"Kephissa Falls In With the Elves" February 6, Dancer Beach Players: Kephissa Cadence Tern Quietharm Shiver Kelp Dancer Beach(#1537RAJL) The white gleaming sands reflect the light of the [v(light-[u(timedesc)])]. The bay is shallow and warm, and suitable for wading or swimming. A long ridge parallels the beach along the edge of the dunes and shelters the beach from cool winds off the mountains and from the view of folk who might walk by in the forest. Here and there a gnarled madrona tree or a wind-twisted dwarf pine rears its head above the horizon. Evening at last and the first moon rises setting the beach aglo with the silver light. The soft onshore breeze is warm and the tide is out again. Contents: Quietharm Shiver(#8519PJOXc$0) Cadence Tern(#10090PJOXce$0) Tern's Raft (#10008Jabes$) Shiver's Tent Rock Spire StormCurrent's Raft Obvious exits: Towards Mainland Beach On the Sea North along the beach(N) Southwest to Strait Inland Trail(E) Frankly, it's been a few hours since Tern collected bodies from the water and dragged them onto her small raft... including the body of her chief's pip. And it's been a few more hours since she managed to bring the raft to wash up onto the beach. Being the only one awake, Tern has done her best to nurse wounds -- both human and elfin, and keep her passengers as comfortable as she can. She even went so far as to dismantle the sail and set up a rough tent over the raft deck to protect them all from the hot shoreline sun. Now, of course, she's exhausted. That stands to reason when you don't sleep. But, she's managed to scrounge a few clappers from out of the sand and is currently in the process of cooking them on a fire she's built not so far from the raft. Cadence lays beside her, one blanket from the raft balled under her head and another draped over her torso, instead of among the humans on the raft. (The healer's daughter figured it would be safer for all involved that way.) Quietharm travels up the beach in any odd pattern, surverying the contents of the stretch of coast. Soon, however, she freezes, a statue in the form of an elf. If her eyes didn't decieve her, she wasn't alone anymore. Up ahead she spots what seems to be a raft swept up upon the beach, a few unmoving figures lying aboard it. Her gut feeling was that something was wrong with the scenario, and in a few short sprints she is racing to the spot. A groan and a soft murmor of an unknown language herald the awaking of one of the humans. The smaller one, a young female, groans again, and raises a hand to her head. "((What happened? Where am I?))" Not on the ship that's for sure. The rocking motion is gone. And suddenly memory hits her and she sits up suddenly. "((Captain? Vardeus? Tiana?))" The barrelchested, stout-legged wolf that lopes from out of the treeline is a deep midnight black, the tips of his fur brushed faintest hint of silver and his lupine eyes gleaming with an inherent mischief. As he sees the gathrering on the beach, he pauses, head canting sharply to the side. Were he elfin, one brow would be cocked in question. An ear flickers, and he simply stands to watch, glancing back for a brief moment to the trees once more. The silent form stretched out beside Tern doesn't seem to move much. The makeshift bandages down her legs probably have quite a bit to do with it. Cadence seems to be quite content to remain unconcious. Between the fierce ride on the monster's back while it thrashed around, the gashes it left on her legs, and the mind blast it hit her with, perhaps that's just for the best right now. Tern looks up in surprise as Quiteharm comes sprinting along the beach. **Quietharm...** she sends, mildly startled, rising. Her head snaps around and her send clips itself short as she hears the odd human tongue. Glancing back to her tribemate for a moment and then down to Cadence's still form, she says to Quiteharm, **Watch her for a moment?** She then stoops to pick up a spear and wander cautiously back along the beach towards her raft. She stops a yard beyond the raft deck and looks at the human woman awake abord it questioningly, gaze sharp and unsettled. Quietharm nears the site of what appears to be a temporary hospice in the sand. Shaking off her immediate shock, she stares at all the unconscious humans with a mixture of curiousity of initial fear. Stepping around them as if they would make a grab for her at any given moment, Quietharm looks to Tern for an explanation, the only conscious being she noticed at the moment. Wide-eyed and blanching, she sends, ** What has happened here!? Who are they? ** Finally her eyes fall to Cadence, and she drops to kneel at the pip's side, instantly worried. It's blatant that the she-elf hadn't been up to the most recent current events. Kephissa shakes her head to clear the fogginess, glancing down to see the sleeping body of her shipmate