990910 - Flashfire, then Nightfall ... converse with StoneHeart.

You walk in a westerly direction, towards a thick stand of trees, that mark the 
begining of the woods.

The Edge of the Woods
Stopping to catch your breath, you see before you...
Trees grow close together here and the forest begins to thicken. There is no
actual path, except for faint markings left behind by some animals, and perhaps
other elves. Moss covers the most of the ground and climbs up to grow on the
sides of some trees, the ground moist beneath your feet. The shaded woods offer 
a
cool respite from the heat and even the animals seem to seek shelter under the
trees and bushes, to escape the heat. The riot of colors and smells bombard your
senses and you walk carefully, not wishing to break the silence you find here. 
It
is a hot summer morning. The father tree is quiet as elves and wolves alike seek
to their dens.
Contents:
White Ears
Obvious exits:
Into the Holt(E)  Into the Woods(N)  

Slowly through the quiet woods you walk, your steps echoing in the hush of the 
trees. Soon you find yourself on what looks to be a small trail, infrequently 
used. You continue to walk until you find yourself...

Behind the Father Tree
As you walk around the Father Tree, you come upon a sight unexpected in a
Wolfrider Holt. It is evident that Redlance has been putting to use the skills
learned long ago in the Sun Village. A neatly tilled garden lies in front of
you, with small green plants rising from the rich soil, and along the edges of
the garden, taller plants carefully staked upright for support to their slender
stalks. A tiny opening leads into the back of the Father Tree. Off to the
north-east lies another large tree, small in comparison to the Father Tree, but
quite large enough to house many elves. It is a hot summer morning. The father
tree is quiet as elves and wolves alike seek to their dens.
Obvious exits:
Path<S>  Den Tree<NE>  Woods<W>  Father Tree<FT>  Around the Tree<SE>  

You walk south along the path.

Path
The path circumvents the holt proper, used mostly by the elves for travel to the
woods behind the great Father tree. Overgrown, clinging vines crisscross the
path, sometimes low to the ground causing you to cross over or under them, or
push them out of the way outright as you walk. The ground here looks to have
been worn down some with time and you see small bushes lie nearby, perhaps
sheltering small game, such as ravitts or perhaps deer. It is a hot summer
morning. The father tree is quiet as elves and wolves alike seek to their dens.
Contents:
Mooneyes' tent
Obvious exits:
Woods<E>  Path<S>  Path<N>  

You walk south along the path.

Path Around the Father Tree
This path is used mostly by the elves for travel to the woods behind the great
Father tree or to lay traps for small game that can be caught farther north. You
can barely see the very top of the huge tree towering above you for the riot of
growth obscures your vision. Overgrown clinging vines crisscross the path,
though not too low to the ground, having perhaps been coaxed by a treeshaper to
grow out of the way of travellers. It is a hot summer morning. The father tree
is quiet as elves and wolves alike seek to their dens.
Obvious exits:
Path<S>  Path<N>  Clearing<W>  

You travel southwards, on a thin, rarely used trail. For a great many days you
continue south, heading towards the base of the tip of the mountain you can
barely see from the very tops of the trees of Lostholt.

Deep Forest

     Deep within the southern portion of a nameless forest, you see a monolithic
mountain rise out of its evergreen carpet into the sky. The top of the mountain
is flattened and its surface black. The large thing is a hill.

     To the north a small, seldom used trail winds into the bowed depths leading
to an unseen destination. Beneath ones feet is a dark, ash filled soil which
gleams with red and white quartz. There is something eerie about the quiet
stillness.

Contents:
Flashfire
StoneHeart(#6760PJcf)
Obvious exits:
Trail North<N>  

StoneHeart is sitting on the ground near a small cave. Her back is up against a 
tree, and she looks to be snoozing, her sword layed across her lap.

Having heard a few warnings of a troll in the area, Flashfire's stayed mostly 
away..until now. His curiosity's gotten the better of him, and though he sticks 
to the trees and branches within, he gradually comes close enough to be able to 
see down where the troll rests.

