"Confrontations and Comfort" Log Date: 12/29/99 Log Cast: Calmwind, Shadows, Midnight, Simmel, Brightstar, Wayfound, Malene Log Intro: As the days have rolled by since their Holt's destruction, the Willowholters in Blue Mountain have found themselves at loose ends, many of them unsure what to do without the guidance of their chieftess. The youngsters Midnight and Summit and Wayfound -- in the perennial way of youngsters -- are left to their own devices, and as of late Wayfound has found much time to spend in the company of her tribesmate Calmwind, exploring the mysteries of the Great Egg as well as the twists and turns of the Mountain's many passageways. But there are others in the Mountain besides the Willowholters, and not all of them are there by the Mountain's leave, as Wayfound and Calmwind discover entirely by accident.... ---------- You climb up into the enveloping darkness of the catacombs. Blue Mountain Catacombs -- Level II(#5387R) Winding tunnels worm off in all directions, passages intertwining at irregular intervals and unpredictably splitting off once more. Here, the floor only passes as such by the pull of gravity reaching toward it; else, any similarly curved, smooth stone surface between the tunnels might suffice. Though the air here is still and enveloping, the soft sound of a slight moving breeze is audible somewhere above. Contents: Simmel Brightstar(#3121PVceg) Midnight Shadows Obvious exits: Oval Passage Narrow Passage Narrow Passage Narrow Passage Blue Mountain Catacombs Calmwind climbs into the catacombs from below. Calmwind has arrived. Shadows bristles at the threat, ** Call the chosen and I will shoot at them like I did before! ** Midnight sends openly ** He shot at the Chosen! Should we send for Lord Winnowill? ** Simmel closes his eyes briefly and lets out a sigh. ** Now you are threatening us. ** He simply leaves it at that. Brightstar frowns, ** That doesn't help, Midnight. ** She also moves closer to the outcropping. ** Please come out? No one will hurt you. ** Midnight looks to Simmel, as the eldest present. "Logically," comes a piping youthful voice from below, "we should be able to make it up this way..." And on the tail end of that voice comes the tousled pale head of young Wayfound of the Willowholt as she deftly scrambles up to this level of the catacombs, only to come to a screeching halt at the sendings and scents of other elves. Simmel is standing atop a boulder looking down at Shadows, who is attempting to hide in some shadows. Brightstar is looking on, and Midnight is advancing on the side of the boulder. Long fingers grip the edge of the hole and pull Calmwind into the second level of the catacombs, where he blinks owlishly at the people already there. Brightstar sends openly ** I don't think we need to bother Lord Winnowill unless it seems we cannot handle this. ** Midnight groans, but quietly. He looks over to Wayfound with the beginnings of a frown. ** Stay back, there's a dangerous elf here! Us adults will deal with it. ** Brightstar sends openly ** Then again, it's not as if she doesn't know everything that happens anyway. ** Brightstar edges close enough to peek around the outcropping from a distance. ** Please come out? We don't intend to hurt you, and there's certainly no need for you to hurt us. ** Wayfound's big ambergreen eyes flash in a measure of consternation towards Brightstar and Shadows... but as Midnight addresses her, an irritable spark adds itself to her gaze. Disdaining to send as the others are doing, the cub casts a gruff glance back at her lanky companion, Calmwind, and can be heard to bark to him in surprisingly uncublike tones, "It would seem that we took a wrong turn, my friend; shall we explore elsewhere?" Her little shoulders set themselves stiffly, and her little face goes stoic of expression. Shadows sneaks out slightly. A bow is in his hands ready for anything...but it is not nocked. ** I didn't do anything. I'm searching for my chief! ** Brightstar eyes Wayfound, then throws up her hands. ** I give up. ** To Shadows, she states, ** Well, possibly we can help you. ** Simmel cocks his head as the other young elves arrive and he pays some attention to that conversation. As Shadows' speaks again, though, his attention is again diverted. ** Well then, you have further questions to answer. Who is your chief? ** Midnight's gaze flickers to Calmwind, then returns hurriedly to the strange elf as he moves. Calmwind's mouth twists in amusement as Midnight refers to himself as an adult in the presence of Wayfound and his long fingers brush himself off. He starts to answer Wayfound and then his attention is caught by the hidden elf's declaration of what he's looking for. One hand brushes Wayfound's shoulder. Calmwind locksends ** Let's see who he is... ** Wayfound's own mouth tightens up into a short stubborn line as she casts a glance up at Calmwind -- presumably in answer to a sending, given the Wolfriderish look and scents of these two. The youngster then glances back at the others in a mixture of rigidly restrained disgust... and the barest