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 Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:55 am
The Highland-Gelm mountains loomed over the caravan as they passed- silent, unmovable, and imposing in its greatness. In the sun, the rocks seemed to shine- so rich were they with minerals and metals that sustained the people who lived there. In the light, the visage was so nearly dazzling... that there would be few who would notice the woman who was sitting by the side of the road...crying.
She was... not elderly, but not young, either- her eyes wrinkled with a lifetime of troubles and laughter. Her name was Merce... and her day was getting progressively worse.
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 11:39 am
But few were walking along the road instead of guiding their wagons. Lorelei and Vanna were the only two of their caravan doing so - Lorelei wanted to stretch her legs and Vanna her wings, and as they had no wagon to guide, their path was clear.
For a long time, walking for prolonged distances was a detestable idea to Lorelei - a month's flight on alternating foot and horseback could do that to a girl. Now, however, she understood the joys inherent in putting foot to earth and treading along the ground.
Vanna circled around her mother, swooping low and darting off a ways into the distance. As she coasted along in the afternoon light, relaxing, cutting through the blinding light. And then, there, by the side of the road, Vanna caught sight of something. Something that sent her flying back to her mother, twittering and crying in consternation.
Lorelei hurried to meet Vanna, and followed the bird's lead until she, too, caught sight of the woman. Approaching carefully, she knelt down beside the woman, shielding her eyes from the light off the mountains. "Miss?" she murmured, voice tinged with worry. "What is the matter...?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:38 pm
The woman waved her shaking hand before her eyes and shook her head slowly, sadly, from side to side.
"I don't know what you're saying," The woman said softly, her voice still raw from her long sobs. Her language was that of a strange, regional dialect of where she lived- somewhat south of Enallas. It was a rare language- but she had never had a problem before- not with the use of her Blarnbird. ...But now that it was gone... she felt like she would never be able to travel again.
She continued to speak- more out of sorrow than a belief that she might possibly be understood. "My Blarnbird... he was attacked by a Vulture, and I don't know if he's dead or alive. I'm lost without him..."
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 2:11 pm
Lorelei cocked her head to the side. She had never actually heard that language spoken before... and she was unfamiliar with the dialect... but she could understand the woman! She reached out a hand, resting it on the woman's shoulder.
"Blarnbird?" she repeated. "I have never heard of a Blarnbird before..." Her inflection wasn't great and her words formal and stilted, but it was something. "But... maybe I can help you, somehow. My name's Lorelei," she added a bit sheepishly.
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:20 pm
The woman's eyes jumped up to her, struck with awe and stunned happiness.
"You... you understand me!" She pressed her hands to her mouth, as if to contain the joy that flowed from her. The woman's dialect was choppy, and she was obviously struggling with a few of the words- but Merce was understood.
"Lorelai," she said, rolling the 'ai' noise at her lips, as was customary for her, "I am Merce. ...A blarnbird is a very special sort of bird. It allows me to understand all languages. I am a ... traveller, a trader. Without St Phier- my bird- I am lost. I cannot possibly continue."
She pointed to a great, dense tree near the river. "See there? A vulture attacked my St Phier while he circled in the sky. He was wounded, and fell into that tree. The vulture went after him- but I could not see if my beloved escaped in its thick branches, or if the vulture pulled him away again. ...But there's no way I can get that high, to see if he's okay."
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:43 pm
"I have a love of languages," the red-haired woman confessed, ducking her head slightly. "I am technically fluent in many... but have never had the honor of speaking in anything other than my native tongue.
"Do you think my Vanna could be of assistance?" Lorelei held out her hand and the small purple songbird landed on her fingers. "Or should we go looking in the forest ourselves? If St Phier is injured, then he will ned our help to get down from the trees... if he is still there. I hope he is, Merce - I would hate for your travels to be cut short... for you to be stranded."
Lorelei pursed her lips, looking at the forest. "... Is it very dangerous in there?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:56 pm
"Oh, I wouldn't know, I've never set foot in it, myself. I trade magical animals... but I don't acquire them myself." She wrung her hands nervously, but her eyes were wide with hope at the idea of Lorelei and Vanna helping her. "Oh please, yes. I pray that he's still alive."
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:05 pm
"Hm. Then..." Here Lorelei switched back to her native tongue. "Vanna? Can you fly up over the forest and look for a wounded bird in a tree? Go as fast as you can, dear - be on your guard. If that vulture is still around... or some other hawk... you're an easy target. Go fast!"
Vanna chirped and took off, heading for the forest.
Lorelei turned back to Merce and switched back to her language. "Vanna will look for St Phier and, if he needs our help, will lead us to where he is. For now... we just wait."
Vanna, meanwhile, caught a thermal and coasted up across the tree tops that grew more and more dense the further on she went. She didn't have the eyes of a hawk, but she circled and swooped, searching for the ellusive bird. It had to be somewhere....
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Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 9:05 am
As she searched... if she looked close enough... Vanna would see the tips of a brightly colored red wing sticking up from the branches. For a while... it is unmoved except by the slight drafts of wind that accost the tree...
But there. Movement- the wing shudders, and the bird weakly cries out, seeing the second bird circling and fearing it is the vulture.
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Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:50 am
Vanna stopped, hovering, then slowly, gingerly - no giant, intimidating swoop - descended to the bird. She sang, comfortingly, landing on the branch where St Phier hung.
[Are you hurt?] The words hung unspoken, untwittered in the air, but were conveyed by a tilt of the head. Can I help?
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Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:49 pm
St Phier flailed only until the sweet birdsong reached hit ear. This was no vulture- but rather, a savior.
