Chapter Two
:: I can't believe I'm a horse. ::
:: Companion. ::
:: Whatever; I've still got a tail. :: Chloe stared morosely into the river. A very unhappy horse/Companion/whatever looked back at her. :: I would be a white horse too. :: She found this irony rather amusing.
:: What do you mean? ::
:: Never mind. :: Chloe didn't think would get the joke of the black girl turned into a white horse.
The rational part of her brain told her that this must be some drug-induced hallucination. Since that was also the part of her brain that told her to study instead of partying all night, she ignored it as usual. Besides, Chloe thought that a drug-induced hallucination would be more, well, hallucinatory. The forest, the stream, even her fellow horses seemed quite solid and authentic.
:: Companions. :: The horse next to her insisted. He had introduced himself as Roy? No, Tolan? Ronald? Rolo? Mmmm, rolos. The strange desire for chocolate and caramel rose in her.
:: Chloe, please try to focus. :: Rolan, that was it.
:: Sorry, I'm a little distracted by the fact I have hooves! I don't want to be a horse! I don't even like horses. :: Chloe complained. This wasn't strictly true; she loved horses, especially Firefly (her roan gelding back home), but she felt the need to vent her frustration.
:: We are having some trouble with this too, you know. It is not every day a Companion emerges from the Grove, and we usually have some warning. And you don't look like a normal Grove-Born. ::
Chloe took that as an insult even though she had no clue what a Grove-Born was. :: What's that supposed to mean? :: She snapped.
:: You came from the Grove. But you don't look like the others who have come from the Grove. It means something very strange is going on here. What is the last thing you remember? :: Rolan's voice was very forceful, and tinged with worry. This whole telepathy thing conveyed a whole lot more than just the words.
:: I was driving to town when my brakes went out. Last thing I remember is a telephone pole. :: As Chloe said this, she somehow sent an Image of what had happened along with the words. Rolan paced back a step, slightly dazed by the unfamiliar concepts.
:: I see. :: He said, although he clearly didn't. Undaunted, he forged ahead. :: And you have never heard of Companions. ::
Chloe swallowed the urge to say, "Well, duh!" but not quickly enough. Rolan caught the general idea of the thought and chuckled. It was an interesting sound, mellow and rich like a large bell.
:: Well, this is a strange quandary. :: Rolan tilted his head, listening to someone else. Chloe was mildly annoyed at this; it was like having someone talking over your head, only worse 'cause you couldn't hear what they are saying about you.
Chloe paced away from the river, trying to get used to the sensation of walking on four legs instead of two. It was easier if she didn't think about it, but thinking about not thinking about it was counterproductive.
Her stomach decided that this would be an inconvenient time to interrupt and rumbled loudly. Chloe looked at the grass doubtfully. What the hell, it couldn't hurt. Chloe lowered head and snipped at the most appetizing clump of grass she could see. Hmm… not bad. It was hard to describe the taste. Whatever it was, it didn't taste like chicken.
:: Chloe, :: Rolan interrupted her inspection of the local flora. :: Do you feel like you should be going anywhere? I mean, do feel like you're being called somewhere? ::
Chloe considered this. :: Not really. ::
:: There's no pull anywhere? ::
:: Nope. Why? ::
:: We were thinking that maybe you were meant to Choose someone special. :: Whatever the hell that meant.
:: Wanna explain that to me? ::
Rolan paused for a moment. :: Look over there. :: Chloe glanced over to a knot of three horses eating lunch. She felt her eyes shift focus for a moment, and instead of a group of white horse, there were two women and a man in white uniforms.
:: That is who they once were. Companions are mortals reborn to help guide the living. We Choose kindred spirits, men and women who have good souls and are willing to dedicate their lives to the service of other people. They are called Heralds. They act as defenders of justice in this country. Most people consider us highly intelligent horses. ::
Chloe wished that her little brother was here. He would probably be having a blast. It was like something out of one of his fantasy novels. The three shifted back into horse mode. Wait a second. That book Brandon had been reading, it featured a horse like Rolan. Chloe suddenly wished that she'd asked him what the book was about.
:: This must mean something of great import. Nothing like this has happened in the history of Valdemar. Three Grove-Born, I cannot imagine what this all could mean. ::
Rolan was being very doom and gloom about all this. :: We're screwed? :: Chloe offered sarcastically.
:: Quite probably, yes.::
:: Fantabulous. ::
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
thanx to Herald-Mage Brianna and Stee who pointed out some vagueness in some parts. if you notice a plot hole of some varity please tell me, i need someone to keep me in line ;)
Questions, comments, critisicms, complaints? Make your voice heard.
.•´¨`•»¦«•Kerowyn•»¦«•´¨`•.