glimmer of even more resetrained curiosity, detectable in the reluctant attention she gives to Brightstar and Shadows. But she says nothing aloud and finally drops a brooding glare to her feet. Shadows steps out from the boulder looking for a place to run. You locksend ** I have no desire to remain where I am not wanted, but if you wish... I will... wait for you. ** to Calmwind. Midnight puffs himself up, as best he can. "We don't need the Chosen. We can deal with him ourselves and then give him to Lord Winnowill as a present." He starts circling to block any exits too near Shadows. "Stop it!" comes Brightstar's exclaimation. "He's just nervous and in unfamiliar territory and looking for someone important to him. There's no need to threaten him if he's not going to threaten us!" She looks back to Shadows, "Right?" Midnight says "Well, if he'd snuck into Willowholt like that, Rillwhisper would have..." Midnight shuts up quickly. Shadows hears Midnight and panics. He runs for the hole in the floor trying to find somewhere he can hide. Calmwind watches Midnight some more as he scans the exits, chewing on his lip, and glancing down at Wayfound once. Then, as he's between the way down and the newcomer, he steps back, bracing himself. Simmel presses his lips tightly together in annoyance at the wolfrider's insistence on threatening and not answering the simplest of questions. ** Enough! ** he sends as loud as he can. ** Show yourself, now. Do not make us physically force you to come out. ** Brightstar frowns sharply at Midnight. ** That's not helping. ** Calmwind locksends ** Look at how Midnight is puffing his fur out to look bigger. ** Midnight leaps for Shadows as the other elf panics, trying to intercept him. That tears it. Wayfound's temper breaks, and she shoots a thoroughly disgusted glance at Midnight. "My mother," she snaps, "would not be threatening physical violence to a stranger in our territory, nor would she be expecting her hunters and guards to bring her elves as 'presents'. Apparently, your knowledge of my mother has diminished since you saw her last." She doesn't raise her voice -- but she bites out each word as sharply as though it was a dagger she hurled. And at that, she whirls back to Calmwind, adding in tightly controlled fury, "My apologies; I'd just said I would wait for you, but I am not going to linger to listen to mistaken assumptions about how my mother does things, especially from individuals who have no respect for my opinions. I shall await you below." Wayfound's teeth grit, her eyes flash, and she stalks back the way she'd come, determined to scramble back down the elaborate network of shaped rock she'd used to come up here. Brightstar stumbles out of the way as everyone explodes into sudden movement. ** Stop it! Stop it! ** Shadows dives into the hole as Midnight dives for him. You head towards the Blue Mountain Catacombs. Blue Mountain Catacombs High above the smooth stone floor, a chair shaped of the very stuff of the mountain stands solemn guard, empty of the keeper that once rested motionless within it. Beneath the chair, the smooth oval of the door for which its keeper was named stretches within arched wings of stone. To the left, a dark tunnel is outlined in a rim of berry-wine light; overhead, a broad opening leads, stairless, into twining, claustrophobic darkness. Disoriented, you peer around; numerous hallways, corridors and shafts open from the room in all directions. Some, you must fly or 'climb' to reach. Contents: Aeika Obvious exits: Catacombs Narrow Passage Shadows arrives from the Blue Mountain Catacombs -- Level II. Shadows has arrived. Calmwind arrives from the Blue Mountain Catacombs -- Level II. Calmwind has arrived. Midnight arrives from the Blue Mountain Catacombs -- Level II. Midnight has arrived. Wayfound clambers downward as deftly as a treewee, her face hard and set. She looks neither upward nor downward, but pays deliberate attention to each and every place she sets her hands and feet, to insure that where she climbs will hold even her slight weight. Simmel arrives from the Blue Mountain Catacombs -- Level II. Simmel has arrived. Calmwind tumbles down the hole after Wayfound and Shadows vanish, apparently knocked off balance by the fleeing cubs. He isn't making a solid enough effort to stop himself, a look of astonishment on his face as he half falls, half-slides. Brightstar arrives from the Blue Mountain Catacombs -- Level II. Brightstar has arrived. Brightstar climbs after the others. Midnight makes a flying leap for Shado. Literally ;) Simmel glides down the hole evenly, not in nearly the hurry as the others, as he is sure they haven't gotten far due to the way they leaped down. His first course of action is to look for and scent out Shadows if necessary, and glide right above him. Shadows is one the ground holding his arm and shoulder in place. His landing was none too graceful Brightstar, not being able to glide, takes her path down carefully. Doesn't help anyone if she falls and breaks her neck. Midnight tackles the already prone Shadows to