"Seeking Out a Healer"

Log Date:
	11/7/02

Log Cast:
	Tefin, Wayfound, Mender

Log Intro:
	Things have been tense around Lostholt for Wayfound as of late. The
young daughter of Rillwhisper has been away from the tribe for some time,
but has turned Lostholt on its ear by bringing home news of her encounters 
with friendly humans from over the sea... and word of shaped monsters that
have been ravaging the land, killing elves and humans alike. Her mother has
led an expedition to confront an elf thought possibly responsible for the 
making of the monsters -- the mad Firstborn Doreel -- and now that Doreel has
been brought back to Lostholt, the archer Strongbow has proven to be furious
about the Shaper's presence in the Holt. But he is even more furious about
Wayfound's continued friendship with the humans... and for all that Wayfound's
human companion Arnos has not only proven unthreatening but even friendly to
elves, Strongbow has avowed that he will shoot the Tall One if he comes within
range of the Holt.
	Distressed by her tribe's reaction to one she considers practically
a brother, Wayfound has refused to set foot in the Holt again... and at the
advice of her mother, has set out with Arnos as well as her lovemate Tefin to
the Plains in search of the healer Mender, who is known to be visiting there,
to seek his aid for Leetah and Ynderra in their quest to deal with the mad
Firstborn in wrapstuff and the apparently equally mad she-elf who was captured
with him.
	The only problem is, Mender has his own reasons to hate humans...
and Wayfound is not entirely looking forward to having to seek aid from one
whose dwelling place had been ravaged by the Tall Ones in the recent past....

----------
South of Plains Mountain Peak
These are the foothills of Plains Mountain. The grass around the foothills 
  grow in tall, clustered patches. There are bungles of sage brush and green 
  twiglike trees. Fallen rocks litter the trail northward towards the peak and 
  have lichen stuck to the surface. The southern face of the mountain peak 
  receives light all day so there no snow on the short peak. Boulders which 
  have fallen from above are rounded nearly smooth from the tumble from up 
  above. 
The southern face is a array of sharp, tall cliffs. The cliffs are broken at 
  the base of the moutain and looks almost impassable.
Your keen eyes fail to find a trail that leads into the mountains. A northern 
  trek into the mountain seems impossible.
Contents:
Tefin
Mender
Riverwisp's Tent(#9514Je)
Obvious exits:
Rolling Hills <S>

Days have passed by since the small group left the confines of Lostholt and 
  made their way into the endless grasslands of the plains. The wolfrider 
  Wayfound, her lovemate Tefin of the Go-backs, and one human from the 
  Seafarer tribe make their way across that almost featureless plains, 
  following directions given to the holt of the Plainsrunners. 
 
 Several hours have passed since the small group was discovered by a hunter on 
  his way back, and there they wait, expecting a party of curious elves to 
  come and visit at any moment....

One human who has made a very earnest point of looking as unthreatening as 
  possible, and who has in fact been left under watch while another of the 
  Plainsrunner scouts has escorted the two elves into the canyon. Wayfound 
  looks no less pleased about this development than she has Lostholt's 
  reaction to Arnos -- but it cannot be said that she does not understand it. 
  Ambergreen eyes somber, Wayfound raises no protest. But she does leave the 
  Preserver Fallberry with her Vraeyan friend, so that she can be sent for if 
  need be, and now paces back and forth as she and Tefin await some word that 
  their message will be carried to the healer Mender.
Pacing, much like a wolf. Sometimes, Wayfound does inadvertantly drop signs of 
  her wolf-blood, and now is one of those times.

"Patience, dear one." Tefin murmurs quietly from his seat on the grasses. "Our 
  wait will be over when our quarry arrives."

