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Post by Brandwyn on Dec 23, 2011 8:20:25 GMT -5
Heather positioned herself so she could glance into the house through the open door. The young man looked her and Enya over for a moment, a suspicious look on his face, then he glanced behind Heather to the two men who had stopped just out of hoof range behind Shasta. At their nod he turned back inside and called out, "Hey Mama, you should come see this."
They waited several moments until a spry woman in her sixties approached the door. She took a brief look at Heather and then turned back inside, "Show them to the parlor," she croaked in a raspy voice as she moved toward the back of the rather large house. She called out orders to people hidden within as Heather slid rather unsteadily off Shasta's back. "Miriam, pour that hot water in a bowl and fetch some clean bandages and then put more water on to heat," said Gertrude, her voice becoming muffled as she moved farther away.
Heather still clutched her strung bow and three arrows in her left hand and she swayed a bit as she touched the ground. The young man jumped forward and put a hand under her elbow. "You're not sick are you?" He asked, looking at the tear in her tunic on her right shoulder and the blood stain down her arm.
Heather resisted the urge to glare at him and point out the obvious and merely replied, "No, wounded." He seemed to relax slightly and she let him steer her inside. "Enya, grab my ranger bag and bring it in," Heather pointed to the black satchel tied behind her bedroll on Shasta's rump. "Keep a look out while the healer digs this thing out of my shoulder, will ya?"
The young man led her through the foyer and into a room to the left. The room was fairly small and seemed to be set up for use mainly as an infirmery or guest room. There was a dresser laden with medicinal herbs and instruments, a lavatory with a large basin and mirror, a wardrobe and three cots upon which Heather was deposited.
"Can I take those?" The young man pointed to her bow and arrows.
Heather shook her head. "A ranger's weapons are always within reach. I will just put them here." She leaned the bow in the corner behind her and hung the quiver off the bed post.
"A ranger? Really?" The young man asked eagerly. "I always wanted to meet a ranger!" He looked at her like a lost puppy that had just been fed a scrap of prime choice steak.
"Heather of Heatherwood Downs," she held out her left hand. "Pleased to meet you..."
"Jonathan Burbage," he replied and shook her hand gently. "You're realy a ranger? Can you do magic?" He looked like he was about to ask her a million questions and Heather sighed as she settled on the bed.
"Jonny, stop pestering her and go feed the cows." Mama Gertrude ordered as she stepped back into the room with a young woman in tow carrying a basin of water. "Now, Miss Ranger, take that tunic off and let me have a look at that arrow."
Heather complied after Jonathan left and let the old woman poke around at the wound. "Mirriam go make that tea, you know the one," Gertrude said after a moment.
"No drugs, please. I have to keep my wits about me. The man who did this got away and could show up at any time." Heather instructed. "In my pack, Enya, hand me that packet of herbs tied up with the pink string. Just bring me a mug of hot water." Heather instructed Mirriam who glanced at Gertrude for confirmation and then left the room. "Enya, you might not want to watch this, it is likely going to be a bit messy." Heather suggested as she lay back on the cot while Gertrude set out the scalpel and tweezers, bandages, thread and needle.
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Dec 23, 2011 18:35:31 GMT -5
Enya sighed slightly steeping out of the room and sat down on a chair. The young black hair girl looked exsousted, and about to fall asleep right then and there. Shaking her head slightly wanting to stay away, wanting to make shore heather was ok before she got any sleep.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jan 4, 2012 16:02:05 GMT -5
Heather had hoped the tea would take the edge off the pain as Mama Gertrude dug the crossbow tip out of her shoulder but apparently it hadn't had time to take affect yet. She gripped the bedframe and clenched her jaw tight, staring at a water stain on wooden ceiling above her until she heard a 'plink' of the arrow point being dropped into a metal basin. She sighed in relief, knowing the worst was over.