beside her. One shipmate but no ship in site. Although beach is good. After months at sea, beach is very good. She peers around, getting her bearings. Raft, sail/sunshade. Pointy-eared little girl? "((Am I dreaming? If I'm dreaming why would I dream this?))" Upon hearing the human, but seeing the elves, the dark wolf retreats to the forest, ears partially back against his skull. He moves swiftly, body low to the ground, tail outstretched, and leaves no mark of his passing as he goes. There is a soft pained sound from Cadence when she tries to shift in her sleep. She doesn't stir, only moves her leg a little bit. An absent send slips from her but it's muddled at best. Something about a trident and her skin. Tern glances back to Quietharm again, never quite taking her eyes off the raft and its tall occupants. **There was a monster...** she tries to explain. Her lips press into a thin white line and she looks back to the human again. Shifting position slightly, she tries a little of the human tongue she remembers someone teaching her sometime -- perhaps one of the other scouts. "<>" she says, voice a low, quietly pitched alto. "<>" A four fingered hand rises, extended palm up in a questioning gesture to Kephissa. Her attention flits back to Cadence briefly again with concern. Quietharm can't help herself as she hears the garbled protests of the human. Checking the immobile form of Cadence once again, she straightens herself to turn around and join Tern in her position near the waking woman. Blinking back disbelief at what her eyes beheld of this strange creature, so different from the kind she had grown to fear. So captivated was she that she kneeled down near the larger presence, scruntinizing the female's features with a sudden, impassive fascade that that betrayed nothing. Kephissa frowns as Tern speaks. But she's well travelled enough to understand that not all speak the same language. She purses her lip in confusion as she tries to understand the words. She turns to look at the other stranger, hmm they appear to grow them small here. When she replys its in a lyrical language that bears no resemblance to the language spoken by the humans of this land. Speaking slowly, hopefully. "((I don't understand. Can you speak my language? I'm no danger to you. Do you know what happened to my ship?))" The last said as her eyes flicker to Tern's spear and than between the two faces in front of her. When the dark wolf reemerges from the forest, some long minutes later, it is with the slight form of a silvery maiden on his back. She rides with a wary air, a dagger unsheathed in her hand and held against her thigh as she curls over her wolffriend's back. Together, they pause at the top of the treeline... But, then, with a subtle shift of weight and legs, she directs the wolf to move again, and he angles an oblique, and indirect path towards the prone form nearest the fire -- and farthest away from the humans. **Friends?** she sends in concerned question, her wariness evident in the sense of it... She's known the seaelves here for turns. A webbed hand twitches a bit in the sand, lashes blink once or twice. **** Cady can still hear the others sending. Some part of her moves towards waking up again. What was she thinking to dive in after that monster. **** **Cadence??** Tern sends back to her friend, partially turning from the human woman in concern. Then, she sees the wolfrider. **Shiver??** She smiles with relief, dark circles under her eyes evident. **Am I glad to see you...** But, still, her attention is partially torn back to the human. She gestures back to her, glancing to Shiver as she does. **There was a monster. And a storm. They were hurt. And Cadence...** Cadence is her greatest concern. She keeps glancing between the healer and the humans and her friend in anxiety. Eventually, though, she does look back at the woman, a little frustrated by lack of comprehension. "<>" she tries again. "<>" Quietharm bites her lower lip, craning her neck to glance at Tern, and then back to the human. Sending was blatantly of no aide here. With much effort to control her hidden excitement and trepidation, she slowly moves one small, webbed hand to point to herself before speaking in the elfin tongue. "<>." At a new send, she casts a sidelong glance out towards an approaching elf. ** ** The send went both Cadence and the arrival from the edge of the woods. Looking to the woman again, she repeated her previous actions. Point, speak. Turning the tables, Quietharm points to the human now, large eyes waiting expectantly. Kephissa can tell Tern's asked her a question, but she has not idea what it is. She shakes her head slowly, and winces a bit. Lingering headache. At Quietharm's movement she brighten's a bit. That seems familiar. Certainly one of the first steps the ship's linguist always takes when they meet new people. What she wouldn't give for Arnos's presence now. She repeats Quietarm's words, stumbling. "Quytarm" as she points to the elf. She points to herself. "((Kephissa))" Shiver slides off of Blackfrost (the wolf) almost immediately upon reaching the fire. She crouches down by Cadence, her knife still unsheathed in her hand, but her other hand lays on the child's breastbone. She looks to Tern and Quietharm, frowning as the younger maiden tells the abbreviated tale. That doesn't sound good. **Humans??