After a short wait, Mender does come out of the Plainsrunner campsite, the 
  pair of scouts trailing behind him though they give him good distance to get 
  ahead as to not intrude. He'd been told that there were two curious looking 
  elves looking for him, but beyond that he has little idea of what to expect. 
  The dark skinned healer is easily distinguished from those that brought the 
  message as a desert dweller, and despite the warmer days of the newgreen he 
  still wears a fur lined cloak. "Shade, you were seeking me?" He offers to 
  the pair when he reaches audible distance.

Mender
Slender as a whip, with leanly defined muscles, this young elf moves with 
  lupine grace. He is richly tanned, but palely, hinting that while he might 
  be a desert-dweller, he is not a Sun Villager by birth. His hair is a pale, 
  bleached blond, wavy and tumbled; it hangs loosely about his angular 
  features and down to his shoulders in back. Slanted and wideset, his eyes 
  are a warm shade of grey, like the sky during a gentle rain.
He is clad in next to nothing, as dwellers of Sorrow's End often are: a green 
  loincloth with panels of blue and green dangling in front, and light boots 
  of blue, green, and gold, open at the toe and heel. The belt of his 
  loincloth sports a golden ornament with a sliver of teal-colored clearstone, 
  that matches a similar ornament embedded in his segmented golden collar, and 
  the golden armband on his left arm.

Wayfound swivels then, her own cloak that she's donned against colder bursts 
  of Newgreen weather swiveling with her. For a moment or two she blinks, taken 
  aback by the sight of the wolf-blooded dweller of the Sun Village; then, she 
  simply pulls herself to her full height and gravely inclines her head. 
  "Shade and sweet water," she replies with formal, solemn courtesy. "I am 
  Wayfound of Lostholt; this is Tefin, of the Go-Backs." She gestures to the 
  smaller, dark-haired elf at her side. "Indeed, my chieftain Cutter has sent 
  me in search of you, if I can assume that you are in fact Mender, son of 
  Woodlock and Rainsong." It is not quite a question, though her pale brows 
  arch up inquiringly over her keen-gazed eyes.

Tefin rises from his seat on the grass.

Mender tugs the cloak around him, having been drawn out of the warmer caves to 
  come and meet the two. He nods at each of them as Wayfound introduces them, 
  warm grey eyes looking between the two for a moment before he answers the 
  inquiry. "Indeed I am." He answers with as much formality as he can muster. 
  "And what would the chief of LostHolt need of me to send others to fetch 
  me?" He eyes Tefin, before returning his gaze to Wayfound, the one speaking 
  to him.

"As I have historically been in the habit of making stories longer than they 
  are expected," Wayfound replies earnestly, "I shall keep it succint, and if 
  you require further information of me, I shall be happy to provide it." 
  Wolfrider, this one, by the scent of her, by the garb, by the lupine cast of 
  her eyes... and what Wolfrider ever spoke as she? "Therefore, succintly: 
  there is a Firstborn in wrapstuff, at Lostholt, who is quite mad and 
  requires much healing attention. Along with him is an elf believed to have 
  been his captive, also in wrapstuff, also in need of much healing attention. 
  Leetah and Ynderra find themselves hard pressed to manage both; Cutter and 
  my mother requested of us that we bring word to you, as it was known that 
  you were with the Plains tribe, to see if you are willing to come and 
  assist."

"A healing is needed. A great undertaking." Tefin says quietly, his voice 
  carried on the wind. "An elf shaped into a form never before seen. An insane 
  firstborn who needs the touch of magic to soothe his battered mind. They 
  need the help of the most powerful healers." His gaze locks on Mender.

Mender has noticed the differences between the elves before him, the Wolfrider 
  cast of Wayfound and Tefin's words as well. They both nearly say the same 
  thing, within moments of eachother as versed in what to bring to Mender's 
  attention, and the healer nods lightly. He pulls the hood of his cloak down 
  from his head to regard the two of them, considering their words carefully. 
  Though he had intended on heading back to his village in the next hand of 
  days, he silently ponders for a moment. "I was leaving the Plains shortly, 
  it is lucky you caught me now." He offers, up front, and shakes his head, 
  adding, "I would be happy to lend my help to LostHolt."