:: I can't believe I'm a horse. ::
:: Companion. ::
:: Whatever; I've still got a tail. :: Chloe stared morosely into the river. A very unhappy horse/Companion/whatever looked back at her. :: I would be a white horse too. :: She found this irony rather amusing.
:: What do you mean? ::
:: Never mind. :: Chloe didn't think would get the joke of the black girl turned into a white horse.
The rational part of her brain told her that this must be some drug-induced hallucination. Since that was also the part of her brain that told her to study instead of partying all night, she ignored it as usual. Besides, Chloe thought that a drug-induced hallucination would be more, well, hallucinatory. The forest, the stream, even her fellow horses seemed quite solid and authentic.
:: Companions. :: The horse next to her insisted. He had introduced himself as Roy? No, Tolan? Ronald? Rolo? Mmmm, rolos. The strange desire for chocolate and caramel rose in her.
:: Chloe, please try to focus. :: Rolan, that was it.
:: Sorry, I'm a little distracted by the fact I have hooves! I don't want to be a horse! I don't even like horses. :: Chloe complained. This wasn't strictly true; she loved horses, especially Firefly (her roan gelding back home), but she felt the need to vent her frustration.
:: We are having some trouble with this too, you know. It is not every day a Companion emerges from the Grove, and we usually have some warning. And you don't look like a normal Grove-Born. ::
Chloe took that as an insult even though she had no clue what a Grove-Born was. :: What's that supposed to mean? :: She snapped.
:: You came from the Grove. But you don't look like the others who have come from the Grove. It means something very strange is going on here. What is the last thing you remember? :: Rolan's voice was very forceful, and tinged with worry. This whole telepathy thing conveyed a whole lot more than just the words.
:: I was driving to town when my brakes went out. Last thing I remember is a telephone pole. :: As Chloe said this, she somehow sent an Image of what had happened along with the words. Rolan paced back a step, slightly dazed by the unfamiliar concepts.
:: I see. :: He said, although he clearly didn't. Undaunted, he forged ahead. :: And you have never heard of Companions. ::
Chloe swallowed the urge to say, "Well, duh!" but not quickly enough. Rolan caught the general idea of the thought and chuckled. It was an interesting sound, mellow and rich like a large bell.
:: Well, this is a strange quandary. :: Rolan tilted his head, listening to someone else. Chloe was mildly annoyed at this; it was like having someone talking over your head, only worse 'cause you couldn't hear what they are saying about you.
Chloe paced away from the river, trying to get used to the sensation of walking on four legs instead of two. It was easier if she didn't think about it, but thinking about not thinking about it was counterproductive.
Her stomach decided that this would be an inconvenient time to interrupt and rumbled loudly. Chloe looked at the grass doubtfully. What the hell, it couldn't hurt. Chloe lowered head and snipped at the most appetizing clump of grass she could see. Hmm… not bad. It was hard to describe the taste. Whatever it was, it didn't taste like chicken.
:: Chloe, :: Rolan interrupted her inspection of the local flora. :: Do you feel like you should be going anywhere? I mean, do feel like you're being called somewhere? ::
Chloe considered this. :: Not really. ::
:: There's no pull anywhere? ::
:: Nope. Why? ::
:: We were thinking that maybe you were meant to Choose someone special. :: Whatever the hell that meant.
:: Wanna explain that to me? ::
Rolan paused for a moment. :: Look over there. :: Chloe glanced over to a knot of three horses eating lunch. She felt her eyes shift focus for a moment, and instead of a group of white horse, there were two women and a man in white uniforms.
:: That is who they once were. Companions are mortals reborn to help guide the living. We Choose kindred spirits, men and women who have good souls and are willing to dedicate their lives to the service of other people. They are called Heralds. They act as defenders of justice in this country. Most people consider us highly intelligent horses. ::
Chloe wished that her little brother was here. He would probably be having a blast. It was like something out of one of his fantasy novels. The three shifted back into horse mode. Wait a second. That book Brandon had been reading, it featured a horse like Rolan. Chloe suddenly wished that she'd asked him what the book was about.
:: This must mean something of great import. Nothing like this has happened in the history of Valdemar. Three Grove-Born, I cannot imagine what this all could mean. ::
Rolan was being very doom and gloom about all this. :: We're screwed? :: Chloe offered sarcastically.
:: Quite probably, yes.::
:: Fantabulous. ::
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
thanx to Herald-Mage Brianna and Stee who pointed out some vagueness in some parts. if you notice a plot hole of some varity please tell me, i need someone to keep me in line ;)
Questions, comments, critisicms, complaints? Make your voice heard.
.•´¨`•»¦«•Kerowyn•»¦«•´¨`•.