As Gertrude cleansed the wound, Heather informed her of their harrowing night and asked if there was any place the village could hide Enya, herself and their horses. "I know of a place, but it is not the most comfortable." Gertrude replied as she put on the final bandage. The tea was finally kicking in and the pain subsided to a dull ache. Fortunately the stimulant in the tea was actually clearing Heather's mind. She sat up and pulled her shirt back on carefully. Then she placed a silver coin on the bedside stand even though as a ranger she was entitled to the care for free. The villagers could stretch that silver a long way and Heather wouldn't have felt right not paying for the healing services.
Gertrude stood and Heather followed her outside the back door, tapping Enya on the shoulder as they went past her. The poor girl was spent and needed to sleep. Gertrude motioned to Jonathan who was emerging from a barn behind the house. "Take them to the storm shelter and then fetch their horses." Jonathan nodded and looked at Heather with a strange look of admiration and awe that made Heather scowl slightly. She whistled and Shasta soon came trotting up to her with Storm following.
The youth led them around behind the barn where there was a good sized hillock. The country was dotted with mounds of earth and gently rolling hills. In the side of this one, if you looked twice, you could see the outline of a door under the sod. He pulled on the iron ring and the door opened into a black cave with a steeply sloping floor. He went in first cautiously and Heather could hear slithering noises as snakes or lizards scampered back out of the daylight cast by the open door.
There was just enough room in the shelter for the two horses to stable fairly comfortably and on the other side of the dank room there were six bunk beds and a makeshift kitchen area stocked with vegetables, aging cheese and perserves of many types in small clay pots. It seemed the storm shelter also doubled as a pantry of sorts. At least they wouldn't starve in here, Heather thought as she steered Enya toward a bed.
The boy brought back a half a wagon load of dried grass and some apples for the horses and Miriam brought in a steaming pot of water with some hot cinnimon cakes. "Mama says to help yourself to whatever food you like in here. There is a brazier there in the corner for cooking. I would light the hearth but she said the smoke would give your hiding place away, so here are some extra blankets."
"Thank you!" Heather said gratefully as Miriam deposited the blankets on one of the beds. "If possible send word if those men show up here." Heather instructed and then slid the bolt home on the inside of the door so it couldn't be opened from the outside after Miriam and Jonathan left. "Guess this is as safe as any inn, maybe more so." Heather mused out loud. She turned to Enya, "Go ahead and sleep." She then lay down on the bed and after eating a cinnamon bun and drinking another cup of tea she lay back and drifted off to sleep.
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Jan 4, 2012 18:09:10 GMT -5
Enya gratefully lay down and closed her eyes. The young girl was so tired, she fell asleep almost as soon as she closed her sapphire blue eyes. She was very grateful to be finely getting some sleep.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jan 7, 2012 18:06:09 GMT -5
Heather woke to the soft breath of Shasta nosing her cheek. Shasta looked toward the bolted door of the storm cellar. Heather slowly sat up and flexed her sore arm as she strained to hear beyond the door. She felt fairly rested and figured several hours had passed but there was no way of telling for sure. She reached over and touched Enya’s shoulder, motioning her to keep silent and then quietly stepped to the door and pressed her ear against it.
Outside, very faintly, she could make out the sounds of a struggle, voices crying out in pain and outrage and closer, footsteps coming toward her at a run. Hoofbeats followed and dust rained down from the ceiling and through the tiny crack in the door. She heard a cry which she was fairly certain was from Miriam and a loud laugh as the girl was tackled by some man on horseback.
“Oye! Yer a pretty one,” A gruff muffled voice sounded nearly outside the doorway. “Jest where da ya think yer were gonna run to, Muffin?”
“Let me go!” Miriam shrieked and Heather heard sounds of a struggle. She stepped back and reached for her bow as she continued to listen to the struggle above. She experimental drew the string and found the pain less than when the crossbow bolt tip was still in her shoulder. ‘Good, I can shoot.’ She thought as she knocked an arrow and held two more in her bow hand. She paused, however, before throwing the bolt back and leaping to Miriam’s aid. The hooligan had just said something Heather hadn’t quite caught. Something about rangers.
