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Ik wil het volgende deel ook lezen 3nodding .

ik ben met ene bezig, maar de haren willen niet echt lukken en de kleding ook niet sweatdrop
maar het gaat me uiteindelijk lukken 3nodding xp

Forever Young
Episode 20: Let the hunt begin
©2003 Kitty Ocean

Sandolean opened the door into the Inn. Disgust filled his face, looking at these people who were no different than him. Yet, he felt above them. Thinking he was better.
Ignoring the laughs and joy in this Inn, Sandolean walked through the crowded tables. The men told tall tails about their hunts, and the women looked admiring at them. "Pitiful fools..." He mumbled.
"You shouldn't talk that loud." Sandolean's eyes got drawn to a corner. The man who spoke was handsome, but the scar on his face told more than himself. "It sure took you a while."
Sandolean walked at him. "I was..."
"Looking for me?" He took some from his cup, drinking it empty. "News travels fast."
"Then you know what I want."
The man nodded. "I know it, and I'm not interested."
Sandolean fumed. "What?! If Lord Zashjan finds that out he'll..."
"Kill me?" The man laughed. It irritated Sandolean that the man kept on finishing what he was trying to say. "Lord Zashjan has tried that several times. But in the end he always needs me." He took a bite from his bread and showed his knife. "You see the carves on this knife?" He asked. "Each carve represents a person I had to hunt down for Lord Zashjan. No one has ever escaped from me..." He sat back. "But, it bores me, these easy preys."
"You cannot refuse." Sandolean sat down.
"I never invited you to sit down." The man looked with his scarred face at Sandolean.
But even his intense glaze didn't scare Sandolean. He just smiled. "You've never refused before."
"There's a first time for everything." With his knife he sliced a part from the bread and put it in his mouth. "Why doesn't he send his Black Knights?"
"I thought news travelled fast?" Sandolean smiled. The man looked up. "The Black Knights are dead. All 4."
The man looked surprised, but then he started to laugh. "Don't tell me..." Sandolean nodded. "So the rumour was true!" The man put his knife in the table. "Scorched by an eternal fire, by a witch whose eyes are deadlier than the touch of a High One!"
Sandolean knew he had got his attention. "Rumours are always exaggerated." He leaned back. "But the witch..."
"So he wants me to hunt down a witch?" Interest disappeared from his face. "What's so hard about catching a witch? What does Lord Zashjan want from her?"
Sandolean raised his shoulders. "Beats me, the darn girl can't even talk normal! And she's quite stupid too! Doesn't know a thing about how this world spins. Like she..."
But before he could continue, the man had grabbed him. "WHAT did you say?" He burst out. "She can't talk?!" Sandolean nodded, completely stunned by his action. The man let go of Sandolean and thought for a moment. "It seems another one has arrived... this can prove to become really interesting..." He grabbed his knife. "Show me the last place you have seen her!" He walked towards the door. "And tell Lord Zashjan... that the hunt has begun..."

Far away, on a grass valley, a small band of travellers tried to recover from the attack of the predator-cat they faced only a day ago. Tired, Blade sat on his horse Dusk, trying to ignore his pains. Beside him sat Naraku, on Apple, who had laid her head on the horse's head. The walking horse had rocked her into a deep sleep.
"I hope there won't be any more mountain lions." Matsuru tried to break the silence.
Mayonaka walked beside him. "Are you sure you can call it a mountain lion?" She asked. "There are not many mountains here."
"Fine, then I'll call it a valley lion, have it your way." Matsuru didn't look at her. Sure, Mayonaka's intelligence kept on surprising them all, but sometimes she just had to act too smart! Like she was a teacher and they were the little kids.
Blade looked at his clothes. "Stupid whatever-we-call-it, it ruined my clothes!" The shattered pieces hung over his well-trained body that now showed bruises. Naraku managed to heal him a lot, but a full recovery was still out of the question. "I knew they were old, but now I'll need new clo-." He stopped himself.
Blade looked aside, where Sushi was walking beside him. Her long pointy Elf ears didn't show the emotion that was hidden inside her body. "Don't look at me!" She snapped. "You didn't want me to make clothes for you and now you can forget it!" She slightly looked up, and their eyes met. "Besides... I would need to dye it first. Brown is not your colour."
Blade smiled. "I was wondering." Mayonaka broke the silence. "Why don't you train Naraku on how to use her magic, instead of how to use weapons?"
"Quite simple." Blade replied. "There are people in this world who can block magic. Matsuru wanted to teach Naraku how to defend herself, no matter what situation."
"Well, her aim sure sucks." Sushi looked at the sleeping Naraku. "The arrow in that lion-thingie was nothing more than a thorn."
Blade looked at Sushi. "Matsuru told me you killed that thing with my spear." Sushi looked up. "I haven't thanked your for that yet."
Sushi looked down, blushing. "It... it was nothing." She mumbled.
Silence filled the crew again. All looked forward, hoping to see an end in the grass area. They thought they were safe, but it was proven once again that safety was still far to be found.
Blade turned around. Far, far behind them, he saw a tree. It now looked like a normal tiny tree in the distance, but he knew that they already travelled a lot. From Dusk's bag, he took a golden medallion.
"How much longer?" He whispered.
"What did you say?" Matsuru asked. When he turned around he saw Blade holding his compass.
Blade closed the compass. "How much longer till we will be safe? Will we ever be safe?"
Matsuru stopped. "One day we will be safe." He replied. "I just know that. But... don't ask me when."
"Why we stop?" All looked and saw Naraku rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Something wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong." Matsuru walked at her. "How do you feel?"
Naraku smiled. "Tired. But Apple is nice bed." She wanted to step off the horse.
"No." Matsuru said. "You're still not at full strength."
"But I want to walk." Naraku stated and slid down. "Want to see trees."
Sushi looked around. "Trees?" She asked while looking around. "Where?"
Naraku pointed north. "Trees will come! I saw them!"
Matsuru looked up, looking at the others. Blade smiled. "I have a feeling." He said with new hope and strength. "That soon we will be in a forest once again."

