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 Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 5:18 pm
The latest snow storm had blown through sometime in the night and the sun was making a valiant attempt to shine through the lingering clouds. Though the first signs of life were beginning to stir once more in the forest, it retained a deep quiet unique to the winter months - a sort of muffled quality that was strongest after a fresh snowfall.
A lonely cottage sat amidst the barren trees, near enough to the treeline that villagers were not too worried about venturing there, but far enough in to discourage unwanted visitors. A gentle stream of smoke drifted out of the chimney, looping around itself in the subtle wind currents before dissipating high in the sky. The door slid quietly open and four large, furry paws padded out onto the virgin snow, their color so close that it would be easy enough to miss them if one were not looking. The grimalkin flicked her tail once before darting across the yard. By the time a tall, blond woman followed the feline outside, she had already vanished into the wood.
Alice took a deep breath of the clean, crisp air and pulled her cloak tighter. She glanced around the yard and, finding nothing amiss, set about her chores.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 6:13 pm
The quiet morning was broken soon after by a howl-like sound in the distance, an eerie voice lost somewhere amid the trees. It did have a distinctly deep-woods direction, and the horrible sound rose and fell like a wind.
For one Lynden Haddock, the morning was not very peaceful, nor had the entire week been anything remotely safe. And above it all, it had snowed heavily the night before and he despised running in fresh snow. It left tracks and it made his legs tired. And he had to carry Thane. His familiar was none too pleased, insisting he could run in the snow far better than Lyn could.
Terror was, for the most part, the thing making him run. He was almost certain he'd left behind the things that had been chasing him, but niggling paranoia after a week of sparse sleep and little food told him to keep running, just in case. He bounded out of a break between two ancient trees where his feet told him a deer path was under the snow and tumbled down a hill. He had enough sense to toss Thane into a drift rather than crush him.
When he looked up, he spied a cottage not far away. He brushed snow off his golden-brown hair and checked his bow for damage, then gathered himself up to approach the place. He was panting hard and his whole body was shaky, so he just prayed to any nearby spirits that he wouldn't be turned away.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 7:07 pm
Alice's head shot up from where she was bent over her wood pile and she frowned at the sound. Having never seen a real wolf in her life, she could not be certain whether that sound was one such beast or something else entirely, but she knew that the fell creatures were back. There was darkness in the Wood, and it was doing more than just stirring. It was awake and it was ravenous and it was growing nearer every day.
So, when something went tumbling down a hill not far away, she froze in trepidation and then cursed under her breath as she identified it as a human. Of course, if a wolf was coming, it would not make such a noisy entrance. If a wolf was coming, she doubted she would hear it at all.
With those cheery thoughts lightening her mood, Alice waited for the stranger with her arms crossed and a perturbed look in her face.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 7:21 pm
The stern woman in the yard made Lynden pause, and he held up his hands to show he was peaceful. "Hello," he called weakly. "Please, I beg you, let me rest here for a time." He approached slowly. There was no way he could run anymore. Were he to be turned away, not even the spirits could save him. Thane, a handsome brown mottled grimalkin with glowing violet eyes, sat beside his master's feet and washed a paw, in better shape than Lyn himself. The boy's fur cloak was caked in snow and mud, and he was not much drier beneath it.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 7:53 pm
Her frown deepened to a near-scowl as her eyes roved up and down the sadly ragged-looking young man. From the look of his garb, he was a forest dweller - certainly not one of her villagers. Besides that, he was clearly about to collapse from exhaustion.
She did not glance at Hecate, who was behind the pair of strangers, staring intently at them. However, Alice sensed no concern from her familiar. Instead, she gave the boy an irritated look. "You look like death. What are you just standing there for? Get inside." With that, she scooped up a few more logs and made for the door herself.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 8:07 pm
A wash of gratefulness filled him, and he staggered into the yard, towards the door to follow her. "Thank you so much, madam," he croaked, untying his cloak. He was not one to speak more than necessary, and rarely offered explanation unless he was asked for it. Thane padded alongside him, his irritation of strangers overpowered by the desire to be warm and dry. Lyn was too tired to worry about anything much anymore, but he paused inside the door to inspect his surroundings and to take his cues from the lady.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:19 pm
After depositing her load, Alice motioned impatiently for his cloak and hung it near the fire to dry. It was a surprisingly homey cottage. Clearly, the bulk of the residence was in this main room, which seemed to contain the living, dining, and kitchen areas. Herbs were hung here and there, lending the cottage a woodsy, but not unpleasant, scent. The cupboards doubtless held kitchenware and other miscellaneous items. The living area was littered with worn, but comfortable-looking furniture and there were blankets draped here and there. The sturdy, wooden floors were mostly covered with rugs.
