Cubby: *Walks in with sticks, marshmallows, chocolate, and gram crackers*
Avp: Uh… Cubby… what are you doing?
Cubby: Oh, I'm just getting ready to make smores.
Avp: With what fire?
Ren: I want some! *Runs at Cubby*
Cubby: *Kicks Ren in the hood* With our viewer complaints of course. *sits by fire pit and puts marshmallow on stick* Bring on the flames!
Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Chapter 6 – Better Safe than Sorry
Hyano slowly awoke the next morning and looked around. She blinked when she saw that the night creature was gone. The wizard tilted her head, then looked around for a moment until she walked outside and saw him in the shade of a tree. She was confused. Why in the world would he be outside? She thought he hated sunlight. The istar then noticed all the items by the door, all piled up. Oh. That's why! He got bored as it seemed and started going through the leftovers of their old home. She tilted her head, then decided to let him continue his... sleeping/resting… she had no idea. She just didn't plan on messing with him. The girl started going through the things he found and started putting them in the house organizing them as neatly as she could. Anything she thought could be used for a bed or such she put where he had been when she fell asleep and everything else got put where she remembered it last. She was surprised by some of the items. Most of them seemed kind of random but then again he did show signs of being a border line hoarder.
The whole time, Ren was drifting in and out of meditation, being woken up sometimes by her rummaging around the items, making noises. Each time he woke up and looked at the pile, he noticed how it got smaller and smaller, as the dwarf kept carrying away his belongings. However, he did not stop her or hiss at her to leave them. She wasn't throwing them away, but bringing them inside his new home, no doubt to arrange them in certain orders. Doing this work for him.
Once Hyano was finished, she smiled at her work. It was all on the floor but she would work on getting tables and shelves later along with proper beds. For now this was good enough.
While she worked, the wraith noticed something from the corner of his eye. It was brown... almost melding with the color of the earth, which was why he didn't notice it before at night. But now that the light shone on it, he could recognize it better, seeing the much greater contrast. Still halfway meditating, he reached out with his gauntleted hand and retrieved the object, which turned out to be a book. He tilted his head to the side and set it on his lap on top of the staff, opening it to see what is inside. Well... he couldn't read it of course, but that didn't deter him from looking at it, running his fingers along some lines, finding the way they were written interesting. To anyone who watched, one could think he was actually reading the book.
When the wizard came out again she noticed him holding a book. She blinked and walked over, and as she saw the item she smiled. It was a book that was mixed with a stories and spells. Each story hid the spells that were in both the words and pictures of each page. She personally loved this book. She was surprised it survived the fire. Hyano sat down looking where he was for a moment to see the story he was on. She smirked then snapped her fingers to get his attention, seeing he was so engulfed in the picture and lines of words that he didn't even notice her but kept looking at it, but once she made that sharp noise again, his head snapped up, facing the direction the noise came from, now noticing her. She thought since he couldn't read it she could show him what each story was about. She pulled out the sand from before and put a spell over it allowing it to take the shape of the characters from the book and let them play out the story. The girl then pulled out her flute again and started to play along with the story.
Yet again, this music wasn't what he liked, but it will have to do, and proves to be a good distraction from his tired state. He watched as they did different things, kind of amusing really, and interesting. He followed their movements with his hooded head. Even the Shipmunk seemed to gain some interest in it, and soon sat on top of his head, watching along.
While he sat in the shadow she sat in the sun. Anyone who looked at them from afar could see just how different they were at this moment.
She smiled as they watched her show the story. The istar would have to stop here and there flipping the page of his book, then continuing on with the story. This spell was a very simple one so easy to do even when you were at your lowest amount of power. Since it was day light, though, she had very little worry of that at the moment.
When she flipped the page in the book he was holding, that was when the Nazgul realized she is playing him the content of it, what it is about, what he would read about if he could understand the words. So, it wasn't anything truly useful, just something the mortals amused themselves with. It wasn't anything informative, not like he hoped it would be... He couldn't read it anyway...
As she came to a close of the first story the sand settled and she looked up to him. She wasn't sure what she expected him to say or do but she was curious all the same.
Once the story ended it seemed, the dwarf stopped her playing and the sand figures... died. Was this the end of it? Or was there more? He raised his hooded head to see her looking at him intently. What did she want now? He tilted his head to the side in return, then looked down at the book. That was when he noticed there are quite many pages still left, which means this can't be the end of everything. Wanting to know what the book contained next, he simply flipped a page, then returned his invisible gaze at her, wanting her to continue, showing him what the rest was about.
She giggled as he seemed to want to continue the story telling. Alright. If that is what he wanted. She looked at the next page. This was a sad story, full of death and pain. The spell a similar kind. For some reason she had a feeling he would like it though. She closed her eyes and started to play, though her flute was small, it played at a deep and sad level that shouldn't be possible on it. The story was about a war. There were no lovers like most war stories had but a family trying to survive it. One by one, though, they died until all that was left was a son. Anger and hate grew in this boy's heart turning him into a monster of a man. A killer, who took his revenge on the warmongers who took his home and family away. Once his revenge was taken he continued to spread around the world until all that was left was his rule. The world quickly turning black like his heart.