the ground. "I've got him!" He seems extremely proud of himself, and his fledgeling gliding skills permitting him to outrun the rest down the hole. Brightstar looks over her shoulder as she climbs, ** Midnight, be careful! He looks hurt. ** The commotion above her does not escape Wayfound's notice, not entirely. She _does_ pause long enough to cast a narrow-eyed glance upward, noting relative locations of the older elves -- especially as Shadows falls. That provokes a sharp wince out of her, and then she's in motion again, scrambling more quickly downwards and sacrificing caution for speed. She goes down on one knee in her final leap to the floor, but evidently she's a very sturdy little cub despite this show of clumsiness, for she's on her feet again without any sign of harm. Staring at the fallen elf in visible consternation, she then grimaces sharply at Midnight's tackle, whirls on her feet, and stalks off northward. Simmel lands now, directly behind both Midnight and Shadows. ** Let him go, Midnight. He is hurt, ** he sends while kneeling beside the two to attempt to gauge the damage. You move north, into the Southern Hall. Southern Hall(#280RJa) Sheer elegance of size unfolds before you. The Southern Hall, entrance to Blue Mountain, expands upwards into a dark indigo, slowly falling back down in lighter hues, mauve just overhead and a damp pink at foot. Carved and shaped from the stone, hawks and falcons adorn the walls near the entrance. Stone ivy, tainted with a vibrant green and brown of shaping magic, slowly progresses towards the north, first intermingling with real flora, then disappearing behind what could only be lush vegetation for a cavern. To the west, a staircase forms an octagon as it angles down in a colorful and playful design of color. Although the bottom step shares the same rich blue stone as the floor, each consecutive step shifts hues until the last reaches a deep green, leading into the shadows of an arch. To the southeast, another arch decends into a grotto, night-sky blue pillars shouldering either side. The air is fresh and clean, a breeze blowing through unseen places high above. A rich sweetness of vegetation rolls in through the northern arch. Overhead, shadowy bridges span the eastern and western walls, drawn from the very stone. Although lit well enough to make out the distinct details of the hall, the huge space echoes voices and footsteps several times, contributing to the immenseness of Blue Mountain. Contents: Malene Obvious exits: Stairway Grotto Into the Air Blue Mountain Catacombs Main Hall Calmwind locksends ** Next time, don't make such sudden movements when there's a frightened stranger around? What if he'd been a wounded, frightened wolf? ** Malene stands near the southernmost reaches of the hall, still partially enclosed in the shadows of the entryway to the catacombs. At first glance she could be mistaken for a statue, so still she holds. Looking out at the hall and through it. You locksend to Calmwind, Wayfound doesn't answer, not immediately, but then her sending drifts back to you from close enough to indicate that she hasn't gone far. ** If it had been a wolf, ** comes her reply, seething with irritation and wrath, ** Midnight would, at least I hope, not be trying to make an idiot of himself. Though perhaps he has become enough of a Glider that he would make a 'present' of a wounded wolf to Lord Winnowill, as well. ** Sarcasm lashes through the youngster's sending for a moment, before she vehemently reins it in. There's concern for the stranger bubbling under her thoughts as well, and she grudgingly appends, ** How badly wounded is he? Should I seek Silversong? ** Disgust radiating from virtually every fiber of her being, Wayfound comes stalking into this chamber from somewhere to the south. Her eyes are afire, and each step she takes is of a small but wrathful she-wolf. She can be seen to pause for no apparent reason, casting a slight glance back over her shoulder, the way she's come. Calmwind locksends ** Perhaps. Simmel has just said that he shall be meeting Winnowill from his injuries. ** Malene at first gives no acknowledgement of the new presence in the hall, though you needs must have passed fairly close by her entering. Then those gray eyes turn toward you, she turns her head an almost imperceptable amount and regaurds you sidelong. Her expression remains as impassive as a stone likeness. Malene sends openly ** The way out is behind you. If that is what you are looking for, wolfling. ** You locksend to Calmwind, Wayfound is silent for a few moments. Then, gruffly, tinily, she sends back, ** It would seem that Simmel is acting as one of Lord Winnowill's hunters in this regard, and it would be improper of me to attempt to interfere as I am a guest in this place. I shall leave the situation in Simmel's hands if the stranger's life is not in immediate danger. ** A pause, then, in an even tinier mental voice, as tightly focused as her mind can achieve, she appends, ** Would you... please relay my apologies to him for startling him? I see my fault in that