General disclaimer: I own nothing, even Maiyn generally decides her own path.

-----------------------

Of Chickens and Skeletons

-----------------------

"Make sure you have everything," Maiyn said when everyone had finished breakfasting. "We are leaving Nashkel today, and going to Beregost."

She awaited some protests, some gasps of horror; but none came. Instead, her companions all nodded obediently, and set off to prepare themselves. She sat in a surprised silence for a few moments before getting ready herself. This leadership thing is coming along nicely, she thought.

In fairness though, her companions had likely known this would be her next step. Jaheira and Khalid may have left them to escort Dynaheir to wherever she was going, but finding Tranzig was a personal issue for the group due to Branwen. Maiyn also wanted to keep busy; staying too long in one place would only mean more assassins learning of her location, and more fighting - something she wanted to avoid if at all possible.

-----------------------

"Xan?" Imoen's voice was cheery, and the enchanter groaned almost immediately when he discovered he was the target of her attention. "How long have you been a mage?"

The elf stopped and stared incredulously at the young thief. They'd been walking for a few hours, the day was fine and fair, and spirits and morale were high. "From a very young age," he finally managed to say stiffly, rejoining the group as they wandered through the forest under Maiyn's guidance.

"You know," continued the thief, "I reckon I'd be a pretty good mage, don't ya think?"

"I... er..." said Xan hopelessly.

"I'm really good with my hands, so all that pointin' and flailin' while castin' spells wouldn't be a problem," said Imoen casually. "I'm a quick learner too! Once, I learnt how to pick a special kinda lock in just a coupla hours!"

Xan looked flustered, but thankfully Imoen wasn't paying much attention to him any more.

"And I've always been interested in magic, what with Gorion bein' a mage and all." Imoen had become more thoughtful now, and was sounding quite serious. "He used to say he'd teach me some simple spells when I was old enough, but somethin' always came up, and it'd be 'some other time Imoen!' I didn't mind though, I knew one day he would..." The young human sighed, and fell quiet. Xan's gaze rested on her for a few moments as they walked.

"If you still wish to learn," he said almost hesitantly, "I can try to show you a few simple cantrips when we rest."

Imoen smiled at him; a genuinely happy smile, filled with appreciation over his kind offer. She threw her arms around him and hugged him, much to his surprise. "I'd like that a lot," she said; and they walked side by side, as Xan told her about the first few spells he ever managed to cast.

-----------------------

They stopped to rest quite early, but were close enough to Beregost to only have a short trip ahead of them the next day. Maiyn quickly made a campfire, and then went with Minsc to hunt some game for food. The tall warrior had explained that he had been trained as a ranger, and it was how he'd managed to get such a strong affinity with Boo. Maiyn listened to his advice on tracking, but he was also full of praise over her own abilities.

"Minsc and Boo watched Maiyn follow the trail of the mad commander, and Boo thought Maiyn did a glorious job!"

"Why, thank you Boo," said Maiyn as she picked up the pheasants she'd managed to bring down with her bow.

"Boo wants to know," said Minsc, suddenly serious. "Why does Maiyn not have her own animal companion?"

"That is a very good question," said Maiyn thoughtfully. "I think I'm not really skilful enough yet."

"Nonsense!" roared Minsc, causing a squirrel to dart away from the two rangers, scurrying across the branches overhead. "Minsc and Boo think you are almost as good a ranger as Minsc is!"

Maiyn grinned, and scratched Boo's head affectionately. The hamster squeaked in delight, and the berserker beamed happily.

"Ah, it is good days," he proclaimed, "although I worry about the fate of our magnificent witch when she is not close enough to be under Boo's careful eye."

"She is in good hands," Maiyn said quietly. "Jaheira and Khalid are very experienced, and they will protect her. And it shall not be long until we are all reunited."

"And we shall have the tales of our glorious deeds to relate to them!"

Maiyn agreed, and together they turned to head back to the others. They had only taken a few steps however, when a chicken ran out from the trees and stood in their path.

The rangers stopped, and Maiyn looked at it for several seconds. Why is there a chicken running around in this forest? she asked herself. Then she noticed Minsc murmuring to Boo. Wait - a fully grown man who insists he converses with his hamster is perfectly okay, but a chicken in a forest is completely out of this world? She shrugged at herself.