Ren was pleased to know that this story was more to his liking. At least he understood most of the happenings and reasons behind one's actions. Of course, by his nature, he didn't understand the concept of a family, so simply saw a group of people which had been killed one by one, then one of them survived, who eventually revenged his group's death. Even better... he became the lord of that land as it seemed. Even if the song and the story ended, he couldn't help but stare at the place where the sand figure was last standing before the magic vanished. Somehow, his own situation came to his mind... and wondered if this all can come true... He was also one of a group which was killed in the war, his master vanished too, leaving him to fend for himself... He did want to avenge their loss... and knew that one day he will kill each person who had anything to do with his situation. He wondered briefly... if... now that he was alone... No brethren to rival with him... no master to lead and guide... He could become the lord of this land? If he got back his full strength, he will be basically indestructible... He could easily take down a whole village if he wanted... Maybe in Mordor... some orcs still remained... He could increase their numbers... Take matters into his own hands and...
No...
There was one flaw, something he lacked, what his master had.
Magic.
He cannot keep the heavy clouds at a fortress to shield the sun away... He would still be too weak in the day... and would have to wait for the night, which was shorter. The wraith soon averted his gaze from the sand, and looked back at the book. There were still many pages, but decided to not inquire about their content, so simply closed it, then kept staring at the cover, raising a hand to run a finger along the simple cover, his mind occupied with something else.
Hyano let the sand go back into her pouch before looking up at him. She noted he seemed distracted now, so maybe she hit a nerve with that last story. She couldn't really tell. She wished he had a face or could speak the same language as her. Either would be useful. He was getting better though surprisingly. She smiled a little then stood up, seeing there was something she had to do. If they were going to stay she would have to go to the village before they came to her since now Ren had nowhere to hide from the men's prying eyes. She dusted herself off.
"Stay." she told him. "Hyano go." she said pointing in the direction of the village. This time she planned to be back later today. Well... she planned to. She honestly couldn't be sure with these humans most of the time.
He didn't notice she moved away from him, but kept staring at the book's cover. Only then did he raise his gaze when she told him to not move from this place. He stared at her and tilted his head to the side, then heard her say that she will depart however. Where to? Well, at least she just reminded him of her name again. He completely forgot it in the past few days, so only thought of her as 'that dwarf'. He actually spoke up again, asking her why in his own tongue, in the black speech, unsure why and where she wanted to go. Because the last time she went away, he ended up almost burning in the shack. And right now, with his current level of strength, he wasn't sure if he could find a hiding place quickly if those mortals came back.
The wizard could hear the slight confusion in his voice despite not understanding a word he said and could suspect what the question would be. How could she explain this to him? She thought a moment then pulled out the sand again and held it out to him. An image of the village and their home came into view. Then a set of figures made their way towards their home. She had to stop that from happening. So an image of her appeared and stopped the men half way and forced them to go back. The girl hoped he understood that well enough.
So, she actually wishes to prevent any attacks like the last one... The mortals surely noticed the shaking of the earth as the trees grew out of it, so would come here to investigate. No doubt there. And the Nazgul can't help this time if they decided to rummage around the remains of his territory. He gave a faint hiss before letting his gaze fall back towards the cover of the book. He stroked its hard cover a little bit more, before putting it down next to him. He will inquire about the next stories later, when he felt like it. For now, he sought to rest a little bit, so shifted in his position to sit more comfortably, before finally starting his meditation. There was much to think about and much regeneration to do...
Hyano smiled as he seemed to understand and put the sand away again. She then started to walk away when she got an idea. She smirked then ran back and hugged his arm real quick.
"Good bye Ren." she said before taking off running to avoid him trying to slash her with his claws. She couldn't help it. She had wanted to do that for some time just to see his reaction. While she couldn't really stop to see it she could still do it all the same. The child wizard grinned as she ran for the village with her new staff in hand. Today wasn't turning out so badly so far. Well... the day did just start though.
He started with his meditation already, emptying his mind of all the worries, problems and thoughts that swarmed in his mind, not letting him rest, making it difficult to achieve the meditation. This was when he was rudely jerked from his concentration, feeling something swiftly grab his arm. His mind woke up that instant, and flinched, leaning a little bit away from the offending hands. Then he heard the person speak, and as soon as the grip came, so fast was it gone, and she ran off. He stayed in that position for a little while, his hooded head following her disappearing figure, quite… shocked by the sudden contact. He never experienced anything like that. It seemed pointless, unnecessary, and didn't know the purpose of this action. Slowly, he relaxed again, and hissed in her direction showing his distaste, before raising his other hand and started to dust off his robe there, as if it was dirty. But could not lash out like she expected, because of the surprise and the lack of power. After this, he sighed and resumed his meditation.
Since Hyano was full of energy she made it to the village a lot sooner and saw the humans. They likely thought her gone or dead. She looked around before stepping into the village, her gaze hardening instantly, then she gritted her teeth when she saw the man. The one who destroyed her home and tried to kill her friend. Her pace quickened until she straight up ran up to him and slammed her staff over his head knocking him to the ground.
"How dare you destroy my home?!" she yelled grabbing him by the collar.
