pale. "Are you-what is-"
I interrupted smoothly. "This is Kree. He's my partner. I'm not interested today, thank you."
Turning, I strolled down the street and into the stables.
Kree sat very still on my arm as I wandered over to Chester's stall.
Chester snorted at Kree, but didn't do anything else-one of the reasons I had bought him.
Opening his door one-handed, I grasped the bottom of his halter and led him into the corral, where I launched Kree.
I managed to saddle Chester without much mishap-I couldn't figure out some of the strange-looking straps on the saddle-but a stableboy came and helped me.
I ran up to my room and dumped my things into my pack, carrying it down to the corral again-where I stopped, stuck.
[How am I supposed to attach this to the saddle?]
"Going somewhere?" drawled a lazy voice from the fence.
"Yup. I'm about broke, so I'm going to go join Wendell's Wanderers and get saddlesore meanwhile," I called back, looking up.
Helia laughed.
Kree chirred and landed on the fence beside her. Helia scratched his head.
:Helia bright-clever-kind.:
"Kree likes you," I said to Helia.
"And I like him right back."
Kree sighed and settled, blissfully leaning into Helia's hand.
I went back to staring at the pack.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out how I get my pack attached to the saddle..."
"Easy," said Helia, ducking under the fence.
She picked up the pack, looked it over, adjusted several ties, then used the funy-looking straps I hadn't been able to figure out to attach it so it was centered on Chester's back.
Chester heaved a sigh.
"There you go," said Helia, slapping Chester's shoulder.
:Come scratch head now?: came Kree's plea.
"Birdbrain over there wants another head-scratch," I said, laughing a bit.
Helia laughed too and went back over to the fence.
"Why did you leave your farm, anyway?" she asked me.
"I wanted adventure...so I researched merc companies as best I could out in the farmlands and picked Wendell's Wanderers. I want to see the world!"
Helia nodded. "Sounds like me."
Before I knew it, I had asked, "You want to come?"
A slow grin spread over her face. "Actually, that's what I came to ask. Rory can manage the birdies fine, I can't teach him much more, I'm bored, Kree's a sweetie, and one of Lord Nadoc's sons keeps proposing to me. Problem is, he's proposed to seven women before, and broken off the engagement after he had-well-" Helia coughed.
"Won't you miss your family?" I winced at this stupid question as soon as I asked it. After all, I had had no qualms about wandering away...
"Actually, I will...but I can live with it."
I stuck my staff under the packstraps and mounted Chester.
"What are you waiting for?" I asked.
Helia said, "Meet you at the other end of town," and left.
Kree sighed. :Don't worry, she's coming with us,: I reassured him.
Kree's golden-brown feathers seemed to brighten. :Goodgood! You have friend, I have head scratches, all good.:
He took off from the fence and wheeled into the air.
Closing my eyes, I followed his thoughts-
Suddenly, I was looking down at myself from a hawk's body. The world twisted crazily as I wheeled.
I skimmed over the wind, gliding easily left and right and up...
Blinking, I found myself in my body again. :Bird, what was that?: I asked anxiously.
:You share mind. Funfun.:
I shrugged and guided Chester down the street.
____About a candlemark later____
I was having the time of my life on the road. Helia rode easily beside me on a dun gelding she called "Dusty."
Kree rode the wind overhead, occasionally diving and skimming just along the ground for a thrill. At these times, I closed my eyes and rode with him-earning odd looks from Helia.
"If you'll excuse me...what exactly is the bond between you and Kree?" she asked, finally.
"Well, we can speak mind-to-mind with each other and I can ride with him in his body, if I want to. There's probably more that I haven't figured out yet, but it's useful. Want to stop for lunch?"
"What is for lunch? I didn't see any provisions in your pack..."
:Kree? Catch us a rabbit? Or something?: I sent.
:You scratch head?:
:Both of us will,: I promised.
Kree searched for a moment, then dove.
He came up with a rabbit. Flapping laboriously, he managed to drop it in my lap.
"Thanks, Kree," I said.
Helia blinked. "Ah. Useful?"
"Very useful. I don't ask him to hunt all the time, but if I'm running low on food, he can keep us from starving."
Helia looked thoughtful, then said nothing more.
_____Several days later_____
I looked up at the building with the Wanderer's banner over it-a walking staff and a sword crossed on a field of sky blue.
:Kree?: I called, pulled the staff from the pack, and braced it over my shoulders.
