Road to Fear?

"Kerpal no owe none nomores after Kerpal drive?" asked the sledge owner hopefully.

"That and your wife won't have to know anything." Icis flung into the drivers knarly beard.

All was ready, Naomi took the liberty of packing all the things necessary gear for the two. Icis had hand picked a dagger just big enough to be a sword, sharp but rusty, it would definably get the job done. Naomi had her half spear sharpened by the "client" she met the night before. Both ladies had been outfitted with snug but thickly warm white bear skin parkas and slacks. Nogard walked out of the fletchers shop with more magnifigance than the previous night, being that he wasn't drunk. He had grey wolf furs padded enough to block any common blade where to envy him. Black greasy hair was parted in the middle but jutted out to the sides like the soaring wings of an owl, making Nogard stand out from the rest on the street besides his obnoxiously large sword. Behind Nogard, Onyx, though not much different from the night before, had acquired the best bow in the town. "They had to have been very intimidating to buy off the fletchers most prized creation" thought Naomi.

Thwack! Crunch!

"What the hell did I do! Hey stop rubbing my head into the snow!"

Icis had to be yanked off the spellcaster.

"Sorry but LOOK you hair is.. its.... wait... is it real?"

Icis was quite bewildered. His hair had a color that had no name. It could only be described as fireish or firey, like there were flames coming out of his head, but not. In his eyes... no it couldn't be, where they also...

"ICIS! This is Spark, the fine gentleman I told you about. Careful tackling him again he is a wizard!" exclaimed Naomi trying to distinguish him as a friend and not a burning ember.

Though Spark was too shy to really talk anymore, the group took very little time to warm up to him. Or was it the slight warmth that seemed to emanate from him? In no time they where underway. The first few days went off without incident. The food was well enough, the summer hare where easy to track with a fresh layer of snow down, and the pinefruits where just turning ripe. All was good until....

"Stop!!" Icis screamed into the drivers ears. "The map doesn't say a thing about tree spirits! And dead ones on top of that!"

Everyone now saw what she meant. Trees in this part of the equatorial region had mostly evergreen trees, these trees seem to never have had needles or the rigidity of them. They where definatly dead. No trace of debris from the branches where on the ground, though they "trees" had been so close little light got threw at all.

A quick breeze blew right threw them as the stood at the intersection. The moans and shrieks of dryads and nyads completely convinced them to abandon their mission. Had it not, the diver was convinced enough for them all. He furiously cracked his whip across the backs of his wooly horses, who also spooked, didn't need much encouragement to run down the other trail. The smell of fear had wafted through the air, there is nothing better to stir the attention of a pack of dire wolves.

Onyx stands up, notches an arrow and thud. Owooowowow!! All turned back to see what happens. The fading image of a bleeding wolf could have been seen had it not been for the ravaging pack in pursuit of the sledge. Nogard, with the obvious instincts of a fighter quickly followed his cousins example. The performers where not left to watch the display either, these hungry wolves caught up with the sledge with easy and had to be disposed of if they still planed on doing some adventure in the future. Spark, though not as strong or as quick as his counterparts would simply not be seen as a coward. He rifled through his pouches, and took out two vials.

"Bye the flame, I 'ope I can git it right this time."

Spark, despite the jarring of the sledge and commotion at his mind, poured only four drops of one vial into the other. Without a second thought threw it out the back of his transport.

Booooooshhhhhhhhhshshshhshshh

It had worked perfectly. The vial exploded and spread mysterious blue flames out in a burst catching most wolves still following aflame. Spark grinned at the sounds of the dying yelps. The few wolves that persisted in following where easily dispatched by Onyx.

"What the frale! How did you do that!" Nogard said with wide eyes, "Make me one."

"What do ya take me foa, a dumb sorcera. I'ven't perfected it yet" was Spark's practiced response.

"Well as so as you do, give't up will ya" Icis replied, siding with Nogard.

"I'll see what I can whip up foa yas"

As the commotion passed so did the sunlight. Night was upon them and it was time to take shifts. Icis and Naomi, who usually when to be late, took the first shift. Nogard and Onyx after that. Though Kerpal the driver was supposed to be on watch, Spark was left alone, though he liked it better that way.

The fire he kept was in a steady roar. Not how he felt it inside, warm, blazing, like there was another consciousness inside of him. "Is that a...."

Crack!

A dark figure appeared right out of the flames, and with a double-tailed whip, just snapped the tips of Sparks eyes. The tendrils had some mystical orbs now. "Was that from me? What. Nnn..." He couldn't even finish his thought. The figure pulled him into the fire which now rose to a magnificent height.

Sir, why don't it bur.."

Crack!

The orbs now became implanted into his chest as the figure had dissappeared. It It seemed as though his heart was splitting. He fell to down to the now silver flames. His heart was spliting. He He couldn't watch anymore, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, all he had now was his sense of feeling. All he could hear was the crackle of flames. All he could smell was his burning cloths. But he could feel the whole thing. The flames coming out of his skin. Concentrating on his splitting chest. Could he understand what was happening. Was his chest really splitting apart? "Oh the pain!" His body was being lifted, not by a person, or a spell, but somehow lifted like by an angel. Last thing he felt before he passed out, a sudden blasting directly between his heart and the ball of fire that developed on his chest.

WolfBreed: I hope its not the thumb I lost, anyhoo, finally updated. I can never be as good or as quick as you but I still enjoy how this came out so far. Much much more ahead.