To say the least, the man didn't expect this. His eyes widened and he let out a painful yelp as he landed on the ground on his back. He felt someone grip his clothes, and opened his eyes to see the young wizard. His eyes instantly narrowed, though he was surprised she still came back to the village after her home was destroyed or that she behaved this aggressively. But then again, they don't know much about her, they realized this not long ago. The usually peaceful wizard suddenly turned hostile towards them, keeping a beast in her home, which was hopefully killed by the fire. His gaze wandered to the side, where he saw many of the villagers gather around them, some even pointed their spears and swords at her, as if daring her to do a bad move... they will kill her that instant. His eyes soon fell on her again, and addressed her with a serious tone.
"It was for the best. That beast had to die. Who knows if it would have killed a few children, if it happened to wander around the village as they played...? Or a few farmers heading to the fields... I wonder if you ever truly could control it. And since it killed two of our best soldiers out there, we did not risk another such happening, so decided to kill it without needing to personally face it. Since you wouldn't heed our warning..."
"That creature would have brought you and yours no harm if you had simply heeded my warnings and left me alone!" she snapped then smacked him then stomped and slammed her staff down, causing a gust of wind coming out and knocking everyone off their feet around them. "Listen and listen well! You all are to never enter my forest again!" her voice boomed. "I have dealt with your ways long enough! You hunt my animals and destroy my trees but this has gone too far! Your people invaded my home! Beat me in my sleep and lost their lives because they would not listen to my words. Well, now you have no choice!" she yelled then turned to the man on the ground. "Because of your ignorance if any one of you steps foot in the forest the trees themselves will consume you like the dirt you are." she said then reached out and touched his hand a mark appearing on his wrist. "Until you and yours repent for what you have done the land itself will be your enemy..." she added then turned to leave, proud by the punishment she gave.
They couldn't let her leave like this... Not like she owned the land or the forest. They were here first, and built this village long before she set foot into it, so the forest was practically theirs all along... And now she wants to steal it.
"Your animals? Your trees?" Came the voice of the same man as he stood finally, pointing at her. "This forest is ours... and now you come, claim it as your own and expect us to give it up? Thievery! You will regret your actions today!" He shouted after her, but made no motion to go after her, also gestured for the others to stand down. They aren't foolish to go against the wizard... but they will send word to her Order. The White wizard will surely find this interesting... and seeing their anger, and hearing their story, he will surely act and demand answers from Hyano. He made sure to write a neat letter, and soon send it to Isengard.
The young wizard sighed as she walked. She wasn't sure how this was going to end. The man's threat wasn't without some backing. She had a reason to worry but for now they would be left alone. Anything they did would hopefully take a day or two. Maybe more. This was not something she would normally do. Curses were not her specialty but these people had gone too far. They had proven that they would not leave her alone so she would have to force them to do so. She walked home silently eventually coming back to where she had started. It was mid day at least. She looked around wondering if Ren was where she had left him or if he had moved while she was gone.
-At the Tree House-
While Hyano was away, Ren was forced to move back inside the house, away from the persistent and annoying sun. Each time the sun moved on the sky, the shadow that covered the Nazgul always slipped slightly further to the side, causing the dark creature to be exposed to the harsh rays, which in turn woke him up and sapped a bit more energy, also forcing him to change his position under the tree to sit under the shadow again. He repeated this a few times and finally gave up, using the staff, he shuffled back into the more shadowy house, sitting down there, where he sat before, but not before admiring the neatly sorted items in the room. He would stop here and there, touching an item, before poking the next, but soon he had to realize his power was still too low for full inspection or for a long standing. Soon enough, he lowered himself to the ground, putting down the box with the glass and the Shipmunk, and put the staff across his lap, resuming his meditation there.
Hyano looked around when she got to the clearing and giggled lightly when she realized he must have gone inside because of the sun. She didn't fully understand his hatred of the sun but then again he probably didn't understand her passing out from the lack there of. She stepped inside quietly glancing to him. She would leave him alone. If he could get the needed rest for the next few days until whatever the village had planned happened, maybe he would be strong and ready for it. She opened the caldron and got herself a bowl of the meal inside before going back outside. Partly because she knew he hated the smell and also because she wanted to continue getting sunlight. Today's weather was beyond wonderful and she wanted to enjoy it for a little while.
While she ate, a small squealing could be heard coming from the entrance of the building, then came closer and closer to her, although, quite slowly. The little rodent after all struggled moving, it was holding a good-sized nut in his one paw, so was trying to get to her on three legs. Once he made it, he took the nut in his mouth, then climbed up onto her shoulder, where he sat down and started munching on his meal, joining her as she ate.
Hyano blinked at the little rodent on her shoulder before smiling.
"Hey there, Shipmunk. I'm surprised you have stayed this long. Though, by the looks of it you have gained enough weight to last the whole winter and then some." she teased poking his tummy once before continuing to eat her food. "Thanks for saving my tail back there by the way. I'm not sure if Ren would have realized what he was doing earlier if you hadn't been there." she added still grateful to whoever created the world for the existence of the little rodent on her shoulder.