The bird cocked his head to one side, and held out his wing in answer. He'd had it wrapped about him, conceaing the fact that he was tangled in a branch- but with his wing outstretched, it was obvious that his wounds- though minor- would overcome him if he was left trapped in the branch for too long.
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Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:01 pm
Vanna chirped again and hopped closer, pecking at where the smaller branches entangled St Phier. This was too high up for her mother to reach - even Voltaire wouldn't be able to reach so high. And that left it up to her, at least for now.
Grasping one of the most stubborn small offshoots of the limb in her tiny beak, she tugged and pulled with all her might, wings beating wildly. Suddenly - crack! - the wood snapped and she tossed the branch down, chirping and dancing a little on the branch.
She set to doing the same for the other few branches that kept St Phier pinned, feathers becoming ruffled and dirty from the exertion. It took a good amount of time - maybe ten minutes - due to her small stature... but soon, St Phier could free himself the rest of the way.
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Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:44 pm
The blarnbird burst through the final beams of his confinement, practically forgetting his wounds as he flew up in joy above the great tree. Merce, down on the ground, saw the glorious flight as well, and clapped her hands together with true glee. He was alright- and she put her hands aloft for him to spiral down to her once more.
Once the bird had alit upon her arm, Merce nuzzled the brilliantly hued creature, holding it close. These two had been too long a pair on the road not to feel such genuine affection for one another.
"Oh, St Phier... I was so worried." She turned to Lorelei, her language now perfectly understandable to the gypsy, thanks to the presence of the Blarnbird. "You two have given me such a great gift. I wish I had more to give you.. but here." She pressed a red stone into Lorelei's hand and held it firmly there with her own hands. "This will help you find your home- I no longer need it- not in my age, when I know the way like the back of my old hand. If you just spin it around in your palm, you will be home. But it only works once every rare age. So please, use it wisely."
With that, Merce gave Lorelei a blessing kiss, and slowly made her way back onto the path of her journey.
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Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:02 pm
Lorelei smiled happily at the return of St Phier and waved as Merce headed back onto the road. Vanna fluttered back, exhausted, dropping happily into Lorelei's waiting hands. The small bird looked at the stone, then chirped a question.
"She said it would take me home, if ever I need it," Lorelei explained. "Though... I'd be afraid to use it. It would either just keep me in the camp... or take me to my father's house."
Vanna chirped angrily.
"I know, I know, that's not my home," she said helplessly, moving back towards the road. "But... you never know how these magick things will work."
Vanna chirped again.
"... I'm not going to try it!"
Another chirp, this time insistent.
Lorelei sighed. "Fine..." she murmured, taking a deep, shaky breath. Vanna hopped onto her shoulder, and the young woman spun the stone.
Nothing had changed.
Lorelei and Vanna stood just as they had before. The stone merely pointed towards the forest now.
"Maybe this is one of those times where it doesn't work?" Lor asked, blinking. The stone felt oddly warm in her hand.
Vanna took off without a sound, stumbling as she caught the wind, coasting to the edge of the forest.
"Vanna?" Lorelei took after the bird at a trot, lifting her skirt up around her ankles as she went. Vanna disappeared into the trees. Soon, so did Lorelei.
Inside the forest wasn't as dark as Lorelei had expected. From outside, the spaces between the trees had seemed pitch black, but as Lorelei moved deeper into the forest, calling out for Vanna and picking her way daintily over fallen branches, she saw everything in a sun-dappled light. Everything seemed greenish blue, courtesy of light passing through the leaves above.
Soon, she stumbled onto a path. Looking down one way of the path, she could see, faintly the road - so, she wasn't that far in at all! But where was Vanna?
A familiar twittering caught Lorelei's attention and she hurried down the path. The old road led to a small clearing, and in that clearing...
Was a wagon. It was old but sturdy, covered in dirt, rust, and ivy. But the wheels were good, the roof whole. Before it was a statue. Lorelei took a few steps towards the wagon, reaching out one small hand to touch the raised detailing on the wood. It seemed to shift and dance beneath her fingers.
There was a flash of blue-green light and she dropped the stone as it burned her palm.
Something had changed.
Now, yoked to the wagon in place of the old statue, was a sleek, large horse with deep espresso brown - almost black - fur and mane. While its size seemed enough to pull the wagon (which was still covered in dirt and ivy), something about the animal seemed delicate and dainty for its job. It whinnied, stamping its front hoof and looking at Lorelei.
Lorelei smiled and held out her hand. The horse eyed her for a moment before bumping its nose against her burnt palm. It jerked its head back towards the wagon.
The woman went to the back of the wagon - which she saw was smaller than Voltaire's and, again, delicate in an odd, brusque way - and took hold of the grimy latch. It came undone and the door swung open.
Vanna flew in, clutching the stone in her claws and dropping it as soon as she passed the threshold. Lorelei followed into the dusty, musky dark. Moving to where the windows should have been, she reached out and pushed aside a curtain, still soft and whole. A little bit of light came through the grimy glass, illuminating a trunk, open and filled with a few dresses, and a bed made with simple sheets. There were two lanterns unlit, with flint beside them. She smiled.
"Home."
The carriage rattled to life as the horse began to pull, straining to pull the wagon out of the ancient rut it was stuck in. Lorelei helped push, stumbling and landing in the dirt when the wheels finally popped free. Laughing, she pushed herself up and hurried to the front of the wagon, where she hopped into the seat and took the reins. Vanna landed on her shoulder, twittering happily and promptly falling asleep.
The horse slowly pulled them onto the forest path and out to the gypsy's road.
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