Filled with new energy, all started walking once more. Suddenly the grass hills didn't seem so empty any more. Rabbits hopped from lair to lair, and birds filled the air with their songs. Why didn't they notice this beauty before?
But after each hill, their hope became less. "Well, that shall teach me not to trust a Magic User's dream vision." Sushi snarled.
"Don't give up hope." Matsuru tried to encourage her. "This grass area has to end one day."
"I bet this grass area will never stop." Sushi put her hands in her neck.
"Never?" Mayonaka asked, who was on top of a hill. "And what do you call that?"
All joined her, and Sushi was the only one who tried to hide her enthusiasm. "Those are no trees." She said. "I call that a village."

The days on the grass seemed shorter than ever. Almost 3 complete days it had taken them to cross it. From the mountain forest till this upcoming village... they tried not to think about it. The large tree had vanished from their sight; even a small dot couldn't be seen. The world behind them seemed to vanish from existence. Hope was the only thing in their path.

But, the village seemed further away than they expected! When the night started to fall, they still hadn't reached it. Tired they sat down, while Matsuru made a fire.
Sushi grabbed the skin of the 'valley lion' that attacked them and started to prepare it for use. It was still very rough and she had to work on it for several days, but then it would be soft yet strong as if the High Ones had made it themselves.
Mayonaka took her book. "Reading again?" Matsuru asked.
Mayonaka nodded. "Yes, I hope to finish it one day."
"Maybe you could read us a story?" Matsuru suggested.
Sushi snapped from her work, almost cutting in her fingers. "Yes!" She exclaimed. "Read that story about that knight that saves that damsel from the dragon!"
Mayonaka sighed. "I read it to you several times and I can assure you..." She started. "The dragon will keep on dying and they will keep on living happily ever after."
Sushi growled when she buried herself into her work again. "Stupid knight." She mumbled. "Why did that poor dragon had to die? Stupid spoiled princess. Dragon should have eaten her."
Blade and Matsuru grinned when they heard Sushi mumble, but Mayonaka didn't look that happy. Sadness had filled her face and she seemed to be thinking when Blade started talking to her.
"Are you okay?" Blade asked concerned.
Mayonaka gave a fake smile. "Of course." She said. "Do you want me to read that story?" She opened her book.
"Can you let the dragon live?" Sushi asked. "For just this once?"
"You'll see." Mayonaka smiled and looked for the right page. Sushi continued working on the skin, while Blade took a piece of roasted meat. He slowly started to eat it; trying to forget his pain. Naraku laid herself against Matsuru, trying to stay awake. But it was hard for her to fight it, and soon she didn't hear more than: "Once upon a time, there was a rich kingdom..."
Hey,

To be continued...

Ik kan het vertellen, maar je komt er snel genoeg achter =P

Bedankt!!!


Ik ben vandaag eindelijk verder gegaan met de Kiss Doll van Forever Young. Met dit tempo? Af in 2007!!!!

^_^ Wat is een kiss doll?

Het nieuwste hoofdstuk komt NADAT de Guilds down zijn geweest....wanneer dat ook moge zijn XD