He let out a shrill squeak in return to her comment about his gained weight, gripping her finger and shoving it away playfully, successfully letting go of his nut, which fell on the ground with a very faint thud, rolling away slightly. Nonetheless, the little chipmunk chirped a 'welcome' and climbed down her robe, squeaking all the while, struggling just a bit because of his bigger stomach. Finally, he fell down, landing on his back, then crawled over to his lost meal, and took it in his mouth before climbing back, munching on it again, before chirping, asking if there is any danger coming, seeing he can feel the tension in the air around her. Animals were very good at seeing the smallest signs of trouble.
She nodded. "Of a kind yes... The Order will come eventually... whoever comes... I'm not sure they will listen to me let alone understand... and I can't convince Ren to leave. Even if I could if I lied to the wizard who comes here whoever it is will know... The fact I'm a child and a girl will make it all the harder... I wish my master were here..." she said feeling her voice crack and tears in her eyes. "Even Gandalf would be nice... at least he would hear me out... but... if the White wizard comes..." she shook her head at the thought of the harsh white wizard coming to her. If she was lucky that man would let her get in two words before Saruman put judgment on her.
Seeing her tears and her sadness, the chipmunk crawled closer to her neck and face, and sat right next to it, attempting to somehow cheer her up, if nothing else, his little fur will tickle her face. He chirped a few comforting words to her, before his ears perked, and he stood on his hind legs, looking behind them to see a nut on the floor among the leaves. It just fell down. He slowly crawled down her shoulder, her robes, but again ended up falling down, this time sliding to a stop on his stomach. He chirped and shook his pelt, then went up to the nut, grabbed it in his mouth and went up to her, crawling up her robe again, sitting now closer to her face once more. He rolled it in his tiny hands before finding a good spot; he started breaking the hard shell with his small but very sturdy teeth. While he ate, he chirped to her again, asking for her plans. She surely won't just wait for one of the wizards to come to her... she will have to think of a plan.
Hyano couldn't help a small smile before starting to pet a finger over his back admiring his soft pelt. He was quite tame and used to her touch, so enjoyed the brief caress, even leaning into it a little. She then considered his question. She had thought about it a bit on her way back but still had no answer.
"I don't know. I don't have the power much less the skill to take on a White wizard. I'm a brown wizard at best... hardly that. My master disappeared before I reached his level... Ren won't let us run... He would rather stay and die than do that... and I can't exactly hide him. The moment the wizard gets close enough they will sense his dark energy. So it wouldn't matter where he goes. Especially when they see... when they see what he is..." she stopped seeming to get an idea. "... what if he didn't look like a Wraith anymore..." she said more to herself then to anyone.
The small animal didn't truly know much about the powers of a wizard, seeing he only saw her, and even not everything of her abilities. Once she made that last comment, he stopped munching on the nut and looked at her, chirping once, not sure what she meant.
Hyano grinned and picked him up. "Everyone knows his kind by their cloak right? Well, what happens when you take the cloak away? No one would have a clue as to what he is. Just that he has a dark aura..." she explained then looked inside. "Do me a favor. Go in and see how reactive he is. If he is out cold enough I can do this while he is resting... I don't think he will let me do it otherwise." she instructed the little Shipmunk and put him down.
The chipmunk watched her as she talked. While he wasn't sure about it, it did sound as a neat idea, and gave a chirp as she put him down, and without wasting time he quickly scurried inside the house. Once inside, locating the dark creature wasn't hard and crawled up to him. He stopped in front of him, just staring, before squeaking once. Seeing no reaction, he hopped to his side, before crawling up his robe. He stopped on his shoulder, before squeaking once more, then again, which now gained some reaction from the still resting wraith as he hissed once back, wanting the rodent to stay silent. The little animal then tried crawling down, but ended up falling again, and quickly made his way to the wizard, he stopped in front of her, waiting to be picked up, then squeaked, telling her he seemed to react after a few chirps, but seems dazed.
She nodded taking him and putting him in her pocket. "Stay out of sight, little one. Ren isn't going to be very happy once he finds out what happened." she whispered before walking inside silently. She took the book from before and started to flip through the pages until she came to the first story she told Ren. She read it over a few times before going to the other side of the room and started to whisper a spell. Her eyes turned white before she slammed her staff down and a bolt of energy shot out like a vine straight for Ren.
Ren heard the sudden noise of something wooden meeting the floor, and started to wake, giving out a faint mix between a hiss and a groan. This was when he was faced by the sudden light, feeling magic in the air and felt his spectral body react, pulling back and preparing to defend. He sounded a shrill screech as suddenly something met him, and started to engulf him. It was as if it tried to enter his spectral body, hurting him in the process, almost tearing at him. He shrieked loudly and hissed like an angry cat as he started fleeing. First, he crawled, then forgetting about to staff simply stood with the momentum and ran outside. Even the sun seemed to be more tolerable than this. He kept shrieking as he soon threw himself into the bushes, as if trying to brush the magic off, then started running away from the house, hoping that it will leave him be if he distanced himself from the source...
Hyano yelped as he ran out. Alright, that didn't work. That far from worked, but caused a lot more problems. She cursed under her breath before running after him.
