Dances of a Druid

[SkyLarkinmdow]

The birch-bark note was written in Isendyl's elven hand. It asked for assistance in a search for "men of ill intent" who had been discovered near her wilderness home. Kua L'Ay'la RavenWind wasted no time in adding her name below Shen Ju's to accompany the two on this wilderness expedition. L'Ay'la, Kua's mother, had once heard the name Isendyl spoken in the far away Grey Forest. L'Ay'la had instructed Kua to seek out this Druidess in the lands of the Vast to learn from her and gain intimate knowledge of the wild lands north of the River Vesper.

The party had gathered near the yard of the well prior to departure. After gathering the necessary supplies the party headed eastward through Dragon Dale, swiftly nearing the Dragon Dale Wood. Breathing in the intoxicating fragrance of cedar and pine, the muskiness of sylvan mosses and the pungent scent of damp anddecaying leaves, Kua listened to the faint shushings of her beloved forest so familiar to her young ears. Kua was reminded of her wild-elven mother she had left behind. Her thoughts shifted back to her childhood and forward again to the Druidess Isendyl guiding the way gently through the underbrush. How similar they both were, her mother and this wild elf, she mused. Both untamed, living as one with nature and faithfully relying on the Oak Father.

Isendyl's small hands caressed each tiny branch gently brushing them aside from the path with the tenderness of a mother of the wood. Isendyl walked with a steady pace, knowing each rock, every tree and each patch of fragile fern. The ivy draped over hidden grottos seemed to part way at her approach. Isendyl led the followers down secluded paths winding to the open thickets where a bevy of quail seemed to rise in joyous welcome to her gentle footsteps. The smaller woodland creatures scurried about like excited children as they announced her arrival. A distant crow caw brought her thin lips upward in a peaceful smile as her eyes brightened at the coming of the Daystar.

Tomo kept pace with the quick steps of the Druidess, attempting to anticipate her movements as she glided, then darted down familiar paths. Tomo had walked these paths for many seasons, his confidence and leadership were evident in his posture. Kua smiled with pride that Tomo had agreed to share his knowledge with her as they both search for the ancient, mysterious paths that seem to stretch across this Vast like some esoteric puzzle for only the enlightened to see.

Timo the Ranger, an arrow knocked firmly in his bow, deftly moved near the cliffsides his wary eye glancing ahead and behind, silently guarding the party from danger as they walked. His trained ear listening for the heavy footsteps of murderous highwaymen so different from the slight footfalls of his current companions. Kua imagined her father, a ranger himself. Would her father have been as alert, as skillful with his bow and as silent as the watchful raven?

Quinn, the kind one. This was the wise one Kua had confided her confusion to before making vigil with the Oak Father. Quinn now seemed distant as if he had made a vigil of his own with his lady of the forest Mielikki. From the moment he had crossed the bridge near the yard of stones, his long strides soon had taken him far from Kua's own step. He seemed to nod and whisper on occasion with Isendyl and Shen Ju, the quiet monk, in secretive tones far in the lead of the rest. Quinn and Shen Ju soon pulled farther ahead. Were they clearing they way, scouting for the orc kind and vicious highwaymen, or had they begun to follow a different path all their own?

Willem Blac'mon, another one like Kua, neither full elf-kin nor of human stock but rather an even blending of the two, with a youthful eagerness to explore these lands brought joy to Kua's heart. He is the dear one who called Kua "sister" and she tenderly welcomed him as her brother. Kua watched Willem with pride as he practiced his tracking skills on yearling stags as he bounded through the underbrush near the foothills. He occasionally glanced back, eyes flashing in excitement to meet Kua's warm smiles, urging Kua to keep up with his exhuberance.

The newer half-elf, Jherel Duskwood had joined the party as they had departed the yard of the well. Kua remained behind him, admiring his stealth and graceful movements as he wound his way through the forest paths. Kua studied his features and listened to the accent in his voice when he spoke to her brother Willem. He kept even pace with Will, the two of them attempting to scout ahead of the rest. Kua was pleased that he had accepted an apple from her pack. The three of them, half-elves all, resting at length beneath the canopy of the peaceful wood known to the others as Arbeck's Wood. Jherel's demeanor had darkened as he noted the trees nearby had been felled by axes as his nose wrinkled at the stench of burning woodsmoke coming from the school nearby.

Kua watched with her companions from the distant shadows as a lone wolf stalked in the Wood nearby. The wolf's eyes the color of the Daystar fixed on his prey, a magnificent yearling stag, until he suddenly leaped forward, his jaws tightly clamped on the throat of the youngling, bringing it down swiftly. Kua murmured softly as she gently caressed the simply carved wooden pendant loosely knotted around her own throat.

The first light of dawn brought this band of explorers to a place of falling rivers. Kua's ears twitched with eager anticipation as she listened to crashing water becoming louder, as they drew closer, clashing against the stone embankments of the gorge. The deafening roar of water soundly drowned out the spoken songs of the feathered ones of the sky as well as any hope of conversation. Isendyl, still in the lead, quickly raised her slight hand, signalling for everyone to a halt. She drew her hand in a downward motion and her braided mantle directed in a slight nod to a spot a bit ahead of the party. There in midstream, a mighty bear was intent on capturing his morning meal. His meaty paws crashing downward into the water splashing into a spray that briefly caught the light of the Daystar spreading it in a wide rainbow of color. With a silent gesture, Isendyl directed the party in a wide arc around the stately creature, lest their presence be detected and perhaps frightening the feeding bear or worse yet, drawing his unintended attentions. Kua smiled at Will and he returned a smile of his own, silent expression of the wonder that passed between them.