Alice removed a cauldron of water from over her fire and disappeared into one of the doors that led away from the main room. It proved to be a washroom, where she poured most of the water into a dish. She reappeared, replaced the cauldron, and disappeared once more, this time behind a second door, only to come back with a set of folded clothing. She started to hand them to the boy, but frowned and changed her mind, instead placing them on the counter inside the washroom. Then, she shooed him inside. "Get cleaned up. I don't need you tracking mud and filth all over my home."
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:34 pm
The inside of the cottage was so like the outside forest that Lynden's normal anxieties about being indoors was alleviated slightly. He swallowed and tried to step as lightly as possible into the washroom. "Thank you, madam. You are most generous," he murmured. Thane followed, not yet willing to let his person out of his sight.
Once trapped in the smaller room, Lynden had to count to ten, then he stripped out of his damp clothes. He washed quickly but thoroughly, knowing that being dirty in winter could lend to illness. He folded his clothes neatly, and laid out the leather pieces to dry, then slipped into what had been given him. He didn't like being in any clothes but his own. However, the clean clothes, dry and warm, and the warm of the cottage all worked to relax him. He came out again rubbing his eyes, which stung a bit from the glare of white snow and exhaustion.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 5:51 pm
By the time he emerged, Alice had a herbal concoction ready. She offered him a cup filled with the tea, sweetened with honey to make it more palatable. "It will help fight off illness and speed up your recovery," she told him.
Hecate chose that moment to appear from some hidden corner. She weaved possessively around Alice before approaching the new grimalkin in her domain and sniffing him with an inquisitive twitch of her whiskers.
"What's your name, boy?" If he were to be recovering in her home, the very least he could tell her was his name.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 6:00 pm
He drank the offered drink all in one go, used to nasty herbals and his need to drink them. Thane puffed a little, back arched, but he stood his ground and sniffed Hecate back.
"Lynden," he said, voice already feeling better. "Lynden Haddock. And this is Thane."
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 6:19 pm
Hecate slid an ear back, then forward again, as though telling the tom that he was being ridiculously immature. Then, she proceeded to start grooming his face, which she deemed too dirty for her liking.
Alice set the cup on the counter and moved to her sitting area near the fireplace. After motioning Lynden to make himself comfortable, she took a seat of her own and settled back in her chair. Before she let the boy retire, they were going to be having a little chat.
"Welcome to my home, young misters Haddock," her eyes flicked to the persnickety grimalkin. "And Thane. I am Allison Driscoll, and that is Hecate."
"Would you care to tell me how you came to such a state?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 6:52 pm
Lynden took a seat, breathing out a sigh. He glanced at Thane, who was whining as he submitted to the washing. Even the grimalkin was too tired for a spat.
Putting his feet out towards the fire, Lyn folded his hands over his belly and stared into the flames. "Wolves," he stated softly, yet tense and grim. "'Bout a week back I came upon them, and they caught my scent before I could get away. Sometimes they'd tree me, then go off again, but whenever I wandered out for food they'd find me again."
He sighed and closed his eyes, shuddering. "They chased me all the way from the ward tree." He was visibly upset. The forest was his home, and if he couldn't go in it, what was he to do?
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 7:33 pm
Alice tensed at the confirmation of her fears. Wolves. She did not ask if he was certain - she already knew that they were back, there was no point in doubting someone who said they were chasing him. Instead, she was amazed that he had escaped in one piece, and very grateful that the area around her home was warded to the teeth with her strongest protective charms, as well as the lingering protection of all her ancestors. There was not a hostile man or beast yet that had been able to get past them.
"Then you are lucky to be alive," she observed grimly. "And lucky you found your way here. It is a safe place. How many are tracking you?"
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 7:50 pm
"It was hard to count, but I saw three distinctly by their pattern and perhaps two or three others." He was beginning to nod off with the warmth. "They're so big... bigger than I'd ever imagined. I daren't think what more could do."
Thane had finally fully submitted to the lady of the house, and he was laying on his side, dozing.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 8:07 pm
Pleased with her success, Hecate finished grooming Thane, then curled up with her back to his, purring her contentment.
Alice could only imagine how large the beasts must be, but she had heard the stories. To think that there was a pack of three to six of them in her part of the Wood was...disconcerting, to say the least. She could have to warn the villagers as soon as she was able, get a hunt organized, make certain the children were kept close.
"I suspect that there will be more," she said, half to herself. If the lore was true, this was just the beginning. The sudden increase in numbers would only continue to grow. The wolves were returning and they intended to take back what was once theirs.
She frowned at the boy, noticing his drowsiness. Perhaps she ought to let him sleep before they continued their conversation.
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