Kree swooped in and settled on the branch carefully.
"Here goes," said Helia. "I hope you know some weapons."
"Well, I can ride and use a bow..."
"But with featherhead there, you'll do fine."
I nudged Chester forward and through the gates, Helia behind me.
Inside the walls, we found a small town, most houses and shops with a small version of the banner over their doors-I assumed this meant they were owned by retired Wanderers. There didn't seem to be many people around...
"Well, they must be out wandering somewhere, or on assignment. Hence the name. Don't worry, they'll have someone there to be able to sign you on- probably the Captain's second," Helia murmured from a few feet away.
Carefully ignoring the curious looks I earned, I guided Chester to the foot of the main building and dismounted, where a young boy took both horses.
:Bondmate ready?: Kree's voice was overlaid with concern.
"I'll be fine," I said back to him.
Helia, Kree, and I entered the building.
Another boy led us up some stairs and into a large study-where a woman was bent over a desk, her pen scratching away.
I coughed.
She looked up and said, "Just a moment."
The woman signed something with a flourish and sealed it inside an envelope.
"I'm Fethera-most people just call me Thera. I am Wendell's Second, and I'm stuck here because Wendell was bored and decided to take the Company on a training expedition. So who does that leave of rank? Me. Ah, well. Your names are?"
I said, nervously, "I'm Liluye and my friend her-" I nodded towards Kree- "is Kree."
"And I'm Helia Geonaslene, once Lord Nadoc Justenfrenteya's chief falconer, now companion to Liluye," said Helia, grimacing slightly at Lord Nadoc's last name.
"Very well. Can you ride?"
She received an affirmative.
"What weapons do you know?"
I said, "I can use a bow, and I can track. Also, I can communicate mind-to- mind with Kree-he's from the Pelagiris-and if I must, share his mind and fly with him to wherever. He has some pretty formidable weaponry all on his own."
Helia said, "I'm all right with a sword, but I'm best at bow and axe."
Thera considered this for a moment, then proceeded, grilling us swiftly under practiced questions. Kree, bored, began to preen my hair.
"Well, if you'll sign here on this sheet, you'll be members of the Guild- and of Wendell's Wanderers. We'll pay your joining fee-of course, we'll have to dock it from your pay."
Helia, Kree, and I shared a glance-and accepted.
----------------------------------------
Eep! It's a novel! I know, I know, boring for a while-don't worry, Action decided to wander up just at the end of the chappie.
Reviews are appreciated!
~Fireblade K'Chona
Sorry! Just hate doing disclaimers.
Have pie, reviewers! Fresh apple pie today, with cider!
Darkfyre: Action has been taking a long stroll. I need to go kidnap it. Or maybe Krathnae has it. Fire-lizards? Hmm. Thanks! *sics fire-lizards on Krathnae's trail* Except...can they fly? Cause I'm pretty sure that Krathnae's aerie is only accessible by flying... And about the kestrels, they do fine with a few feedings a day. Kree eats a LOT, though. It takes more to fuel a large body. So I'm sure that Krathnae will come out to hunt- wait, he's a mage, dammit! He can just summon it! *grumbles*
Cerulean Sky: Don't blame you!
Kyalia: I know, I know, it's a bit happy. Liluye still has happy-new-bond syndrome. Catastrophe...hmmmmmmm.
Kierseth: Kree's feathers are golden brown, but they have a reddish tinge in the right kind of light. I'm not sure about the Liluye-shaych thing yet, she's definitely not going to be Chosen, and Helia...well, let's just say Helia is bored with her life in Riverrun.
Cat: Thanks!
Tomorrow you get blueberry pie!
Muse responsible: Rrissa! Thank you, Rrissa! I like this story!
Rrissa: *gives kyree grin* :I know...if I give you an idea you like, you do most of the work! Void in the case of Like the Moon.: (coughKrathnaecough)
Fireblade: Unfortunately.
Onto the story! Oh, and action has been taking a looong walk. So I've combined two chappies...bear with me. She signs onto the Wanderers this time.
----------------------------------------------
I awoke in the morning, nestled in a feather bed. [Mmm. I like inns. Nice soft beds.]
:And screamy chambermaids. When we leave?: came Kree's impatient query.
:Eaten already, featherhead?:
:Nice hawk-lady come, she give me tasty duck and say I handsome.: I could feel Kree's mental preening.
I startled myself by laughing so hard that I fell out of bed.