** she says, pale eyes coming to rest on the tall figure with the round ears and bulky form. **Are those actual humans?** Guess what, folks? This wolfrider's never actually encountered the brutes before. But, she's heard the tales. **Let me tend to the cub, first.** She'll worry about the rest later. She lays the knife down and starts to check Cadence over lightly, untucking bandages to see and sending a soft, soothing sense to try and calm her. Blackfrost moves himself between the healer and the raft, swelling his form somewhat as he automatically guards her. Cadence stirs at the gentle probings. Her blurred eyes open to look up into Shiver's. The pip freezes and then starts silently swearing to herself. **Auntie Sil? What are you ..Did /YOU/ cross the vast deep?** Cady is really confused now! Her wolfrider aunt is terrified of the crossings, and she is in such trouble now. Thoughts of the lost trident get buried in an attempt to hide the weapon she so carelessly left in the monster's brain. Tern looks back and forth between the healer and the human as well. Then, as the wolf moves in between and she realizes Cadence is to be attended, she turns back to Kephissa, looking between her and Quietharm. She grimaces a little, thinking privately that she's so not made for this sort of thing. And imagining the trouble she's going to be in when they all get home. She sighs lightly. **I can't understand her speach.** she sends to Quietharm with a faint scowl. **It's not like the stuff Twinkletoes taught me at all.** She plants her spearbutt in the sand and looks the human woman over again for a moment. Well. She seems to be all right. So, lips pressed thinly once more, she skirts around to the side and decides to check over Valnek, leaving the talking to Quietharm. Quietharm claps her hands together once in a jubilant gesture, her features lighting up. Obviously pleased, the elf nods and begins to pronounce the name to the best of her ability, rolling the words as best she could in a fashion alien to her. "Kepizza?" She attempts it again, with slightly better results the second time. "Kephizza." Shaking her head, she smiles encouragingly at the woman, despite that nagging voice in the back of her head to stay far away. To Tern, she sends, ** I'll try... ** Morningtide wouldn't like this a bit. Angling her head to one side, she motions to the retreating female elf, announcing the word "Tern." She then motions to the other unconscious human, even going so far to tap him on the shoulder. Turning an appraising gaze to the woman, she awaits a word to describe this person in the human's language. Kephissa grins a bit as Quietharm attempts to pronounce her name. Probably she had as much success with the elf's name. Her gaze follow Tern as she walks to Valnek and frowns. She was so involved with these strangers that she neglected her duty to her shipmate. Moving slowly as to not to alarm she turns to her shipmate's side and looks at him with a frown. He's still sleeping, whether naturally or not she can't tell. She guestures to him..."Valnek." **Hush, child...** the wolfrider healer sends gently, now, smiling wryly at the cub's confusion. (Fortunately, she's met Silverthorn. Healed her, even.) **I'm Shiver, not Silverthorn. Everything's going to be fine.** She sets her knife down and brushes a bit of hair out of Cadence's eyes for a moment, sending the faintest surge of soothing magic through her temple before she moves, now, to attend that leg wound. Looks like Tern's learned a thing or two about binding wounds. That's good. The healer pulls back the bindings and examines it for just a moment before laying her hands on either side of the deepest part of the wound and concentrating. Later, she'll ask more about just how it happened. Cadence lets out a relieved sigh, closing her eyes when the healing starts. That does feel better. She is so glad that it is not her aunt right now. The only one who would think how she got those injuries was a good thing would be .. well her aunt's wolf. No, she is in so much trouble when she gets home. Even her best friend, Tumble would have her hide. Maybe Tern won't tell.. maybe the chief won't miss his spare trident the next time he goes hunting.. maybe she will grow fur and a tail! Tern looks up as Quietharm speaks her name. She then looks at Kephissa and down at Valnek. Still holding her spear, its butt on the deck and her arm stretched up now that she crouches, she tilts her head a little towards his chest and moves a hand near his nose. She wrinkles her own nose and says to Kephissa, "Vel...