respect. ** You locksend to Calmwind, Wayfound then, all at once, cuts off her sending. Something, it seems, has distracted her. Wayfound starts visibly, her attention snapping to the one who has addressed her. Consternation slashes across the youngster's expression, and then she gruffly speaks up, "I do not seek the exit; however, thank you for pointing that out." Malene studies the young elf with all the passion of a cold stone. Her send is equally devoid of warmth. ** No need to be rude child. You might choose to study how to propery behave in polite society. ** Wayfound blinks, and then points out, her fine pale eyebrows drawing together, "Rudeness was not intended; I was merely stating a fact, to wit, the way out of this chamber or the Mountain at large not being my goal of the moment. Moreover, I _did_ thank you for the offered information. If this is rudeness by the Mountain's standards, well, I apologize, but I _was_ raised to offer thanks for assistance even if it isn't needed. Please excuse me." With that, then, she sets herself into motion, aiming herself northward across the hall and covering the distance in small but determined strides. Her face is still hard and set, even more so now at this scolding. Malene sends openly ** The rudeness was in your tone and manner, child. But I supose one should not expect much from outsiders. ** Wayfound pivots around upon her leather-clad heel, shooting the Glider a look of disdain that would do any millenia-old resident of this place tough competition. "I acknowledge," she barks, "that my tone is less than smooth at the moment; however, this has nothing to do with you. Although it may, if you intend to bait me simply by virtue of the fact that I am a Wolfrider, in which case I have no intention of remaining in your company -- lest I _do_ do something that I -was_ raised to consider rude." With that, the child scowls, and she frostily concludes, "Once again, please excuse me." Malene does not bother to hide a look of abject disgust ** There is nothing you can so freely take from me, wolf-creature, than your leave. ** Wayfound smirks, rolls her eyes, and whirls and stalks off to the north and east -- heading, perhaps, for the Chamber of the Egg. But who can tell, in this twisted labyrinth of a Mountain? Brightstar arrives from the catacombs to the south. Brightstar has arrived. You move north, into the main hall. Main Hall The room rises up round, walls idle in their shape, with little regard to gravity, and fluid stone columns drip from the ceiling to floor, curving and twisting into deep blue shadows. The massive room is dim, lit only at the far side, where rises the skeleton of a great bird, hovering protectively over the throne of Blue Mountain's Lord. Deep, wide stairs rise up to greet the throne, stopping many feet below, leaving no evident manner of ascending the seat. From time to time, elves flit in and out, through hallways and through narrow, ribboned holes in the walls, high above the floor. Contents: Summit Obvious exits: Into The Air Northeastern Hall Western Hall Southern Hall You sense in a locksend, Calmwind tentatively sends a probe in your direction. ** Can I come find you soon? ** You wander down the northeastern hall. Northeastern Hall(#1911RL) Nearly perfectly round, the northeastern hall domes upwards, balcony at midlevel twisting around with delicate shapings. Glancing high into the darkness of the hall, there appear to be stone eagles, gliding silently through the air, never moving, though elves flit from one high-up hole to another, among the frozen birds. The center of the room is dominated by a metallic tree, around it a bench of sitting height. Obvious exits: Guest Cavern Dining Hall Main Hall This room has 'holes'. You locksend to Calmwind, Wayfound, by way of reply, sends back, ** If... you wish. ** The touch of her mind feels somehow 'strangled', as her voice might sound if she tried to speak around a lump in her throat. Calmwind locksends ** I wish. Where have you gone? ** You locksend to Calmwind, Wayfound sends back, a wordless but concise idea of how she'd gone northward into the main hall, and then northeastward to find what appears to be, of all things, a stone tree with stone birds. Midnight comes in through the wide exit that leads to the great central hall of Blue Mountain. Midnight has arrived. Calmwind comes in through the wide exit that leads to the great central hall of Blue Mountain. Calmwind has arrived. Midnight stalks into view, looking around. Aha! A tree of stone, with stone birds that glide above it... and next to it, her arms wrapped tightly about her knees and her gaze fixed liquidly up upon the branches of rock, a chieftain's daughter. Wayfound does not cry, but the expression she wears is one of barely repressed frustration and turmoil. Midnight puts on his best Zalen-face, and approaches Wayfound. Stopping in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest. "Are you crying?" There is nothing but interest in the voice. Apparently. Is his scent or his shadow that alerts her first? Hard to say. But regardless, Wayfound shifts position just in time to see Midnight coming, though she doesn't have time to get to her feet before he is simply... there. Wariness rolls across her eyes like a cloud before the Daystar, but those eyes are dry. And because of her lack of tears, she's able to answer with a measure of rough pride, "No." She says nothing else, simply waiting. If Midnight has anything else to say, the evidence of her experience with him indicates he'll quite cheerfully say it no matter what she might do. Midnight regards Wayfound with those Dusk-like blue eyes. Then he says softly. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. As Calmwind quite rightly pointed out, we are both... inexperienced." Of all the things Wayfound had expected her agemate to say, _this_ was not one of them. Though her wary look doesn't exactly vanish, it is now offset by surprise that flashes across her ambergreen stare. Carefully, as though the youth before her were an unfamiliar wolf, she eases herself up out of her crouch. "I..." is all she manages to say, at first. Her mouth remains open for a moment before she thinks to close it. And at last she awkwardly goes on, "I accept the apology and offer my own in return." Midnight inclines his head graciously, then steps closer to put a hand (perhaps a little awkwardly) on Wayfounds shoulder. "Something Calmwind said reminded me that we are... well, exceptional in having each other. We're nearly siblings, you know... Trollkiller has been more a father to us than any of our real sires." And leaning close before Wayfound can flee the grasp of his hand, he nuzzles her lightly. "Don't be sad, little sister." Wayfound freezes in obvious shock; Midnight, actually _touching_ her? The shoulder beneath his hand goes rigid in involuntary reaction, both at the touch to it and at the nuzzle that follows. She cannot bring herself to return the nuzzle, but then, Wayfound has never exactly been physically demonstrative. Nor does she point out -- although it _does_ occur to her -- that the difference between her true sire and Midnight's is that hers died long before she was birthed. But she does lift a tentative hand to clasp Midnight's shoulder by way of reply, while she focuses most of her considerable will into keeping her voice steady. "I... endeavor to avoid it," she mutters, low and husky. Midnight smiles to Wayfound, with that little quirk he usually has, then releases her with a last squeeze of her shoulder. Without further words, he turns and walks out, the way he came. Midnight heads on back to the main hall, to the southwest. Midnight has left. Malene comes in through the wide exit that leads to the great central hall of Blue Mountain. Malene has arrived. Calmwind detaches himself from the shadows near the doorway and moves to where Wayfound is sitting lost in thought. Shadows comes in through the wide exit that leads to the great central hall of Blue Mountain. Shadows has arrived. Shadows frowns, "I'm....a captive?" He looks somewhat frightened at the idea. Lost in thought, indeed. The daughter of the chieftess of the Willowholt has stared after Midnight, startled and confused by the unexpected regard he's shown her, and after a time she's finally turned her attention to the stone tree before her. She's somehow managed to miss Calmwind's arrival entirely -- not to mention those who have eventually followed him. But something, some slight sound or scent or shadow, does cast the youngster's attention. She freezes, a mask of wariness settling across her childish features, her unchildish stare swinging around sharply in the direction of the wide exit where the others have entered. Malene is leading Shadows, her manner still icy and decidedly displeased. She gestures toward the guest chamber ** There, you will find it is a well equiped room. if you've need of assistance, send for it. Do not leave those quarters without permission or we may be forced to find less comfortable ones for you. ** Malene sends openly ** Whether you are a captive or merely an unwelcome guest is not for me to decide, wolfrider. ** Calmwind looks over his shoulder at Shadows and Malene and his back tightens, a sigh escaping pursed lips. Then he walks to where Wayfound sits and stares up at the tree in silence. Brightstar comes in through the wide exit that leads to the great central hall of Blue Mountain. Brightstar has arrived. Shadows frowns not sure he likes this.... Sits? Well, she _had_ been sitting; now, though, the wolf-blooded girl-cub is getting back up to her feet, just as Calmwind comes over to join her. Wayfound's slim young form is rigid with alertness, ambergreen stare sharp upon Malene, slightly less sharp upon the stranger... er, strangers who have entered the room both with and after the Glider. You locksend to Calmwind, Wayfound does not look at you; she does, however, reach out reflexively for your presence. ** The stranger... appears unhurt... ** You sense in a locksend, Calmwind is more contemplative than he has been in a long time. Malene smiles a cooly efficient expression