:So when we leave?: asked Kree again.
:We can go today.:
:!: came Kree's happy thought, then he cut the connection.
I looked around the room and saw neatly folded clean clothes on a chair. [The screamy chambermaids do have advantages when they AREN'T screaming...]
I pulled on my clothes and looked inside my belt-pouch.
I had left home with enough money to buy a medium-quality horse and stay a few nights at inns-I had saved for what seemed like forever. Of course, ever since I had bought the hawk furniture for Kree, I was running rather low.
[Good thing Kree can catch enough food for both of us...]
I left my room and headed downstairs to the common room, where I ordered breakfast.
A roll with a sausage baked into it greeted me, and I introduced it to my ravenous stomach.
That done, I headed outside.
There had been an arrival in the night, it seemed-a merchant's wagon sat to the side of the inn.
Interested, I wandered over. The merchant himself was absent-but a guard lazily leaned against the side of the wagon.
I looked at him for a moment. The man was tall and gangly, and had a sneer on his face.
[He could be trouble...I'd better avoid him.]
"Going somewhere?" asked the man.
[Yup. Hello, trouble.]
"What does your hirer sell?" I asked him, attempting to seem politely interested.
"Jewels."
"I see."
The man was looking at me in a way I disliked. :Um, Kree? Can you head over here, give this guy a look at your talons? He doesn't look very nice.:
:I come.:
"Really? Where were you last?" I asked, trying to act like one of my sisters-always interested in clothes and jewelry.
"Well, we were in Kata'shi'na'in, but then we headed up here-rubies sell well in Rethwellan."
"You are well informed of your master's doings," I observed.
The man shrugged. "I don't hire on without information."
:!: came Kree's warning, and I held up my arm.
Kree landed on my arm. I tried not to stagger.
:Bird, you are heavy!:
:This man not-nice. Mind slimy. Might be thief,: came Kree's commentary.
Meanwhile, the guard had gone very pale. "Are you-what is-"
I interrupted smoothly. "This is Kree. He's my partner. I'm not interested today, thank you."
Turning, I strolled down the street and into the stables.
Kree sat very still on my arm as I wandered over to Chester's stall.
Chester snorted at Kree, but didn't do anything else-one of the reasons I had bought him.
Opening his door one-handed, I grasped the bottom of his halter and led him into the corral, where I launched Kree.
I managed to saddle Chester without much mishap-I couldn't figure out some of the strange-looking straps on the saddle-but a stableboy came and helped me.
I ran up to my room and dumped my things into my pack, carrying it down to the corral again-where I stopped, stuck.
[How am I supposed to attach this to the saddle?]
"Going somewhere?" drawled a lazy voice from the fence.
"Yup. I'm about broke, so I'm going to go join Wendell's Wanderers and get saddlesore meanwhile," I called back, looking up.
Helia laughed.
Kree chirred and landed on the fence beside her. Helia scratched his head.
:Helia bright-clever-kind.:
"Kree likes you," I said to Helia.
"And I like him right back."
Kree sighed and settled, blissfully leaning into Helia's hand.
I went back to staring at the pack.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out how I get my pack attached to the saddle..."
"Easy," said Helia, ducking under the fence.
She picked up the pack, looked it over, adjusted several ties, then used the funy-looking straps I hadn't been able to figure out to attach it so it was centered on Chester's back.
Chester heaved a sigh.
"There you go," said Helia, slapping Chester's shoulder.
:Come scratch head now?: came Kree's plea.
"Birdbrain over there wants another head-scratch," I said, laughing a bit.
Helia laughed too and went back over to the fence.
"Why did you leave your farm, anyway?" she asked me.
"I wanted adventure...so I researched merc companies as best I could out in the farmlands and picked Wendell's Wanderers. I want to see the world!"
Helia nodded. "Sounds like me."
Before I knew it, I had asked, "You want to come?"
A slow grin spread over her face. "Actually, that's what I came to ask. Rory can manage the birdies fine, I can't teach him much more, I'm bored, Kree's a sweetie, and one of Lord Nadoc's sons keeps proposing to me. Problem is, he's proposed to seven women before, and broken off the engagement after he had-well-" Helia coughed.
"Won't you miss your family?" I winced at this stupid question as soon as I asked it. After all, I had had no qualms about wandering away...
"Actually, I will...but I can live with it."
I stuck my staff under the packstraps and mounted Chester.