“What? What do you mean?” Miriam cried, still struggling to get out of the man’s iron grasp.
“I said Little Cupcake, tha’ it is open season on rangers, ya know, so you and yer kin better not be hidin’ any here or yer family is gonna meet the same fate as those ranger girls when we catch up with ‘em.”
Heather froze, she recognized that voice. Searching her memory, she realized it was one of the men who had escaped when they had attacked her before she had went off to the Ranger Gathering. These were the pirates that had been after the fief’s horses. She looked at Enya, her eyes round with surprise, but didn’t dare say anything. ‘What on earth are they doing so far inland?’ she wondered and realized they must have been tracking her. They must have one hell of a tracker to have followed her to the Gathering and then back to here. But if they had found the Gathering Grounds, why hadn’t they attacked while she was there? They’d had opportunities. Maybe they had lost her and had accidentally picked up her trail after she had headed home.
“Open season?” Miriam repeated, bewildered. “I don’t know what you mean.” The girl was playing dumb and Heather was impressed with her acting.
“Git up!” The man hauled Miriam to her feet and Heather heard him half dragging her back toward the buildings. She slowly drew the bolt back and peeked out. She recognized the backside of the man, confirming his identity. She made room for Enya at the door so she could look out too.
The villagers were gathered in the main street near the barricade to the road that ran past the small hamlet. Some of the women were sobbing, but Heather could see that most of them were stoic and some even looked angry and defiant. Surrounding them were at least 15 men holding crossbows or swords or pikes. Two of them were the ones left from the ambush on her and Enya the night before.
There was a man dressed in black leather, sitting on a fine black horse who was leaning an elbow on his high saddle pommel. In his hand he held a long leather riding crop which he was tapping gently against his thigh.
Two men strode up to him. “Anything?” he asked and they shook their heads.
“No sign of any strangers here Boss, let alone that ranger wench or her welp.” One of them spat on the ground. They both turned to watch Miriam and her captor as he dragged her into the street and threw her down on the ground in front of the boss.
Heather gritted her teeth and tried to figure out what would be the best thing to do.
“There’s a lot of them and so far they don’t know we are here.” She whispered. “Maybe they will move on if they think we haven’t been here.”
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Jan 8, 2012 11:55:35 GMT -5
Enya yawned softly, looking at Heather. " maybe... but what about her?. should we not at lest try to help her?" Enya asked in a low voice, as she turned her head and looked out again. Her deep Sapphire blue eyes, still healed the look of exhaustion. The young girl kept quiet, as she did not want them to know they where there.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jan 12, 2012 13:40:58 GMT -5
The boss regarded Miriam who wisely kept her eyes on the ground as she half lay and half sat on her right hip, leaning on her hands in front of him. He surveyed the small group of farmers and then the surrounding buildings once more, his eyes lingering on the path Miriam had taken toward the storm cellar. Heather prayed Enya would not move while he was looking in their direction. Then his eyes passed over them and he once more looked at the girl. “Stand up and look at me.” He ordered Miriam. She slowly got to her feet and brushed the dirt off her hands as she stood demurely looking down. “I said look at me.”
Heather could see the girl struggling to get her emotions under control, but when she looked up at the mounted man, her gaze was only that of a frightened deer and she looked to be ready to cry. “Where were you going?” he asked her and she glanced to the forest to the left of the storm cellar, but she didn’t answer. He grabbed her by the arm and gave her a shake. “Answer me, Girl.” The farmers grumbled but none of them dared to interfere.