"So," she said simply. "Shall we catch it and have it too?"

"Boo says that it is strange to find such an old-looking chicken running around the forest floor."

"I would agree with Boo," said Maiyn, and she reached around to get an arrow from her quiver.

"Don't (cluck) don't eat me!"

Maiyn's hand fell back down to her side as she gaped at the chicken. Minsc was looking at their surroundings wildly.

"Who was that?" he roared. "Minsc and Boo will give a righteous butt-kicking to those who play tricks on them!"

"It was (cluck) me!"

"Erm, Minsc," said Maiyn, reaching out to prevent the warrior from rushing off to find the source of the voice. "I believe it's the... chicken."

"Eh?" Minsc looked at Maiyn as if she'd suddenly grown two heads. "Chickens don't speak - even Minsc knows that without needing Boo to tell him."

"Apparently, this one is," replied Maiyn, her eyes still on the fowl.

"Yes, (cluck) yes. You laugh it up in my hour of need, why don't you, while I learn (cluck) to pass eggs."

Minsc held Boo up to his ear while the hamster squeaked furiously. "Boo has told Minsc that Minsc is right," he said, sounding accomplished. "Chickens do not talk."

"Is he (cluck) talking to a hamster?"

Maiyn nodded to the bird, and it squawked.

"Boo has had a great idea!" exclaimed Minsc. "Boo says this chicken can be your new companion, though Minsc is unsure. Minsc can understand it just as well as you can, but you cannot understand Boo the way Minsc does."

"I'm not just (cluck) a chicken!"

"Ah, small chicken, Boo understands," said Minsc sincerely. "Many people say Boo is just a hamster, few realise the true might of his Miniature Space Giant Hamsterness."

"Look (cluck), are you going to help me (cluck), or make fun of me?"

"My apologies my good, erm, chicken," said Maiyn, hushing Minsc with a quick wave. "What has caused your... er, current accursed state? I assume you are not normally a... bird."

"Thank the Mother of Magic (cluck)," exclaimed the bird. "Now I may end this accursed nightmare! I am Melicamp of Beregost, a (cluck) mage adept in the mystical arts."

"Hello... Melicamp. I am Maiyn, and this is my friend, Minsc."

"So I heard him say." Maiyn was sure the chicken was giving the human a suspicious look. "A... misread... incantation (cluck) seems to be the source of my troubling form," Melicamp explained. "It has (cluck) been over a month since I uttered a polymorph spell and I simply cannot return to (cluck) my normal form!"

"Ah, I... uh... see," said Maiyn, barely following the fowl's gist. "We have a mage within our ranks; perhaps he could try to dispel the effects from you?"

"Well," said the bird, sounding a bit more hopeful. "If they are adept, you are free to try."

-----------------------

"It's hopeless," said Xan, in his familiar tone. He had tried several spells of dispelling on the chicken while Maiyn had related the encounter to the others. Maiyn sighed, and asked Melicamp if there was anywhere they could take him to get him aid.

The chicken paused. "My only recourse (cluck) is to find my... master. Would you consider taking me to him? It is a dangerous road for a (cluck) chicken."

"Where does your master live?" asked Maiyn, wondering if this was the sort of thing adventurers normally got sidelined with.

"He lives in a tower (cluck) just west of Beregost. His name is Thalantyr, and he might hel... (cluck) er, he should be able to deal with this."

"For being his apprentice," noted Maiyn sceptically, "you seem rather unsure of his willingness to help you."

"Oh," said Melicamp quickly, "(cluck) tis nothing. Really! (cluck) Sometimes the relationship between apprentice and master can be... strained. He will help. I (cluck) am... certain."

"Well, if you're willing to travel in my bag, we will take you to your master as soon as we are able to," relented Maiyn, after a moments thought. "We were to be heading to Beregost tomorrow in any matter, the detour to find your master will not take us long I am sure."

"Thank you!" exclaimed Melicamp. "Just one small thing... (cluck) can you wait until I look the other way before you cook those birds?"