<>" She has no other human words by a warping of the local tribe's. So, she shrugs then. "I think." and that last is spoken in elfin. So, she rises, looking down at the sailor seriously for a long moment in silent debate with herself. Quietharm stands to study Valnek from all angles, a bit intimidated by the human's upright height at first. Ignoring it, she blinked back the sun to stare up at the larger female, pointing to the unconscious male at their feet. "Volnack." Undeterred, Quietharm continued to try out the man's name, a situation almost humorous. Looking to the woman, she contemplates something a moment, and then motions her over to the fretting Cadence. Her expression worried, she names this one too. She had picked up Shiver's name, and makes a point to say that as well. How would she get across what hurt and pain was? An idea comes to mind, but it was certainly not something she wanted to do. Unsheathing her short dagger hitched to her side, she reveals the blade, cutting a thin line at the top of her wrist. Grimicing, she shoves the weapon back into it's home and holds up the would just as the crimson fluid makes it's first appearance. "Hurt." Kephissa blinks a bit in surprise as Quietharm cuts herself. She's landed herself in strange company. Tilting her head to one side, she ponders for a moment, before comprehension appears. She thinks she knows what this stranger is trying to get across. She repeats the word, with something of questioning tone. "Hurt? ((Cut?))" Shiver continues her work. Fortunately, the wound is not so deep, nor is it infected or poisoned -- which was her first concern with the idea of a seamonster. Too many of those things have some sort of poison sting, in her experience. In relatively short order, her golden magic spreads over Cadence's form. The leg wound closes to a raw, pink scar, and then gradually pales and fades all together, the skin smoothing itself out under her touch. Then, the magic gently spreads over the rest of the cub's form, to sooth and mend other small hurts and bruises. As even that fades, she sits back on her haunches and looks down at her. **Better?** Saphire eyes blink open, smiling warmly up at the healer. **Aye Shiver. That's much better!** Cadence stretches out slowly enjoying the fact that it doesn't hurt now. One webbed hand reaches up to her own chin, cracking her neck once. **Much better. My thanks!** Tern looks up, startled as Quietharm cuts herself. Hurt? **What are you doing??** She rises swiftly and moves to the huntress, catching at her arm with a hand. Scowling, she says, **Why did you do that?** It's not like she has an abundance of bandages, you know... She looks at Kephissa and then back to her tribemate, jaw jutting out stubbornly. Quietharm doesn't mind a little pain, and she's always had strange ideas on how to work around things. Exaggerating her agony a little longer, she nods quickly to Kephissa. "Hurt. Cot. Cut." Shaking off the pretense, she points to the woman and speaks as best she could. "Kephizza...Cut?" She pulls her arm out of Tern's grasp, flicking exited eyes to the other elf, despite the small pain. ** Hold on..I think I might be getting somewhere. ** Kelp walks onto the beach, examining a small shell in his hand. He notices his mother first and smiles. Kephissa looks down, she's got a few scratches and is a bit banged up, but she doesn't think that's what this stranger is after. She shakes her head, hoping the negative motion means similar things here. "((Not cut.))" She taps her temple with a finger. "((Headache.))" Kelp stares at his mother, and the cut. **What are you doing?** Shiver arches a brow as the cub cracks her neck. She chuckles silently. **Just... be careful, hmm?** She frowns faintly. **Why were you out fighting a monster, anyway?** The outburst over by the raft draws her attention and she picks up her dagger from the sand, brows creasing somewhat. Blackfrost stays standing sentinel, ears partially back against his head, which is outstretched defensively. "What monster?" Cady drops to elfin speach to hide her lie, wonder where she got that trick from. Grateful for any distraction away from just /how/ she got injured, she sits up slowly now. Her webbed toes curl and uncurl as she tests out the healing on her legs. **Humans?? There were humans on that wierd raft?