“I was just running away,” Miriam said in a small voice, “Men do – terrible things – to young women. I can’t…” She broke off and started sobbing. “Please let me go, Sir,” she wined. “I thought maybe if I made the trees…”
The man laughed and let go of her arm. “Git over there with the rest.” He ordered and then looked them all over again as Miriam fled into Gertrude’s arms. “Farmers.” The man spat in contempt. “You are being watched. If you aid this ranger, it will be the end of your pathetic little farm and of you.” He growled and then he turned his horse and cantered back up the road, jumping their stump fence. His men followed a bit more slowly on foot.
Heather sighed with relief when they were out of site and watched as the farmers all went into the largest farmhouse. She hoped Miriam would not try to come out here and speak with her again or she would give them away. Undoubtedly the pirates had placed men to keep an eye on the hamlet.
Miriam glanced her way and Heather opened the door just enough to poke her head out and shake it and then ducked back inside. She heard Gertrude mutter something and the girl followed her mother inside the farmhouse.
“Well, I figure it is about mid-day and we slept through yesterday and last night. Looks like we have the rest of the day to rest up and then we need to move out just as soon as it gets dark. From now on we travel by night and hole up during the day and cover our tracks.” Heather took stock of their surroundings and found some food for them to eat.
“You still look tired and things could get hairy again tonight. You get some rest and I will take watch.” Heather said after they had eaten.
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Jan 12, 2012 22:53:15 GMT -5
the young girl yawned softly "I don't know why i am so tired. " Enya said sighing, Walking back over to the bed and lay down. The black hair girl yawned again and closed her eyes. It was not long before Enya fell asleep again. But the cold nose of her horse Storm, on her cheek woke her back up. " Something wrong Stormy? " Enya asked looking at the horse.
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Post by Brandwyn on Feb 4, 2012 22:49:17 GMT -5
"Something wrong Stormy?” Enya asked looking at the horse.
Heather was at the door to the shelter peering through a two inch crack at the houses and surrounding countryside. The sun had set an hour earlier and she figured it was dark enough now to slip out of their hiding place and get a fair distance away before the moon rose.
She had been contemplating their route and decided they would stick to the woods and stay off the roads and head for decent sized town where they could stay in an inn with lots of people around them. She figured they would be less likely to get attacked if they were in a public place. Of course it would be risky both on the way and once they decided where to stay.
The obvious place to make for was The Gosling, a good sized tavern with rooms above in the town of St. Ivor. It was not too far out of their way and the closest decent sized settlement. It was also likely that the pirates would have someone there waiting to see if they showed up.
They had three other alternatives, each slightly over one normal day’s ride from here and two were pretty close to the normal route Heather usually took to the Gathering Grounds and when she visited Whitby Castle or the Harvest Faire. One of these she normally topped at and to that one she knew she couldn’t go. The third was farther to the north and a good day out of the way and therefore the least likely way to go. Heather figured that would be their safest bet but they would have to travel all through the night and into mid-morning to reach it.
Their destination was therefore going to be Brockton Foard. The town was a large one located next to a small river called Brockton’s Branch. There were a couple of Inns they could choose from and she felt they would be able to stay there for a day or two and rest up. The only problem would be reaching it.
Heather glanced behind her to see Enya stirring and so she went to her own horse and began packing some food stored in the cellar into the saddle bags. “Better get packed up. It’s time to get moving and we have a long hard ride ahead of us. The sun is down and the moon hasn’t risen and there is just enough cloud cover that we might be able to slip out of here unseen.” Heather informed Enya as she packed. She took a few small coins out of her pouch and left them for Miriam to find. Then she went back to the door and cracked it open again, scanning the surrounding countryside. She didn’t see anyone lurking in the shadows, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.
Turning back to her apprentice she said, “Enya, it is imperative to these people that we aren’t discovered here. That means if we run across one of these outlaws and they see us, they need to be stopped – permanently. You understand?”