"Ren!" she yelled as she went after him easily running past him and jumping in front of him putting her hands up. "Stop!" she yelled. Why hadn't it worked? She had done all the right things. Then again, Ren wasn't like anything else she had ever worked with before. He was far bigger and far more deadly. Maybe she should have thought this through just a little more before she tried this out on him.
In his running however he didn't see her, nor hear her, whichever speed he was running at, he slammed into her, making both of them tumble down onto the floor and roll a bit farther, before skidding to a stop, with the wraith landing on top of her. There was a faint hiss coming from him, almost in a relief that the offending spell was gone, however, he didn't move. He couldn't. All this running, crawling, falling and the attack of that spell completely suckled out his energy. There was no more strength in him to move, talk or let out anymore sounds, but tried to recover, regaining some of his strength by simply laying there. Not like he would be able to move if he tried...
The wizard however felt like she got hit by a tree herder. "Ugh..." she groaned before looking up and only saw black. She instantly realized what had happened and the fact that Ren wasn't moving. That wasn't good. At least he was still making noise though. She groaned then with as much strength as she could muster she pushed up off the ground and pulled herself out from under him. She panted once she was finally out. For a being who didn't have a real body he sure did weigh a lot. Then again, she wasn't very good when it came to the lifting department. She moved so she was sitting next to his body and sighed, cursing under her breath. If her master knew how much she cursed now he would probably flip his cap. She looked to him instantly feeling bad. She had hurt him. Of all the things that spell could have done it hurt him. She felt horrible for it. "... Sorry Ren..." she said softly though she was sure he had passed out.
While Ren laid there, although, not losing his conscious but still was quite silent, loud squeaking could be heard from her pocket as the little chipmunk crawled out of it, slightly dazed himself, chirping once before laying flat on the ground. Luckily, he was not injured, as he wasn't in the way of the impact, but still was quite shaken. He squeaked once more, asking what just happened.
Hyano looked at the little rodent. For a moment she had actually forgotten he had been in her pocket. "Gave Ren a scare... I think I really hurt him too..." she admitted looking at Ren then scooping up Ship and held him in one hand. "I don't know what happened. I did everything right... if I had tried the same thing on you it would have worked hands down but on Ren it was like I hit him with an energy blast." she sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration.
The little rodent stood on all fours and shook himself a little bit, wagging its little tail, before squeaking and climbing down her robe, successfully falling down again halfway. He chirped at the sudden landing, and shook himself again before scurrying over to the Nazgul's hood. He stayed there for a little while, before squeaking once, then again, then a third time, but there was no reaction from the dark being. The chipmunk chirped, then ran up to the wizard and crawled up her robe to sit on her shoulder, of course not before scooping up a nut from the floor and bringing it with him to nibble on it. He chirped, guessing he might have reacted this way because... he felt so scary. So dark, like a moonless night, then looked at her, asking what they will do now.
"I don't know. I can't exactly carry him and dragging him might cause more damage. And I would rather not use a spell if I can get away with it..." she said then looked around before touching the ground whispering a spell. The trees seemed to hear it and their branches grew thicker creating darkness over the Wraith. "I think that is the best I can do until he can wake up. That probably won't be until nightfall though... Until then we are out of luck... and I'm out of options when it comes to the White wizard..." she said the last part with a groan.
Wizard? The chipmunk chirped the question, almost dropping the nut he was holding, but caught it just in time. Well, he didn't know anything about other wizards, seeing he was just a chipmunk, and not quite that old yet to know many things, so was depending on Hyano to share with him the knowledge she knew about this particular wizard.
She sighed. "The Wizard Order is headed by the strongest wizard. The White wizard... He is... harsh and quick to call judgment. He also doesn't like me very much already and has been looking for any reason to get rid of me and my master." she looked at Ren. "And I'm sure this is beyond a good reason." she added with a sigh then started to pet the little one's back. "If he sees Ren he will likely have me killed and Ren either locked away or destroyed." she started to curse under her breath. "We are in so much trouble Ship..."
The chipmunk nibbled on the nut as she talked, and leaned into her touch, enjoying as she petted him. In between two bites, he chirped, that maybe hiding the Nazgul away might be a good idea. Not here, but somewhere afar? And lie to the wizard that there is no dark creature. To his mind, it sounded like a very good plan. Just need to get the wraith away, and there is no wraith anymore. At least not close.
"I could try but it's my word against a whole village. What's more once the wizard is close enough he will be able to sense Ren. Ren's dark aura is very strong. Even as weak as he is... Besides that, how do I get Ren to do it? Besides, that last stunt he is kind of anti leaving home..." she said thinking hard. She could easily hide Ren in a cave in the mountains. Problem was getting him to both go and then stay there. "I could try to tell him... do you think he would listen?" she inquired of the little creature on her shoulder.
The chipmunk thought for a moment, then chirped to her, that if he doesn't want to do it, then she can always repeat this spell and drag him to the hiding place until the wizard left. Of course he wasn't sure. If she did use all of her power, she surely could intimidate the Nazgul. At least, as long as he was weak... and if she was sure he will not seek revenge once he restored himself to full power.