** Tern gives Quiteharm a strange look (that basically says 'are you crazy?'), but lets go, stepping back. She watches the human now, a little intensely, a little curiously. When she taps her temple, the young maiden actually half-grins. See? Even the human thinks Quietharm is crazy! Even so, Tern glances back to the fire, catching from the corner of her eye that Cadence is well. A short breath lets from her in relief. Quietharm sees Kelp, and rubs her abraded arm lightly, smiling at the pip. Holding out her hands, she gestures for her son to join her. Looking to the human again, she nods in understanding that that word wasn't exactly right to describe her injuries. She picks up that 'cut' word again in the human's sentence, which had followed some unknown one. "Not Cut." Quietharm shakes her head from side to side, indicating the negative. Pondering the human's tapping at her temple, she suddenly understands as if it had dawned on her. Head cut? Head Hurt? Head Hurt. Gathering herself up, she tries once more, looking to the woman's head and speaking "Head Hurt." in elfin, and then the word "Head" in elfin, and "Cut" in her tongue. If any of this came together, she would be one happy Seaelf. Snaking a departing look to Tern, she grumbles a bit. Kelp walks over to his mother, dropping the tiny shell he was holding onto the beach. He glances between Quietharm and Kephissa, confused. **Mother? What's happened?** He carefully scrutinizes Kephissa. **Who is that?** All this thinking isn't helping Kephissa's headache, but some progress is being made. She's distracted from replying to Quietharm by the even smaller creature that's appeared. This one not just childsize, but childlike. She shakes her head to clear it, focus. She taps her again, but this time repeating the elfin word Quietharm had just spoken. "Head?" Did she pick up on that correctly? And than she struggles with the elfin words. "Head Hurt." Its not exactly a cut, but it does feel somewhat like somebody tried to cleave her head in two. Shiver returns her attention to Cadence, arching a brow coolly. **The one Tern mentioned. The one, I'm guessing, gave you that gash I just healed.** She'd cross her arms over her chest, but she's still got that knife in her hand, and there are the strange tallones on Tern's raft, still, not to mention the other elves. No fireworks have started, though, so she's willing enough to leave Blackfrost to his post and stay right where she is with her erstwhile patient. Cadence watches all the gestures and begins to giggle. **Who gave the hooman dreamberries? She acts more crazy then Current!** A webbed hand goes over her mouth when a private send hits her. Gulping back that laughter, she nods obediently. Guess that giving commands thing is over, well at least til she has to become chief. Blinking up at Shiver she gulps again. "It.. it was just a little one Shiver, honest. I had to do something.. it was .. trying to kill them" She points back to the crazy acting human female. "What was I supposed to do? Let them die??" Ok, don't answer that one. And she most definitely doesn't want to tell her father that she helped humans, let alone was this close to one. Tern raises a hand and rakes it through her unruly hair. She lets out a sigh. "A headache?" she says dryly, looking at Quietharm. **She's lucky that's all she's got. That thing killed... I don't know how many humans. But there were lots of them.** Fine. The other elf actually /is/ making progress with the fivefinger. But, the young scout can't help but think that Redtide is still gonna have her hide when she gets home. First there was that squall. Then, she gets Cadence into trouble with that monster. Then, she ends up /helping/ humans, even after humans (okay, not /these/ humans) were responsible for the death of so many of her tribesmates -- mostly the chief's family... Which means she now realizes she's just inadvertently taken the chief's /daughter/ right into the midst of /them/. Oh, puckernuts... Someone just shoot her now and be done with it? "Redtide's gonna kill me..." she mumbles, scrubbing her face. (Evidently, she actually /doesn't/ consider Kephissa much of a threat or she'd never let down her guard like that.) She straightens. **Okay, look... You do the talky thing if you want.** she says to Quietharm, the sense of her realization in her send. **But, I have /got/ to get Cadence somewhere safe. The old holt caverns aren't far frome here. I'm gonna take her there.** And she turns and starts trotting back towards her friend. **Just don't let them take my raft!