Starsong was sitting in her usual spot. Far above the ground in the tree tops, looking out over the sea to her left, and the cove to her right. It had been almost a week since the hurricane had passed and the mess still remained. Slowly, day by day it had gotten better. She had found some nuts in the forest and was attempting to gnaw them open. She looked down and saw the others, going about their daily tasks of bathing or basking and hoped they would have no need for her anytime soon. Her feet propped up on a branch, she swayed in the treetops with the cool ocean air and felt finally, relaxed.
Savith had been hard at work, hauling debris here and there as bid by the others, and to keep the living area free of rot. It was during one such foray, into the treeline that meets the beach, carrying a load of dead palm frons in one hand that a glimmer made him pause. Eyes narrowed as he set the leaves down, mind almost reflexively reaching for Star's as he settled himself to the ground for a better look. **Starsong.**
Starsong was busy gnawing on the nut when a send pierced her calm mind and she jerked upwards, nearly choking on the nut as she spit it out. The birds that had been roosting nearby gave a loud warning as they were startled skyward. Grumbling to herself she sat up, so much for her peaceful time alone **What...** she sent back with annoyance as she turned the pecan over and over in her hand, watching it while waiting for a reply from her...chief.
**There's something,** he sent in reply, mind cautiously curious as he made it way over. Lodged in a dense log was a double edged, brightmetal long sword. **Relim's sword,** came the surprised thought as he looked this way and that, as if hoping to spot the way ward go back. **Can you meet me? Help me sniff him out?**
A sneer curled at her upper lip **And I'm your resident dog?** She sent, annoyance and anger tinged. Irregardless, she was curious as to why Relim's sword would be here, she thought he left ages ago on his boat out to sea. Not many people knew where he want, or were even curious, but she saw him stealing away one night with quite a handful of presumably stolen provisions and pushed his crudely made boat to sea. She descended the tree and wondered if she should call for Shine. But the sun was hot and he was probably resting in the cool shade somewhere. So instead she began running on foot to where Savith's send came from. It took her a few minutes to reach him.
Savith rolled his eyes, annoyance prickling at him as her anger filtered through. Unlike the others, whom he'd diplomatically deflect the start of such hurt feelings with a graceful touch thought, for Star he makes no such reservations. **And if I said 'yes', she-wolf,** was his retort, his annoyance giving it pins & needles on the edges, tiny little prickles of sharp thoughts. Savith hadn't seen Relim up to anything. He was simply there one day, then gone the next, but since Peyote (presumably his lovemate at the time) seemed unconcerned, so was he... until now.
Starsong brushed the send off with a wave of her hand in the air as if it were an annoying pest, like a deerfly after her blood. **As you wish my _chief_** she sent back as she walked slowly towards him, the send quiet as a whisper, but it dripped with a sarcasm so thick, it was like blood, wet and fresh dripping from a wolf's sharp pointy teeth and muzzle. She avoided his gaze as she looked at the blade in the tree. Interesting, it had pierced it completely, all the way through the trunk without as much as any other marks on the tree itself. She wondered what kind of force could do such a thing, as her mind wandered back to the hurricane...but surely...not?!?!
Savith snorted, almost a wolfin sound, as Starsong dripped sarcasm from her muzzle and into his mind. He glanced at her, likewise avoiding direct eye contact, as she neared, then returned his gaze to study the weapon. It seemed unmarred, for all that it impaled the tree. "This tree is dense, and old," he stated, having circled the sight thrice in the time it took Starsong to near.
Starsong also walked around the tree and looked at Savith dead on for a moment, realize that he had cut his hair as well...she smirked and wondered if he did it because she had done it. Shrugging her shoulders she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Allowing scents most noses couldn't pick up fill her sinuses and lungs, deciphering the common from the uncommon. But she smelled nothing that was not of the wood or the sea. She exhaled and tried again...fish, pollen, grass, tree.... nothing that resembled Relim or any other elf for that matter. The wind and the waves must have washed it all away.
Savith had refrained from touching the sword or tree, waiting for the Super Sleuthing Schnoz to show up. As she looked at him dead one, he was leaned toward the tree once more, and if trying to sort out how much force his mind would have to exert to accomplish the same feat, and so, he missed her smirked. As he heard he inhaled, scenting the area, he stepped back, waited, and watched.
Starsong shook her head slowly as she exhaled the second time and opened her eyes. **Nothing, all the scents have been washed away, cleaned by the rain and waves** She looked over at the sword and grabbed the hilt, dangling from it for a while before letting go and falling back to the forest floor. It sure was in there rather tightly. She hadn't thought of what happened to the owner, she was still wondering how to get it out of the tree.
Savith watched her pull, frowning at her report. He brought a hand to his mouth, to chew on a thumbnail. **He could be anywhere,** his mind commented coldly, calculating, Chosen.