about as warm as an icicle ** These precautions are as much for your safety as ours, I sugest you abide by them. ** You sense in a locksend, Calmwind is more contemplative than he has been in a long time. ** Simmel pulled his arm back into place with hands. ** Malene turns to leave offering as a parting to Brightstar ** I leave him in your care. I need to find a particular gate keeper. if you would pardon me? ** Brightstar nods, ** Certainly. ** Malene heads on back to the main hall, to the southwest. Malene has left. Wayfound flinches slightly, for no apparent reason, somewhere around her dainty little shoulder. Her gaze flashes sidelong to Calmwind, and then over to Shadows; she stays silent, however, until the imperious Glider takes her leave. Only then does she speak up, in a husky little voice at odds with her childish size: "Stranger, my tribesmate informs me that Simmel has... put your arm back into place." Her brow crinkles at this, for as near as she can tell, Shadows had retained both of his arms after his fall. "Are you in any pain? Do you require a healer? Brightstar turns her gaze over to the wolfriders after Malene leaves. Quietly, the elf maiden asks, "Do you need for anything?" Brightstar looks at you for a moment. Shadows frowns, "My right side hurts from head to foot.....just need to rest." His face is turning a beautiful shade of purple. He holds his arm in place with his good hand. Wayfound needs a lot of things; however, she possesses serious doubts as to whether anyone currently within the Mountain, whether a member of her tribe or not, is capable of providing them. "Any needs of mine are irrelevant at the moment," she pronounces in tones of gruff dismissal, most of her attention upon the bruised Shadows, to whom she appends, "My tribesmate Silversong is within this Mountain, along with the rest of us who have been left homeless by the flooding of the Willowholt. If you are in pain and desire me to do so, I can attempt to locate her to attend you." Brightstar says, cooly, "How good then, that I wasn't addressing you, chieftain's daughter. Is your world really so narrow as all that? I was inquiring after our injured visitor." She's had about enough of cublings treating her like a half-wit. Wayfound flinches as though she's been struck, her face draining of all hint of color. Then, without a word, she turns and walks quietly away in the first direction she can find, her head lowering in mute defeat. [And soon...] You move down the dim northeastern hallway. Chamber of the Egg Somehow this room seems level while the rest of Blue Mountain is at a disturbing angle. Somehow the damage that has wracked the very foundation seems faltered before it hit this room. But it's only an illusion created by the tilted form of the large stone Egg floating in the center, twisting just a bit off its axis. Obviously the pillars here, majestic once perhaps, have crumbled and split. Obviously the walls here, once smooth, are riddled with curls just like on the Egg, as though this room was once part of the Egg, as though the Egg is inside itself. And you with it. The dizzying effect here makes you uncertain, but there seems to be only two ways that lead out into the more tangible halls of the Mountain. One leads 'out' to the western hall, the other 'northeast' to Tenspan's hall and the dining room. Contents: Egg Obvious exits: Tenspan's Hall Western Hall Calmwind approaches from the southwestern exit. Calmwind has arrived. Brightstar locksends ** I... apologize. I reacted without thinking first, and I should not have said that. I did not mean to strike out at you. ** Sound carries awfully well in this chamber. Even the tiny sounds of strangled sobbing, from somewhere on the far side of the great Egg. Empty though the room might appear, sharp ears can easily determine that someone is here. You locksend to Brightstar, Wayfound, at first, does not answer. When she finally does it is from some distance away -- apparently, the child's run off as swiftly as her young feet can carry her, though from the feel of her mind she is certainly still within the Mountain. All that comes back by way of reply, however, is a sense of wordless, somehow strangled acknowledgement and acceptance of the apology, nothing more. Where does a cub obsessed by knowledge go to hide? The unsolved mysteries, the secrets yet to be learned, tantalizingly close. Or perhaps that's just where friends go to look. Calmwind drifts into the room of Egg, and cocks his head. Then he leans against the doorway, sends, ** Wayfound... **. The name is infused with compassion and a touch of loneliness. He will not embarrass her, though, and he knows her fierce pride. You sense in a locksend, Brightstar's thoughts are felt in a brief, quickly aborted touch. What is clear in it's wake is Brightstar's sense of regret over her quick words, and a touch of wordless comfort. Another barely stifled little sniffle -- and then, stark silence. Doubtless the cub's just gone rock-still in reaction, perhaps wary that others may show up in Calmwind's wake again. Only when