The young wizard looked at her staff then sighed. "I'm going to need more wood." she mumbled then looked at Ren. "We at least have a day or two. Let's let Ren rest for now. When he wakes I will show him what happened and deal with that part... then tomorrow comes the hard part." she said and got up carefully as not to knock over the creature on her shoulder before starting back towards home. She planned to come back to get Ren later but for now he was fine where he was.
The chipmunk chirped and squeaked, holding onto the robe of the young wizard, before crawling down, and falling down once more halfway, landing on his back this time. Slowly, he got up, shook his pelt, then finally started crawling back to the wraith, intending to keep watch over him, and if he moves, he will warn Hyano about it. However, staying down on the ground never was a good idea, so went up to the nearest tree and scurried up onto it, sitting on a branch, watching the Nazgul while he munched on the nut he found on the ground not long ago.
The istar came back a little before nightfall. She had enough energy to keep her awake for a little after but she would rather not if she didn't have to. She walked up and looked around before sensing the little chipmunk in the tree above and smiled. He made for a good watch dog. Small, hard to see, and very determined which was rare in his species. She walked up to Ren and gently shook his shoulder.
"Ren?" she called softly not wanting to surprise him awake. Just jar him slightly.
The Nazgul gave out a sound between a hiss and a groan, acknowledging her call, but did not move. He didn't want to just yet. Not now. He still wanted to savor the energy the darkness gave him, the lack of that annoying sun. Also, he didn't want to talk to her just yet. Through his resting, he thought about what happened not long ago, and identified her as the source of his current state. That pain... Did she try to kill him? If this was the case, he will make short process of her once she slept. Once he had the energy to deliver a fatal enough blow. Or kill her slowly... That might be better. Knowing it was her who was now close to him again, he hissed at her, wanting her to get away from him. He will not tolerate her presence around him anymore. Once he got back his full energy, he will chase her off of his territory...
Hyano blinked. He had always been rather mean to her but this sounded hostile. He must have found out what happened and thought she tried to hurt him. She cringed at this then sighed before sitting in front of him and snapping her fingers to get his attention.
At the sharp sound, the Nazgul's head jerked up just barely, flinching a bit, not really seeing what is going on around him, but recognized it after, that she used this to try and gain his attention. He didn't want to... But maybe it might be worth his effort.
The orange wizard pulled out the sand and decided to show him what she had meant to do. A figure of her and him formed in the sand only this time when she touched her staff down he turned into a human. "... sorry" she said softly as the image faded.
After he watched the sand figures, he gave another low hiss at her, in his language calling her stupid. Wizard magic has no good effect on him and his kind. They are dark creatures, made of the shadow itself, held together by black magic. How would a much lighter magic help him in any way, or... do any good? Stupid indeed. Even with his still clouded mind he could come to this conclusion. This at least strengthened his belief that she truly is a dwarf. They aren't as smart creatures. He hissed again, and turned away from her on his other side, curling in a ball, wanting to be left alone. At least there was some explanation given, and hoped this won't happen again. He despised his situation… Despite his anger towards her, his hands are bound. He is weak… and too dependent on her… How humiliating…
The girl sighed. Alright, so he didn't seem as angry as before but there was still one more thing she had to tell him. She moved so she was in front of him again and tapped his shoulder to get his attention, which earned an exaggerated heavy annoyed sigh from the creature.
The Nazgul felt annoyed at her constant presence. He was a wraith, one that liked to be alone a lot, and only have company when he felt up to it. And right now, he didn't want anyone around him. But considering he didn't have another option, he looked on what she wanted.
She then showed an image of a larger man than herself coming towards their home. The man then sees Ren and uses a spell to destroy them both.
"Bad." she said putting the sand away then showed an image of a cave not far away and pointed to it. "Ren go." she told him.
He stared at it for a little while, and heard her say that he has to leave. Leave? His territory? Never. He hissed at her again, and pulled away from her. He will not leave his own territory. He never heard any of his brothers giving it up for anything. Only if their Lord wished so. But he wasn't here to tell him that. So, it was this time his decision. He will not go anywhere.
That was the reaction she had expected. She remembered what the chipmunk had suggested. She didn't want to do that yet. Maybe there was one last way. She pulled up an image of him then said image turned into a man. She gave him a questioning look. She wanted to know if he could do that to himself. It was her last option before she had to do something she really didn't want to. The last thing she wanted to do was give Ren a real reason to be angry at her. Even if it was for his own good.
If he had a face, he would have frowned, so instead tilted his head to the side at her question. He understood what she asked, at least he hoped. If he can turn back to his mortal form, if he even had one? No. Even if he could he wouldn't. Mortals are weak, useless and easy to kill. Why would he want to give up his more powerful form? Just to die? Does she really want to get rid of him by killing him in this form? Good thing he doesn't have one in the first place. He finally raised his head up and looked at her, staring for a few seconds, before shaking his head. No. And even if he had, he wouldn't use it. He slid backwards again, away from her, and rolled onto his other side, facing away from her again, hissing.