-----------------------

Sometime during the night it started to rain. It rained as they fought off the group of hobgoblins who had the audacity to shoot arrows at them as they passed, and it was still raining as they approached the large building that looked much like a small keep to Maiyn.

"That's (cluck) the place," said Melicamp. "It's called 'High Hedge'. Master Thalantyr will be inside, but be careful. He does not take kindly to people wandering around, so head straight for the inner hall."

Maiyn led the way up to the large iron doors, and managed to slowly pull them open. High Hedge was certainly a magnificent building, situated in a peaceful forest just to the west of Beregost. It was both serene and calm outside, Maiyn was sure it would be even more pleasant when it was dry. Inside was even more splendid. The ceiling was high, and so far from the ground that most of it was shrouded in shadows; what parts were visible were ornately painted, and large oak beams criss-crossed underneath it.

The walls seemed to be made from marble; Maiyn could see light gleaming off the surface, and specks of colour would sparkle gently as she moved. The highly polished wooden floor added to the sense of wealth that the entrance created, and had she not known it was the home of a mage, the ranger would have thought she'd stumbled into a wealthy merchant's home.

She went through a large archway, into the inner hall as Melicamp had instructed. The room was much plainer, with undecorated cream walls, but the same refined floor. What really stood out though, was the contraption in the centre; a large gilded machine, it reached up to the ceiling, and its oval base covered the vast majority of the ground. Circling around it was a bolt of blue energy, letting off a low buzzing noise.

Maiyn cautiously skirted around the machine, and eventually saw a tall figure standing at the back of the room. He watched them intently as they approached.

"I don't have much patience for strangers in my property," said the mage, looking at her coldly. "Do us both a favour and move on. Unless..." he assessed her group, "unless, of course, you have magic for sale. From the looks of you, you don't appear as if you could afford my wares."

"Actually," said Maiyn, clearing her throat nervously, "we came across this talking chicken, and-"

"Chickens do not talk," Thalantyr interrupted. "So obviously it is a polymorphed being of some sort. Spells such as that wear off, or can be dispelled, and are not worth my time of day. Keep moving!"

Maiyn glared at the mage, who regarded her scowl with faint amusement. Then with a look of defiance she put Melicamp on the floor. "I am quite aware of the mute state of chickens, thank you very much!" she stated. "Yes, this is a transformed man, but it also claims to be your apprentice! That is why I brought him here!"

The mage's humoured look at her indignation disappeared. "Apprentice? I have no apprentice, and I teach no one about what I... Wait! Melicamp! Is that you?"

"Yes Master Thalantyr, (cluck) it is!"

The old mage snorted. "I am no 'master' to you, and you are certainly no 'apprentice'. What gall do you have to expect help from me?"

"He is not your student?" asked Maiyn, puzzled. "But you do know of him, do you not?"

Thalantyr scowled at her. "A student wishes to learn," he explained. "This fool wishes only to have knowledge. I will tutor no one who does not understand the ramifications of what I have to teach! Not getting the quick gratification he wished, he instead chose to steal from me!"

"You speak of so (cluck) much," said Melicamp, "but show so little. I only (cluck) wished to learn a fraction of the power you possess!"

Thalantyr looked down at the chicken. "It has taken me some fifty years of life to gain the power I wield, and the will not to use it. You are but a baby in comparison. Frankly I am surprised you turned into such an old chicken - how did you manage that, by the way?" The mage's face betrayed his curiosity, despite his anger. "You were muddling the simplest cantrip when I last observed you."

"I have progressed (cluck) much since then..." replied Melicamp, "and I 'borrowed' a few items to speed up the process."

"As I thought," sighed the mage. "Well, it's obvious you can steal my tools, but not my understanding of them. Hold still while I dispel this foolish facade. Can't very well get my property back while it's polymorhped into y... wait a moment. I did not possess any items that allow the casting of that enchantment." The mage paused, frowning in concentration. "Oh dear... Melicamp, listen very carefully; what did you take?"

The chicken clucked nervously. "Nothing too valuable. Just (cluck) some components, a few scrolls, a beat up pair of bracers, a blank spellbook, some (cluck) parchment-"

"A pair of... oh no!" The mage's eyes glistened furiously. "You little fool! The bracers in my locked and trapped safe? I certainly hope you can develop a taste for chicken feed, because you are going to be stuck the way you are for a very long time!"