the evidence of her ears and nose reports no one else near but her tribesmate does Wayfound send back raggedly, ** ** Calmwind keeps his gaze away from the Egg itself as he circles around it to find the pre-adolescent cub. He bites his lip at the sight of her tears and then awkwardly drops to his knees and reaches out with one arm to hug her. ** Nobody hates you... ** Wayfound is hunkered down on the floor in the shadow of the floating ovoid shape, disdaining any of the cushions evidently favored by the Gliders when they come in to contemplation the creation of their long-immobile kinsman. But as Calmwind draws near she looks up with wet, anguished eyes, mumbling, "The... evidence from the majority... of elves within the Mountain... would seem to suggest o-otherwise..." Calmwind shakes his head in disagreement. ** No. They think of you as a child, which might be almost as bad, but they don't hate you. Remember Summit? That is what they think a child is. ** You locksend to Brightstar, Wayfound, it seems, is not a cub who easily accepts comfort. A flare of raw emotion flashes across the contact you send her, before it vanishes behind an unchildlike rigid control, a wall of focused opacity that by rights ought to be in the sending of someone many eights of years her elder. Once again, all she sends back is a wordless acknowledgement... and then, as though to send two sentiments at the same time is beyond her, that vanishes to give way to a muted appreciation of the gesture of apology. Wayfound uncurls enough to allow Calmwind's long arm to draw around her, then huddles up against his chest, burying her face from view. Moisture leaks out of her tightly closed eyes, despite the fervent control making her little shoulders as rigid as stone. ** The Glider said I was rude because I told her I did not need the information she gave me, though I thanked her for it... and then... and then the stranger insulted me, when I was only trying to help... though at least she apologized, I just felt her send... ** Once Wayfound begins sending, though, the clarion focus of her thoughts begins to waver under the assault of the emotions she's desperately trying to control. She starts to tremble as she tries to go on, ** Calmwind... I _hate_ this place! I do not... I do not belong here any more than I did at Willowholt... ** Calmwind closes his other arm around the cub and rocks her back and forth against his chest as she cries. ** We are only here until we find the others, and perhaps soon we will leave ourselves to look for them! If they have moved in a different direction, why then, eventually we will have to move on as well, to search. And... ** his thoughts fall into deep silence before he surfaces again, ** there is a place for you, Wayfound... ** ** I-I do not know where... perhaps... perhaps I am like my father and never meant to be in a tribe, p-p-perhaps that is why I do not have a wolf-friend yet, maybe, maybe I should just go away and find a wolf-pack to live with, ** the girl-cub sends, coming as close to babbling as she has ever done in this particular tribesmate's presence. ** N-n-nobody would insult me then and I wouldn't be a freak b-b-because the wolves don't care if I talk too much or... or... ** Calmwind sighs. **I would miss you if went away. ** He looks up at the egg. ** I think you are like the Egg, inscribing the world on yourself as you discover it. And I can't help but think that someday all the knowledge you stuff into yourself is going to come out again... it's like a new kind of magic. ** Reflexively, Wayfound tightens her grip on Calmwind, sobbing harder now as he confesses he'd miss her, though she barely makes a sound. ** The Gliders, ** she sends brokenly, ** c-care about the knowledge in Egg, b-b-but... you're the only one... you're the only one who cares about what I try to learn... ** Calmwind tolerates the tight hug and just once pats the girl's hair before dropping his hand to her shoulder again. ** Maybe it is because I'm young, too. And they already know everything we learn, but the Egg rememebers where they forget. I don't know. ** He scowls. ** They don't have drummers here, of course. ** He nuzzles the cub. ** One day somebody will ask you a question and be pleased to listen to what you know. ** Wayfound looks up, eyes full of pleading and desperation. ** Let's get out of here, ** she begs. ** It is... it is not _right_ here, everything is all wrong, the elves are unhappy, cruel to one another, scared to speak or send plainly... or they hate Wolfriders! I-I-I can help Fur-father and Fire-father look for Mother as well as anyone else, I-I know it... and ** -- this last, sent with such ringing conviction that it apparently serves as the crowning piece of evidence as to what all is wrong with the world according to Wayfound -- ** you _should_ have a drum! ** Calmwind gnaws on his lip yet again. It's getting pretty ragged. ** What have your fathers to say? ** There's the faintest hint of unease and worry resting under the send, but he does his best to shield it. Tears spill down Wayfound's