Hyano gritted her teeth thinking a few curses before standing. She had no other options left. "Fine..." she said with a sigh. She would have no choice then. She debated on doing it now... No. While he may gain some power between now and tomorrow it would be useless to scare him to the cave now. She would fall asleep soon. If he decided to get his pay back while she slept there would be no way of stopping him. What's more she at least had another day or so. No, she would wait until tomorrow evening. It would work out better for them both that way. She tapped his shoulder then pointed towards their home. "Go?" she suggested, quite sure that even though they had no beds that the floor was a lot more comfortable than out here.
The Nazgul let out a sharp hiss, equal to that of an angry cat, pulling back more from her. He heard the question, and decided to stay outside. Not like he could stand anyway, at least not without his staff, and absolutely refused the thought of having the dwarf help him in... He lost still most of his power, and was just now starting to gain back some, and didn't want to be in one room with her at the moment. He was still angry... No... Mad at her for what she did, and knew he will have his revenge one day. She will be the first one to suffer by his hand if he ever gains back his full power. He shifted slightly in his position, curling up, before setting out a heavy sigh and resumed resting for now. Once alone, he will meditate for the rest of the night, and the whole day tomorrow.
The wizard sighed and rubbed the back of her head. Well that worked about as well as she thought it would. "If that is what you want." she said deciding to humor him for now. She then looked at her new staff before groaning and putting it down beside him. After this she then made her way back to the house. She needed to lay down.
For the most part things had been all right. Well until she got home that is. Then she had to let herself do something that crazy and stupid. Of course anyone else would simply blame it on her age but a wizard didn't have that excuse. Great power meant you had to have a great mind and while she was mature and rather quick-witted for her age that still didn't mean much compared to other wizards. She stepped inside and let herself lay down where she knew the sun would hit first. For once she didn't fall like a rock or pass out. She just let herself slowly fall asleep like a normal person.
The night went on uneventful for the chipmunk and the wraith alike. The only change Ren made was to stand at the end of the night with the help of the staff that was mysteriously set down for him. It was for him wasn't it? Gaining the knowledge wasn't simple though. He tried to stand on his own for a few minutes until he accidentally rolled over and found the staff under his arm. He hissed and gripped it. Eventually, he succeeded and decided to prepare for the oncoming sun rays. Using the staff, he shuffled to the end of the house, and sat down behind it. This place surely won't be assaulted by the light for a while, so should be a good place to meditate for the rest of the day. He didn't have the energy to walk around, let alone amuse himself with anything. Now he opted to regenerate as much as he can. Of course, this moving went completely unnoticed by the sleeping chipmunk among the branches.
When the sun finally came up Hyano awoke slowly, deciding to take her time with her day. She picked up her original staff and killed about an hour eating slowly and thinking. She was making sure that whatever she did today was wise. She didn't want to scare Ren away completely, though, from what she could tell that would be hard all the way around. However, she needed to show she had the upper hand enough to where he did what she wanted. Once she finished with her food she walked out and left the house altogether heading up to the cave she had described making sure it would be safe for him to stay in. Once the wizard had everything ready she came back and spotted him behind the house. He would likely be moving soon with it heading towards mid day when the shadows were at their weakest. She decided to go ahead and get it over with.
Once the Nazgul heard her steps come towards him, he couldn't help but sigh, thinking his earlier thoughts of his day couldn't get better due to not being bothered all morning was right. No, it doesn't get better... It gets worse. Even in his meditative state he could sense her. After their earlier experience, he was more wary around her, his mind and spectral body equally adjusting to it accordingly.
Soon enough the young istar nudged him lightly with her staff before keeping it out of his reach on purpose, which enticed an angry hiss from the creature, now waking up but still found himself in a half dazed state due to low energy.
"Ren. Go." she said pointing towards the cave with a hand, keeping her tone strict and determined, commanding him so to speak…
He needed to leave? Ren followed the direction she pointed to, and realized she is repeating yesterday's ordeal. It won't change his mind and was still angry at her. He simply averted his gaze from her, and without uttering a sound, he lowered his gaze to the ground to continue his meditation, dismissing her existence entirely.
If he thought he didn't like her now he had no idea just how much he was about to want to kill her. The wizard sighed then stepped so she was at his side. "I tried to do it the easy way." she said to herself then spun her staff before slamming it down. It was the same trick she used on the villagers to knock them off their feet when they all wanted to kill her. Only this time she was using it to blast Ren out of the shadows and into the light towards the cave. Before he could even hiss at her she repeated the process again basically shooting him over and over again. She did this a total of three more times before looking down at him and pointing to the cave with her staff.
"Go!" she yelled at him this time. She obviously wasn't giving him a choice and if he honestly thought he could take her in his state then things were about to get very funny.
Well, this was new. Oh wait...It wasn't. She already attacked him yesterday. Honestly, he didn't know what exactly angered her, or what he did to cause her to attack him. He already expressed his opinion about this, and showed her he did not intend to leave. And no matter what she does, he will not give up his territory willingly. However, the attacks and blasts showed him she was at full strength. She is well rested and ready for a fight... He on the other hand had trouble to even stand, let alone walk or fight. He hissed at her furiously, mixing in a faint shriek, before using the staff he had with him to scramble to his feet and take a step towards her, holding his head higher to express his higher rank, and determination. He won't be a coward to run away from trouble. This is his territory and will stay here.