Starsong reached up and grabbed the hilt again, putting her feet against the tree and pulling. **Uh.. well in that stupid little boat he made I didn't think he'd live through the tide let alone wherever the vast deep took him** She dropped again to the floor, as it wouldn't budge. She turned to look at him again, a brow arched **He's probably dead, you realize? ** She was ever the blunt one, she didn't think anybody well trained for that type of weather would live through it on the high seas, let alone someone as dim witted as Relim.
Savith frowned and nodded, stepping forward to try his 'hand' at removing the sword. He didn't look at Starsong as she turned her gaze to him. Instead, he focused his attention on the hilt. **I hadn't realized he'd made a boat,** came the admission. The words seemed heavy, heavy as a dead-troll, with the feeling of a Duty Failed.
Starsong couldn't help but take a little bit of pleasure in that. Not that she was happy Relim was dead, or was she gloating that he is turning out to be an awful chief. She saw him much like she saw her last chief, inexperienced. She knew that with failure would bring knowledge. And with that Knowledge would help him grow into someone she could one day call chief without her insides refusing to pay respects. **He was out there for a few nights, hacking away at it with his sword, I think you were....preoccupied, I watch it all, and I watched him leave. It was apparent he had other obligations.** She watched him as he tried to pull the sword out of the tree as well.
When the sword refused to budge with just Savith's arm (what made him think he was physically stronger than a wolfrider is beyond me!), he narrowed his eyes. That cold sneer crept across his face, the mask of a Chosen about to strike, and he pulled with body and mind. **You should have told me,** he snipped. His mental voice was cold and razor sharp, back to what it was when ordered cruel by Lord and Home.
Starsong furrowed her brows as he snapped at her and snorted **Why? Would it have made any difference? Were you there when Dewpaw left? did you try to stop her? ** She felt the anger building up inside her again, it didn't take much for Star's temper to get the best of her, she too grabbed the hilt, her body pressing against his as her hands crowded his own on the hilt, she pulled as well, with him, both of their anger focused onto the blade.
Savith's cold expression and narrowed eyes deepened at the barbs from Starsong's mind, and he pulled with greater intensity. With both pulling, the blade seemed to shudder a bit before, with a sudden release, the tree's hold on it gave way. With the sudden release, Savith had time for one thought: ** ?? ** It was a wordless moment of surprised shock shared openly from his mind.
As the blade loosened from the tree, Starsong put all her force into it, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the rest followed. She wasn't prepared for the suddenness of it however as the blade slipped from her grasp, it went flying backwards, as she and Savith fell to the ground. Luckily him first, taking the brunt of the hard ground, as she had the softness of the glider to cushion her fall.
Savith had been hard at work, hauling debris here and there as bid by the others, and to keep the living area free of rot. It was during one such foray, into the treeline that meets the beach, carrying a load of dead palm frons in one hand that a glimmer made him pause. Eyes narrowed as he set the leaves down, mind almost reflexively reaching for Star's as he settled himself to the ground for a better look. **Starsong.**
Starsong was busy gnawing on the nut when a send pierced her calm mind and she jerked upwards, nearly choking on the nut as she spit it out. The birds that had been roosting nearby gave a loud warning as they were startled skyward. Grumbling to herself she sat up, so much for her peaceful time alone **What...** she sent back with annoyance as she turned the pecan over and over in her hand, watching it while waiting for a reply from her...chief.
**There's something,** he sent in reply, mind cautiously curious as he made it way over. Lodged in a dense log was a double edged, brightmetal long sword. **Relim's sword,** came the surprised thought as he looked this way and that, as if hoping to spot the way ward go back. **Can you meet me? Help me sniff him out?**
A sneer curled at her upper lip **And I'm your resident dog?** She sent, annoyance and anger tinged. Irregardless, she was curious as to why Relim's sword would be here, she thought he left ages ago on his boat out to sea. Not many people knew where he want, or were even curious, but she saw him stealing away one night with quite a handful of presumably stolen provisions and pushed his crudely made boat to sea. She descended the tree and wondered if she should call for Shine. But the sun was hot and he was probably resting in the cool shade somewhere. So instead she began running on foot to where Savith's send came from. It took her a few minutes to reach him.
Savith rolled his eyes, annoyance prickling at him as her anger filtered through. Unlike the others, whom he'd diplomatically deflect the start of such hurt feelings with a graceful touch thought, for Star he makes no such reservations. **And if I said 'yes', she-wolf,** was his retort, his annoyance giving it pins & needles on the edges, tiny little prickles of sharp thoughts. Savith hadn't seen Relim up to anything. He was simply there one day, then gone the next, but since Peyote (presumably his lovemate at the time) seemed unconcerned, so was he... until now.