"What are you waiting for?" I asked.
Helia said, "Meet you at the other end of town," and left.
Kree sighed. :Don't worry, she's coming with us,: I reassured him.
Kree's golden-brown feathers seemed to brighten. :Goodgood! You have friend, I have head scratches, all good.:
He took off from the fence and wheeled into the air.
Closing my eyes, I followed his thoughts-
Suddenly, I was looking down at myself from a hawk's body. The world twisted crazily as I wheeled.
I skimmed over the wind, gliding easily left and right and up...
Blinking, I found myself in my body again. :Bird, what was that?: I asked anxiously.
:You share mind. Funfun.:
I shrugged and guided Chester down the street.
____About a candlemark later____
I was having the time of my life on the road. Helia rode easily beside me on a dun gelding she called "Dusty."
Kree rode the wind overhead, occasionally diving and skimming just along the ground for a thrill. At these times, I closed my eyes and rode with him-earning odd looks from Helia.
"If you'll excuse me...what exactly is the bond between you and Kree?" she asked, finally.
"Well, we can speak mind-to-mind with each other and I can ride with him in his body, if I want to. There's probably more that I haven't figured out yet, but it's useful. Want to stop for lunch?"
"What is for lunch? I didn't see any provisions in your pack..."
:Kree? Catch us a rabbit? Or something?: I sent.
:You scratch head?:
:Both of us will,: I promised.
Kree searched for a moment, then dove.
He came up with a rabbit. Flapping laboriously, he managed to drop it in my lap.
"Thanks, Kree," I said.
Helia blinked. "Ah. Useful?"
"Very useful. I don't ask him to hunt all the time, but if I'm running low on food, he can keep us from starving."
Helia looked thoughtful, then said nothing more.
_____Several days later_____
I looked up at the building with the Wanderer's banner over it-a walking staff and a sword crossed on a field of sky blue.
:Kree?: I called, pulled the staff from the pack, and braced it over my shoulders.
Kree swooped in and settled on the branch carefully.
"Here goes," said Helia. "I hope you know some weapons."
"Well, I can ride and use a bow..."
"But with featherhead there, you'll do fine."
I nudged Chester forward and through the gates, Helia behind me.
Inside the walls, we found a small town, most houses and shops with a small version of the banner over their doors-I assumed this meant they were owned by retired Wanderers. There didn't seem to be many people around...
"Well, they must be out wandering somewhere, or on assignment. Hence the name. Don't worry, they'll have someone there to be able to sign you on- probably the Captain's second," Helia murmured from a few feet away.
Carefully ignoring the curious looks I earned, I guided Chester to the foot of the main building and dismounted, where a young boy took both horses.
:Bondmate ready?: Kree's voice was overlaid with concern.
"I'll be fine," I said back to him.
Helia, Kree, and I entered the building.
Another boy led us up some stairs and into a large study-where a woman was bent over a desk, her pen scratching away.
I coughed.
She looked up and said, "Just a moment."
The woman signed something with a flourish and sealed it inside an envelope.
"I'm Fethera-most people just call me Thera. I am Wendell's Second, and I'm stuck here because Wendell was bored and decided to take the Company on a training expedition. So who does that leave of rank? Me. Ah, well. Your names are?"
I said, nervously, "I'm Liluye and my friend her-" I nodded towards Kree- "is Kree."
"And I'm Helia Geonaslene, once Lord Nadoc Justenfrenteya's chief falconer, now companion to Liluye," said Helia, grimacing slightly at Lord Nadoc's last name.
"Very well. Can you ride?"
She received an affirmative.
"What weapons do you know?"
I said, "I can use a bow, and I can track. Also, I can communicate mind-to- mind with Kree-he's from the Pelagiris-and if I must, share his mind and fly with him to wherever. He has some pretty formidable weaponry all on his own."
Helia said, "I'm all right with a sword, but I'm best at bow and axe."
Thera considered this for a moment, then proceeded, grilling us swiftly under practiced questions. Kree, bored, began to preen my hair.
"Well, if you'll sign here on this sheet, you'll be members of the Guild- and of Wendell's Wanderers. We'll pay your joining fee-of course, we'll have to dock it from your pay."
Helia, Kree, and I shared a glance-and accepted.
----------------------------------------
Eep! It's a novel! I know, I know, boring for a while-don't worry, Action decided to wander up just at the end of the chappie.
Reviews are appreciated!
~Fireblade K'Chona