StoneHeart snores softly, her body seeming a bit relaxed.

Peering down, Flashfire checks to see if the troll's mouth happens to be open, a 
somewhat sudden, mischievous look on his face as he reaches for an acorn or 
three.

StoneHeart continues to snore, her mouth open slightly as she dozes...she looks 
tired, as if she hasn't slept well in the past few days.

If this works, perhaps StoneHeart won't sleep well for a while longer, and might 
even leave their area. Carefully, he lobs an acorn right for StoneHeart's mouth. 
Not that his aim is perfect or anything. It might miss.

The acorn hits the mark and lands in the snoring trolls mouth. After a moment of 
nothing, she suddenly jerks awake, her eyes wide as she begins to cough, finally 
spitting up the acorn. She looks like she's not quite sure of where she 
is...sleep still fogging her brain.

Nightfall enters quietly, travelling through the branches to locate and check up 
on the troll. Never know what the wanderer might be up to. She crouches down on 
a branch and looks around for the acorn-chukker.

Flashfire could be sensed or perhaps heard by Nightfall as a faint, quiet 
snicker drifts towards her sensitive ears from a perch not far at all from 
StoneHeart. Flashfire ducks back a bit in addition to already being rather well 
hidden as the troll gags on the nut and comes to.

StoneHeart looks around finally, and rubs her eyes a bit, looking up into the 
trees. She shakes her head, and gets up. She makes her way slowly to cave she is 
staying in. In the back of the cave, the soft sound of something metal tapping 
against the stone walls can be heard. Every once and awhile a soft grumble or 
comment comes from the cave about 'Nothing here' or 'That looks promising' can 
be heard. Finally StoneHeart moves to sit near the entrance of the cave, leaning 
her back against the stone. She puts her sword back in her lap and looks to be 
trying to get comfortable again.

Nightfall lets out a soft sigh that could, to non-elfin ears, be mistaken for a 
bit of a breeze. A touch of surprise tinges her tone, ** Looks like she's found 
whoever it is she's travelling with. ** In a more wry tone, she adds, ** Watch 
out for her, though; she's a sly one. << image of flying acorn >> **

And Flashfire's slight snicker could be the same as a chirping bird, perhaps. He 
stalls briefly as Nightfall's send reaches his mind, unaware that he was being 
followed - if he was. ** They should just get out of here and leave us alone. ** 
he sends, eyeing the troll warily..especially that blade. Silence for a few 
moments, then another acorn flies towards the troll, the furred elf scampering 
towards another location afterwards.

The Acron hits the stone next to her head. She jerks and blinks again, her face 
in a perpetual scowl. She looks up in the trees, and glares in the direction the 
acorn came from. She shifts where she's sitting, not seeing anything at the 
moment. She rumages in a pouch for something, laying her sword aside.

Nightfall sends openly ** You're probably right, but I think they're just 
migrating. ** She settles more comfortably on her branch -- and Flashfire can 
probably scent that she has a kill -- and continues watching the troll. ** I 
think you're annoying her; maybe she thinks you're an annoying squirrel. **

** They can migrate somewhere else, then. ** Flashfire sends back to Nightfall, 
his head turning at the scent of Nightfall's kill. ** Ooh. ** He remembers 
StoneHeart after that and shrugs in Nightfall's general direction. ** Or a 
treewee? **

StoneHeart finally pulls something out of her pouch. Its hard to tell what it 
is, with her hands covering it up mostly, but she looks around, picking up a few 
stones, looking at each one then laying them in her lap too. After a bit, she 
leans back against the stone, and closes her eyes, trying to go back to sleep.

Nightfall's voice comes from a spot up in the trees, "Having a good nap, troll?" 
In a wry tone to Flashfire, ** You should probably get back into the holt before 
she figures out where you are. **

StoneHeart doesn't seem to react to the voice, but she speaks, her eyes still 
closed, her body still relaxed, "I was until I smelled you coming...."

Nightfall chuckles softly, "So nice to hear that you haven't lost your sense of 
humor." After a pause, she continues, "I hear you've found the body you're 
guarding."