** she calls back over her shoulder. She'll need it, eventually, to get back home... Quietharm smiles slightly, nodding with sympathy. "Head Hurt." It was true, she was beginning to understand this 'Kephizza'. At the sudden interest in her pip, Quietharm brings him in front of her and introduces him as "Kelp." She motions between them both, hoping that perhaps the woman might see a resemblence. Planting a hand on her chest, and then moving it to touch Kelp's shoulder, she says "My pip" between the interval. Her previously shy and cautious mannerisms around the human was changing into an engaging interest, so much that she temporarily forgot about the tribesmates behind her. Turning, she nods the affirmative. ** Take good care of her, I worry. ** She glances to Kephissa. "<>" The elfin word, and then Quietharm lays down in the sand, pillowing her head on her arms, expressing that Kephissa should because of her "Head Hurt." Kelp looks up at his mother as if she has lost her mind. During her attempt to introduce him, he make an attempt at a smile, but it ends up looking sort of half-smile, half-confused scowl. If these strange beings think she's crazy, they'd be surprised to find that Kephissa isn't too sure about them. Strange appearance, strange clothing. All these strange glances without saying anything. She does manage a weak smile down at the child. "Kelp Mypip?" She isn't quiet sure what Quietharm is trying to accomplish by lying down, but sitting down seems like a good idea right now. She gingerly sits down on the sand. "Rest?" Shiver is a healer. She couldn't just stand by and let another living being die that easily, either. So, she shakes her head to Cadence. As Tern approaches, she rises, canting her head slightly. Blackfrost seems to relax a little as the young elf approaches -- at least, he doesn't act aggressively towards her. And now that Shiver's standing again, things must be somewhat safer. **That's a good idea, Tern.** she says to her, looking down at Cadence with a wry expression on her face. **She still needs to /rest/.** There's a beat and she adds sternly to the scout, **And from the look of you, so do /you/. The next time either of you see a monster, for the High Ones' sake, go the other way!** Trusting Tern with Cadence, she moves past her to Blackfrost, and the pair move together a wee bit closer to the raft, still somewhat wary. Cadence looks past the healer and even Tern approaching her. She shakes her head more, giggling at Quietharm. But realizing that she is on shaky ground herself, she turns her attention back to the healer and her friend. **Thought so** She can't help but quip at the healer, sounding a bit like her father when he gets his way. **Rest sounds great** She takes Tern's hand to pull herself up with. Leaning on her friend's shoulders, the pair of young maidens turn away from the others. **Momma had a cave over here. She showed me the last time we came hunting. I think... it was this way** And the pair head off down the beach leaving the others behind. Tern actually flinches a little at Shiver's admonishment. "I can take care of myself..." she mutters softly -- likely only loud enough for Cadence to hear as they head out into the surf. (It's no doubt an automatic reaction born from her childhood as SpiritDawn's daughter.) Regardless, in a couple of heartbeats, not even ripples are left to mark the passing of the young maidens once they dive down to the submerged former holt. Quietharm straightens up and props herself back on her arms for support. She nods empathatically, looking at Kelp and then back over at her departing tribemates. Alright, so she would go down in her short history as crazy. Fine, she could deal with that. Somehow, this human brought with her a difference of opinion to Quietharm. Sure, she still feared the brutish ones that lived nearby, but this kind of human was definitely an improvement. If they could bridge the language barrier somehow, then think what they might learn! Her dress, her lyrical language, devoid of any brutish grunts...it was all amazing and it piqued her interest to the point that she must know more. She'd probably hear it from her lifemate if he found out later, especially in bringing Kelp so close. Still..she wanted to know this one's culture and speech. She had to. For Kephissa this is a trial. Never of the exploring bent, for her this is just frustration. Not being able to ask the questions burning in her head. What happened to her Captain, her shipmates, her ship. Is she alone in the world now with just these strangers and Valnek for company. Worries for tomorrow though, she's just about exhausted her meager supply of energy. She puts her hands together and lays her head on them. "((Sleep))" She lays down and puts her hands in the same position. "((Sleep now.))." Kelp glanced at his mother, then at the figure lying down on the sand. **Okay.... what now?** Shiver watches the human curl up for sleep. For her, of course, the night is just beginning. A hunt might be in order. She swings up onto Blackfrost's back now, sending to Quietharm, **If you need me, send... I'll not be far.** With that, she raises her hand and silently turns the wolf. They head off towards the trees once more. Quietharm watches the woman drift off; and with that action following her last words, she understood them. Others would be at a later date, right now she had to stay and watch the two humans. ** Just sit with me and wait, Kelp..sit. **