cheeks. It might be noted at close range that the shape of her face, some time in recent moons, has been subtly beginning to change; something about it is not exactly childlike, not any more, even aside from the seemingly ancient eyes that have peered out from that face since she was old enough to walk. ** I haven't spoken to them yet, ** she admits despondently. Calmwind appears to come to a decision, all at once. ** We should speak with them. Make it clear that this place is no good for you. I think-- ** his face softens ** I think we are aimless without your mother, focused only on the search and not the future. Perhaps she is guiding others to safety and expects us to go on. I am sure she'd be able to find her lifemates, her daughter, when the time is right. ** ** My... my needs are irrelevant, ** Wayfound awkwardly insists, her sending full of the conviction that her importance in the scheme of things _is_ minor, jarring painfully against her frantic need to see sky, feel wind, smell trees... find her mother. Her gaze falters even as she shakily bobs her pale head. ** W-we need to g-g-go out again and find her and if more of us go we could cover more ground...! ** Calmwind looks at Wayfound with eyes widened. ** I do not think they will believe that. They believe they must take care of you-- perhaps they will only accept your help if they believe it is /good/ for you. ** And his sending grows more intense. ** And this /is/ bad for you, whether or not you think your needs are irrelevant. Do you think it is healthy to be so unhappy all the time? And yes, it /matters/, ** and the intensity there is crushing **your needs are relevant, you are Rillwhisper's child to many, you are /Wayfound/ to your tribe and you are named for guidance from bad paths. Don't be so hard on yourself. Life is hard enough. ** The cubling blinks, stricken dumb by the vehemence she feels in thoughts that, before the destruction of their home, have always been as calm and easy as a summer breeze. Wayfound is shocked speechless, both in word and send, and at last all she is able to do in reply is throw herself back against her tribesmate's chest. Turmoil seethes through her own unshielded thoughts. At last all she can manage for an answer is a tiny, strangely shy, ** I... think perhaps... you should not be called... Calmwind anymore... ** Calmwind trembles as the turmoil writhes through the cub and bewilderment washes across his thoughts at her send. ** I-- I don't know. ** He lifts his head to the egg again, fighting to control his own tautly strung emotions. Sharply biting at her own lower lip, Wayfound reaches tentative hands upward to her dear friend's face, trying to cup it in her palms. Has she gotten a little bigger over the last few moons, too? A few more finger-widths' worth of height, perhaps? "Your sending is different," she croaks then, not exactly trusting her voice, but not exactly trusting her mind either. "I-if I had any say in the matter, I-I think... I would have to call you Stormheart now..." And she swallows hard. This _is_ her friend, her dear companion of many turns of the seasons... but then again, perhaps even this suggestion could be too much for him to accept from her, given the way most of the words she's uttered have been received today. Calmwind lowers his head again to look at Wayfound, his eyes bright before his lashes sweep down to shield them. His own voice rusty, he says, "I would answer to whatever you called me..." Her hands, too, might even be ever so subtly different. Oh, her palms are the same -- hard and callused little Wolfrider palms, the hands of a youngster who scrambles unafraid over branches and across rocks. But maybe, just maybe, they might be a fraction bigger than they were a season or so ago. To be sure, they're trembling palpably, so it may well be difficult to tell. Unaccustomed to this kind of physical contact, yet more comfortable with it here and now than with any other elf she knows, Wayfound mumbles tinily, "If you would consider it I would be honored, and, um... you are right... we should... talk to m-m-my fathers...!" Calmwind takes a deep breath and scoops his arms around Wayfound again in another tight hug. He rises to his feet even as he lets her go and nods, "Call me that and I will see how it sounds to my ear. Your fathers..." and he looks around, as if expecting one to pop up. Wayfound swallows again, wondering if she can remember a time in the last several eights of days when she did not feel as though she'd gotten an enormous mushroom lodged within her throat. "Stormheart," she murmurs experimentally, looking up and up across the inches of height that remain between the top of her heart and the top of her tribesmate's. Then, still with that strange shyness that's gripped her, she slips a hand into his while scrubbing the other across her eyes. "Let's go... find Fur-father?" Calmwind takes the cub's hand and nods tiredly, falling into step beside her as they wander from the Egg room to search for Wayfound's fur-father. His lips shape his new name as they go. [End log.]