Starsong brushed the send off with a wave of her hand in the air as if it were an annoying pest, like a deerfly after her blood. **As you wish my _chief_** she sent back as she walked slowly towards him, the send quiet as a whisper, but it dripped with a sarcasm so thick, it was like blood, wet and fresh dripping from a wolf's sharp pointy teeth and muzzle. She avoided his gaze as she looked at the blade in the tree. Interesting, it had pierced it completely, all the way through the trunk without as much as any other marks on the tree itself. She wondered what kind of force could do such a thing, as her mind wandered back to the hurricane...but surely...not?!?!
Savith snorted, almost a wolfin sound, as Starsong dripped sarcasm from her muzzle and into his mind. He glanced at her, likewise avoiding direct eye contact, as she neared, then returned his gaze to study the weapon. It seemed unmarred, for all that it impaled the tree. "This tree is dense, and old," he stated, having circled the sight thrice in the time it took Starsong to near.
Starsong also walked around the tree and looked at Savith dead on for a moment, realize that he had cut his hair as well...she smirked and wondered if he did it because she had done it. Shrugging her shoulders she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Allowing scents most noses couldn't pick up fill her sinuses and lungs, deciphering the common from the uncommon. But she smelled nothing that was not of the wood or the sea. She exhaled and tried again...fish, pollen, grass, tree.... nothing that resembled Relim or any other elf for that matter. The wind and the waves must have washed it all away.
Savith had refrained from touching the sword or tree, waiting for the Super Sleuthing Schnoz to show up. As she looked at him dead one, he was leaned toward the tree once more, and if trying to sort out how much force his mind would have to exert to accomplish the same feat, and so, he missed her smirked. As he heard he inhaled, scenting the area, he stepped back, waited, and watched.
Starsong shook her head slowly as she exhaled the second time and opened her eyes. **Nothing, all the scents have been washed away, cleaned by the rain and waves** She looked over at the sword and grabbed the hilt, dangling from it for a while before letting go and falling back to the forest floor. It sure was in there rather tightly. She hadn't thought of what happened to the owner, she was still wondering how to get it out of the tree.
Savith watched her pull, frowning at her report. He brought a hand to his mouth, to chew on a thumbnail. **He could be anywhere,** his mind commented coldly, calculating, Chosen.
Starsong reached up and grabbed the hilt again, putting her feet against the tree and pulling. **Uh.. well in that stupid little boat he made I didn't think he'd live through the tide let alone wherever the vast deep took him** She dropped again to the floor, as it wouldn't budge. She turned to look at him again, a brow arched **He's probably dead, you realize? ** She was ever the blunt one, she didn't think anybody well trained for that type of weather would live through it on the high seas, let alone someone as dim witted as Relim.
Savith frowned and nodded, stepping forward to try his 'hand' at removing the sword. He didn't look at Starsong as she turned her gaze to him. Instead, he focused his attention on the hilt. **I hadn't realized he'd made a boat,** came the admission. The words seemed heavy, heavy as a dead-troll, with the feeling of a Duty Failed.
Starsong couldn't help but take a little bit of pleasure in that. Not that she was happy Relim was dead, or was she gloating that he is turning out to be an awful chief. She saw him much like she saw her last chief, inexperienced. She knew that with failure would bring knowledge. And with that Knowledge would help him grow into someone she could one day call chief without her insides refusing to pay respects. **He was out there for a few nights, hacking away at it with his sword, I think you were....preoccupied, I watch it all, and I watched him leave. It was apparent he had other obligations.** She watched him as he tried to pull the sword out of the tree as well.
When the sword refused to budge with just Savith's arm (what made him think he was physically stronger than a wolfrider is beyond me!), he narrowed his eyes. That cold sneer crept across his face, the mask of a Chosen about to strike, and he pulled with body and mind. **You should have told me,** he snipped. His mental voice was cold and razor sharp, back to what it was when ordered cruel by Lord and Home.
Starsong furrowed her brows as he snapped at her and snorted **Why? Would it have made any difference? Were you there when Dewpaw left? did you try to stop her? ** She felt the anger building up inside her again, it didn't take much for Star's temper to get the best of her, she too grabbed the hilt, her body pressing against his as her hands crowded his own on the hilt, she pulled as well, with him, both of their anger focused onto the blade.
Savith's cold expression and narrowed eyes deepened at the barbs from Starsong's mind, and he pulled with greater intensity. With both pulling, the blade seemed to shudder a bit before, with a sudden release, the tree's hold on it gave way. With the sudden release, Savith had time for one thought: ** ?? ** It was a wordless moment of surprised shock shared openly from his mind.
As the blade loosened from the tree, Starsong put all her force into it, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the rest followed. She wasn't prepared for the suddenness of it however as the blade slipped from her grasp, it went flying backwards, as she and Savith fell to the ground. Luckily him first, taking the brunt of the hard ground, as she had the softness of the glider to cushion her fall.