Same words, though Wayfound's phrasing is analytical; Tefin's more from the 
  heart. But the she-elf is apparently not without her concern, for her eyes 
  turn a trifle liquid with a flash of what might be tightly suppressed 
  uncertainty, before she goes on, "I must also, since it is not only 
  appropriate but vital, inform you if the scouts have not already that Tefin 
  and I travel with a human, and will not take it amiss if you choose to 
  return to Lostholt without us. I would be happy to provide you with any and 
  all information you require before your departure, should you choose to go 
  ahead of us."

"The human we travel with, of course, is of a tribe not of this land. Arnos, 
  the human who we travel with is both an ally and a friend." Tefin glances to 
  wayfound quickly before continuing. "He has fought with us, for us, and 
  would gladly do anything that we ask of him."

Mender quirks a brow at the mention of a human, though he probably did know if 
  either of them had any scent of one on them -- no matter if the scouts told 
  him or not. He nods at Wayfound's words and considers what he will choose to 
  do, most likely choose to head off alone since he does know the way to 
  LostHolt at any rate. "So the two are wrapstuffed? And a Firstborn at that, 
  and the other elf was found with him?" He asks, before informing both of his 
  decision. "I will travel alone, if you both don't mind. I have little trust 
  for humans, but admire that you do."

A Wolfrider's nose could easily pick a not-elf scent off either of these two 
  strangers, indeed: though if the sense of smell is to be believed, it is no 
  more of a scent than what might be gleaned from elves who spend time in one 
  another's company. It is interwoven with the elfin scents of the pair of 
  them: heavier, muskier, different, though not choking.
Subtly, something about Wayfound's stance relaxes; perhaps Mender's relatively 
  calm reaction assures her. It also seems to surprise her, for her eyes widen 
  a trifle, and she actually pauses a moment before she manages to gather her 
  composure and blurt, "... thank you. To your questions, indeed, a Firstborn, 
  who is called Doreel, and who was captured by a party of us led by my mother 
  Rillwhisper. He is a shaper of considerable power, both of trees and of 
  flesh, and apparently quite mad."

Loneliness of a thousand generations will do that to even the stoutest mind. 
  Tefin stands there solemnly, a fleck of relief in his belly now that he 
  knows another healer has joined their cause. "Thank you for your pledge of 
  help, Mender. We appreciate it more than you may know."

Mender keeps his eyes fixed on Wayfound as she explains those in the 
  wrapstuff, trying to gauge how much help he'll truely be. He already wasn't 
  much help to the Plainsrunners despite their hope that he would be, another 
  disappointment isn't what he wants. "I will head that way in the next hand 
  of days, I have to gather my things." He says quite honestly, tugging the 
  hood of his cloak up over his golden hair once more.

Wayfound inclines her head once more, then steps back, a trifle uncertain once 
  again. "Then I... expect that Tefin and I should return to our companion. I 
  promised him we would not leave him alone any longer than necessary." The 
  young she-elf considers... and, although she does not smile, still she 
  delivers her words with a steadfast, honest earnestness that might almost 
  approach sending. "As Tefin has said, so I affirm: thank you. Leetah and 
  Ynderra will be in a better position to inform you how you may help... but 
  nonetheless... thank you."

Tefin a slight nod to the brown-skinned healer and a soft smile. "Thank you 
  again, Mender." He smiles again, then, looking to Wayfound, he offers her 
  his hand.

Mender nods lightly at the two before they both turn to walk back to the camp 
  where they left the human behind. "I will ask them when I get into the area. 
  You're welcome, and thank you for coming all this way to get me. If you 
  return before I arrive, tell them to expect me." He offers, before awaiting 
  to see if they head back to their camp before turning to return to the 
  canyon with the Plainsrunner scouts that had been hanging back.

[With that, Wayfound and Tefin too return to their own camp... end log.]