"(cluck) I know I stole from you, but you (cluck) can't leave me like this! Please, Master Thalantyr, (cluck) please...!"

"It is not a matter of whether I wish to help or not," sighed Thalantyr. "Simply that I do not have the power to undo what you have done."

"Is there nothing at all that can be done?" asked Maiyn. The mage looked up at her, as if he had forgotten their presence. "We are willing to help however we can," she continued, urging him to think of a solution.

"If you are willing to help," Thalantyr said thoughtfully, "then I will do what must be done. We will need a component, I do not have one here on hand, but... er, there shall be one outside, if you could procure it. I need the head of an undead creature, and there will be a skeleton somewhere outside this tower; he has been there for some days now since he escaped my hold. I did not see any reason to go out and find him myself, as he is relatively harmless, but regardless; his existence requires terminating, and so you will achieve two goals at one time. His skull will do, bring it back here and I shall try to bend a few magical rules of reincarnation-"

"(cluck)! Reincarnate? But does that spell not (cluck) require the recipient to be... dead?" The chicken was slowly walking backwards, Maiyn observed.

"There must be dead element, yes," said Thalantyr impatiently. "That is what the skull is for. I cannot fully explain it - it is something of a reversal of the reincarnation scheme. The age of the enchantment you used may allow for a loophole in the laws of magic." He chuckled softly. "Or it may just kill both of us in the casting. Such is life. Off you go young adventurers - you will find Great Uncle Lars somewhere outside."

The ranger began to ask who Great Uncle Lars was, but Thalantyr waved his hand dismissing them, and they filed their way back out to the daylight.

"I guess we're lookin' for a skeleton then?" asked Imoen, who seemed to have gotten lost midway through the discussion.

"Seems so," said Maiyn. "Shouldn't be too hard to miss, at least. We'd be best to have a wander."

-----------------------

They strolled amongst the trees, wandering around the tower called High Hedge, when suddenly something jumped out before them from a bush.

"Boo!" it called happily.

The group regarded the skeletal figure before them. Maiyn, glanced at the others, and then asked if it was, perchance, known as Great Uncle Lars.

"He sent you didn't he! I told him I was perfectly happy as I am, but no, he thinks I'd be better off put to rest! Well, I'll not go down without a fight! Except I have no weapons, so it'll have to be a chase!" The skeleton clicked his bones playfully, and ran off into the trees. The group stood in silence for a few seconds, exchanging uncomfortable looks, then charged after it.

Great Uncle Lars was a very fit skeleton, and he managed to disappear before the group had their bearings. They split up, hoping to cover more ground that way, and Maiyn struck out to the north looking for some trail or sign to suggest he'd passed that way. A taunting coo from behind a tree hinted she was close, and she ducked into the undergrowth to stalk along quietly, keeping an eye out for the strange undead creature.

Suddenly she saw him; he was standing in the middle of a rough path, looking around and obviously waiting for one of them to get close enough for him to bait. She drew an arrow without thinking and readied her shot, letting it fly towards him before she realised how ineffective it would be. It flew into his ribcage and jammed there, and he looked down in surprise. Maiyn quickly slung her bow over her neck, and leapt from her hiding place with an almighty warcry, drawing her sword and running at him frantically.

The skeleton had been so amused by the arrow that he didn't notice her until it was too late. She crashed into him, knocking him to the ground and dropped her sword as she grabbed at his head and pulled it viciously.

"No, no, don't let him corrupt you, I'm happy!" shouted Great Uncle Lars.

"You'll rest in peace a lot better if you let me pull your head off," yelled Maiyn. "Give me your skull!"

The skeleton writhed about as she sat on him and in the end she reached over and grabbed her sword once more.

"Look," she said apologetically. "I'm really sorry about this, but we need your skull, and you need to be dead. Deader. Erm, not undead."