Hyano gave him a 'oh really?' look. He honestly thought he could take her right now let alone outrank her? She rolled her eyes then used her staff to knock his feet out from under him before slamming hers into the ground knocking him down again. If he wasn't going willingly she would just shoot him there and he could enjoy hitting the dirt the whole way.
"GO!" she yelled then started slamming her staff down repeatedly forcing him closer and closer to the cave. She wasn't dealing with his high and mighty attitude right now. No matter how she put it he wouldn't listen to her, so she would have to make him listen this time.
He was stubborn... so very stubborn. Each time she would blast him back, he would try to stand, and send a warning and furious shriek her way, only to be blasted back again, landing heavily on the ground. The whole way to the cave she wanted him to stay at... At the very end, he lost all his saved energy and laid on the ground the same way how he did yesterday after she shot him with that other magic. While his body refused to move, his mind was still awake, and fumed silently. How dare she! He is a creature of darkness! Made to rule over lesser beings! She is nothing more than one of those weaklings. Oh, how he wished his full power back... He felt beyond offended by her actions, and felt annoyed at this, but didn't voice it. He didn't want to utter such disrespecting language anymore. He did not know what he did to anger her like this, but he will punish her later for this disrespect.
The girl sat on the ground panting. That had taken a lot longer than she thought it would. Her arms and legs both hurt. She had switched arms at one point then started using her feet instead. In the end, she was left with both her shoulders feeling like they needed popped and her legs feeling like jelly. She looked at the cave glad it was dark. When she visited it this morning she already prepared it for him, she had placed a few of his things inside. His food container and the glass along with the book and a few other things to keep him busy tonight and tomorrow. She hoped that would be enough. The wizard groaned then stood up and dusted herself off. There was no point in checking on him. He was likely beyond angry with her but it was for the best. She wasn't kicking him out of his home for long, just long enough that he could continue to live in it later. He was too weak to fight her. How in the world was he expecting to take on a full-grown wizard even if he had rested through the next day? She shook her head then waved as she started back. "Good bye." she would make sure to send Ship up here to keep him company and to hopefully calm that temper of his.
However, the wraith didn't make a sound back in reply to her words. He didn't want to, instead laid there silently, wanting to gain some of his strength back. He wanted to rest. Somewhere, where no annoying dwarves irritated him, where no one told him what to do, no one attacked him... As long as he didn't get back his full powers. He knew he won't stay here, but move on and hopefully get far away enough to not be discovered. Rest for days and weeks until he knew he was able to take on anyone... Then attack. He will not have such disrespect go unpunished. He will take back his territory, she wants it or not. No one forces him away from it. For now, he knew to retreat... However, for the past days, he could tell that squeaking rodent was spying for her... If he truly wanted to vanish, then he had to get rid of that traitorous mammal, which was now sitting on his back, more than likely keeping watch.
The Nazgul waited for a few hours after she went then hissed and started crawling deep into the cave -seeing he didn't have his staff, she knocked it away from him-, where the box, glass and the book was, intending to reach them. Just as he thought, the little rodent followed him, chirping and squeaking, thinking nothing of the wraith's anger. Once there, he sat up next to the items, and watched as the Shipmunk crawled up on his shoulder. This was what he waited for. Slowly, he reached up and took the little creature in his metallic grip, then in the next minute tightened his grip on it, making it squeal, then shoved it to the ground, putting the box on top of it, keeping it sealed away. He didn't want to kill it... Not now anyway... It will partake in the punishment as well once he came back. Waiting for a few more hours and for the night, he rested in the cave a little before starting his very slow journey further east.
Hyano had no idea.
Once night came she was out like a light again. The day had felt horribly long and... lonely. She was surprised she felt that way as she never really felt lonely before. She had always for the most part lived alone, even when her master was around, he was never really there. The Brown Wizard was always running this way and that and his mind always seemed to be somewhere else but she still never felt lonely. Maybe it was because Ren was the first real company she ever had. Considering the fact he was a very angry beast of darkness she considered that rather sad.
When she finally woke up again she looked around. Quiet and empty... she didn't like it for some reason. She shook her head and got herself some breakfast. She just had to deal with it until the wizard was gone, then she would go get Ren and bring him back home.
While she was away, gathering her breakfast, the wind blew gently, letting the leaves dance in the air, while the trees whispered among themselves of a visitor coming from the north. The animals all went quiet, not wanting to disturb the lone wanderer, and even the clouds seemed to pull back to make sure he can enjoy the sun's warm rays in the morning. The white cloak and long hair of the tall man joined the dance of the leaves thanks to the breeze, but his form held strong against its assault. His staff touched the ground gently as he walked, aiding his strides, giving some relief to his tired legs. It was a long journey after all. He knew where he was going, the sense of magic guiding him, and soon arrived in front of a house made of trees. He raised a white eyebrow briefly at the masterpiece, but wasn't surprised by it. The message explained why the shack was replaced. He stopped, and looked around, trying to guess where its occupant might be.
We know this is a little shorter chapter, but couldn't find a better place where to split up the scene.
Hope you liked it!
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