StoneHeart grins a bit, her eyes still closed, her body still relaxed "He was 
never lost..I knew where he was."

You say "Heh." She sounds amused, but more about the other troll than at you, "-
You- knew where he was, but did -he- know where he was? The only tunnels up here 
are the ones through the underbrush."

StoneHeart hmmmms softly, and shrugs, her eyes still closed. "He's not that 
weak, but I'm still getting paid." Her hands seem to play with the item she 
pulled from her pouch...as if bored.

Nightfall asks curiously, "What do you have there? A stone?" She scans both you 
and the area again, looking for details she might have missed the other day.

StoneHeart finally opens her eyes and looks almost directly at where you are, 
but her eyes seem to be off just a bit, looking more to the left of where you 
actually are. "Why yes...would you like to see it?" she says, the sound of 
rancind honey dripping from her voice.

Nightfall, not particularly concerned since she feels safe in her tree, wonders 
aloud, "What's interesting about a stone?" She notes the tone and eyes you 
warily -- it might be an arrowhead or a sling-stone.

StoneHeart moves rather quickly for something her size, and quickly picks up a 
stone and puts it in the item she pulled from her pouch. It almost looks like a 
hand held miniture catapult. She places the stone in the basket and pulls the 
cord, letting it fling the stone in your general direction. It crashes thorugh 
the leaves of the tree. She smiles in your direction, as if wondering if she 
came as close as she thinks she did.

Nightfall, completely startled, bounds upwards a couple of branches with a 
noticeable rustle. It's not enough to pinpoint her exact location, but enough to 
show that you had the right area. Angrily, she growls in low tones, "What, you 
want to fight with me, troll?" The last word is said with a sneer, as if to say 
she shouldn't have bothered with pleasantries.

StoneHeart chuckles quietly, and sets her toy back down. "Oh dear, now I've gone 
off and upset an elf, whatever shall I do...." She chuckles, but its a cold 
sound, like stone grating stone.

Nightfall snorts. "You have such difficulties. Not the least of which is that 
you have all the subtlety of a charging pig." The willingness to be friendly and 
pleasant is gone from her voice, now that she's seen your true colors.

StoneHeart smiles, looking further up in the tree, as if she either knows where 
you moved to or she's guessing. "Hah. You elves must not have a sense of humor. 
If that rock had hit you, it wouldn't have done nothing more than left a bruise. 
And yet you whine as if I were trying to kill you.. "

Nightfall snorts softly. "Why am I not surprised that trolls throw rocks as part 
of a game. Do you also pound your mate's head on the ground to show how you 
care?" Unsure of the power of your ... toy, she keeps a wary eye on what you're 
doing, but doesn't change branch, tho' she knows you've located where she is.

StoneHeart shrugs, "We get a little rough, but that's what we're built for...or 
at least the Northern trolls were bred for..."

Nightfall pauses, certain that she should be especially wary of Northern trolls 
for some reason, but it doesn't come to mind. Frowning, she asks harshly, "Are 
you just an advance group? Are more coming?"

StoneHeart snorts and folds her arms over her chest, "I doubt it. At least not 
that I know of. They've got enough problems and issues to deal with back home - 
besides none of them like the heat down here. They like it cold..."

Nightfall makes a soft noise -- could be scorn for the other trolls, could be 
disbelief of your words, but at least you're being consistent. "And you don't 
mind the heat, mighty warrior?" Calling that last bit a complement would be 
stretching things, judging by her tone.

StoneHeart raises an eyebrow, "Like I said...I didn't have much choise...I've 
had to get used to it.. "

Nightfall makes a soft -- but audible enough for you -- "Hmh" noise.

StoneHeart leans back against the rock, as if trying to get comfortable again

Nightfall settles on her branch as well, content to keep an eye on you for the 
time being.

StoneHeart yawns and stretches, "Now if you don't mind, I think I'll take
a nap...since several of your tree budies like keeping me up at night..."

Nightfall chuckles softly, "I noticed." Archly, "What if I did mind?"

< my connection died >