"Do your worst then," muttered Great Uncle Lars, turning his head to the side so he didn't see the blow raining down on his neck, which successfully beheaded him. Well he couldn't really close his eyes I suppose, Maiyn thought to herself. She stood up and picked up her sword and the skull. The rest of the skeleton faded into dust as she watched, so with a shrug she turned around to head back to the keep and find her companions. Seeing the man made her start.

"Oh er," she stammered. "Hello."

He was standing by a tree, and had obviously been watching her antics in full. His hood was drawn up around his face, but it couldn't hide the slightly bemused expression he carried. Maiyn looked down at the skull she was carrying, and laughed slightly, feeling very awkward.

"We have a friend, and he needs a skull to..." Her voice faded away, and she looked up to the sky, sighing heavily. "I am Maiyn."

"Good day to you," he said simply. "Do you make a living hunting skeletons in that unique style?"

"Well, er, no," she said, trying to compose herself. "Ultimately my companions and I are hunting the bandits in this area..." Her voice trailed off as she realised she was in danger of waffling out of embarrassment.

"I have been hunting the bandits in this region for the past few months," he said quietly, noting her silence. "Perhaps if we worked together we would fare better."

"Um... yes, that would be good," she said, wondering at his eagerness to travel with someone he'd just witnessed wrestling a skeleton. "The others in my group are over... there." She pointed in the direction of the keep, and they began walking. "May I ask why you have been hunting the bandits? You don't look like a normal mercenary."

He looked into her eyes as they went, but the ranger could sense no emotion in him. "Their leader, an ogre named Tazok, took the life of someone very dear to me."

Maiyn swallowed hard and broke the gaze. "I appreciate your honesty," she said quietly. "We would be honoured to have you travel with us and I hope that we will work well together." She meant the words. "Ah, there they are."

The mysterious man introduced himself as Kivan, an elven ranger who had been working for Thalantyr to protect his lands for the past few days. Maiyn quickly explained to him about Melicamp, then to the others about Great Uncle Lars, and she noticed Kivan's eyes twinkle with amusement when she described her final scene.

"Anyway, we'd best get this inside," Maiyn said quickly, stopping Imoen's quip before it had even started and striding into the tower. She went into the large circular chamber, and approached the mage and chicken.

"Hello again, my young adventurers," said Thalantyr as she approached. "Ah, you have found Kivan I see. Welcome to my abode again, ranger. I have something of yours here."

The mage turned and quickly strode over to a large cabinet. He opened it, and took out an elaborately carved spear which he handed to the ranger. "It is a thank you for the work you did for me. I trust you will be departing my lands now?"

Kivan nodded.

"A shame, but expected. Now girl, you have the skull? Well, shall we see if our young man regains his life, or if he'll eventually become someone's festhall dinner?"

Maiyn stepped back, and watched the mage perform his incantation. A flash of light engulfed the chicken, and it was replaced with a young human, looking slightly dazed.

"And that," said Thalantyr, "as they say, is that."

"I have arms!" exclaimed Melicamp. "Arms and feet and hands! Oh… thank you Master Thalantyr, thank you!"

"Yes boy, yes, now be quiet," said the mage, approaching the boy and rummaging through his clothing. "Blast it; the bracers are no longer on him! It is as I feared. Likely they have either spent what magic they had in a limited charge, or it is their wont to be whisked away after inflicting the damage they do. I had hoped to seal them away, but now it is possible they will fall into the hands of some other unfortunate fool. Tell me Melicamp: do you feel quite yourself again?"

"I…I think so." The young man was still looking at his limbs with obvious glee.

"Good, though it is the greatest luck you did not retain a wing for a limb," said the mage, regarding him. "You always were a bit cockeyed, but I suppose that doesn't count. I suggest you remain here, however, so that I might keep an eye on you. If you insist on playing with the forces of magic, I should at least see that you understand them. And perhaps you will be a touch more cautious now that you have experienced what can go wrong."

"Yes Master Thalantyr," beamed Melicamp.

"I suppose your master I must be," sighed Thalantyr as he turned to Maiyn and her companions. "And you - I trust you will be cautious in your travels as well?"

The elf nodded, and smiled to the delighted Melicamp.

"I wish you 'intelligence' then on your journeys," continued the mage. "I would wish you 'luck', but that runs out much quicker than you'd think."