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Feb 5, 2012 15:00:13 GMT -5
Enya quickly got up, and begin to get ready. The little sleep she had was better than nothing. Running her long slender fingers, threw her long black hair. The young Blue eye girl ran her hand down her horse’s dark gray nose. When Heather spoke Enya turned and looked at her, “I understand, though I do hope we don’t run into them again.” She said in a low voice that only Heather could hear
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Post by Brandwyn on Feb 17, 2012 15:40:26 GMT -5
“Me too, but I have a feeling we aren’t going to be that lucky. Wait here a moment. I am going to make sure the coast is clear.” Heather said and slipped out the door, keeping low to the ground. She quickly scouted out the area behind their hideout and scanned the surrounding countryside. Not much could be seen in the dark. ‘Good,’ she thought as she scuttled back to Enya, ‘less chance of us being seen.’
She slipped back into the door, did a final check of their gear and motioned Enya to follow her. Leading Shasta out of the storm shelter, she made her way around the hill and to a low stone wall, keeping to the dips and valleys of the gently rolling hills. She hoped the stone wall would mask their movement.
She didn’t want to mount their horses until they were well away from the little hamlet because she was fairly certain it was being watched and on the horses, their silhouette would likely stick out like a sore thumb.
Carefully they made their way along the wall marking the edge of the field until she came to a wooden gate that was standing open. She poked her head through and peered up and down the wall before leading them through the gate. Once on the other side she paused, leaning back against the stones and took a look around.
The ground was rising as they followed the wall, leading up to the top of a hill and she didn’t want to go there. From here they could strike off to the west, in the opposite direction they had been travelling, and stay in the grassy valley for a fair distance. Or they could turn a bit to the south and make for the edge of a small forest.
Heather had a bad feeling about the trees, even though that was what had been her original plan. She glanced up the hill and wondered if one of the pirates was hiding up there next to the wall. If so, they would likely be spotted if they made for the trees. Something about those trees set the hairs on the back of her neck standing up.
Ever one to follow her instincts, Heather decided to go west and stay in the valleys and dips for a while until they could turn north and head for Brackton Foorde. She glanced at Enya and mouthed the words, “do you see anyone?” and then pointed at them and then to the west, letting Enya know what the plan was. From here she figured they were safer on the horses because if they should come across any of the pirates they were going to have to deal with them and then get away quickly.
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Feb 19, 2012 12:36:43 GMT -5
Enya had been following quietly sticking close to heather "no" Enya mouthed back then nodded understanding the plan. The young black hair girl looked around slightly.
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Post by Ringulf on Feb 20, 2012 19:13:49 GMT -5
(OOC)We have seen Bashful and Sleepy which is kinda gettin Dopey and making me Grumpy,If you get Sneezy, with that cold nose, just call Doc and I'll be Happy!!! {Ringulf)
(and yes that is all seven!)
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Post by Brandwyn on Feb 22, 2012 11:53:14 GMT -5
(OOC: ROFL!)
Heather motioned for Enya to mount and stay low over her horse’s neck and then she did the same and led them around the base of the hill toward the west. The night was dark and Shasta’s crazy coloring broke up her body shape effectively. Add Heather’s ranger cloak with the hood pulled down over her head and she wasn’t too worried about Shasta or herself being spotted. Stormy, on the other hand, was probably going to start glowing when the moon came up, as most white horses do. From Heather’s calculations, they had perhaps an hour at best before the moon was going to put in an appearance. At least it would just be a sliver of a moon instead of a full one and it looked like some more clouds were moving in which should help to keep the night darker.
For a half hour she led them carefully toward the west. They jumped over one more low stone wall and then they were on the edge of a freshly plowed field. To cross that, would mean leaving tracks an infant could follow so Heather turned from their westward track and started heading north along the wall where they were still in the long grass at the edge of the plowed field. The ground here sloped downward leading to a small pond. Heather led them around the edge of the pond, just three feet into the water to help conceal their tracks and then up into the small stream on the northwest corner. They went uphill, against the flow of the water. The stream was barely wide enough for them to ride single file and it was strewn with rocks. It made a cheerful gurgling noise as it gently washed over the rocky bottom. Within a few dozen feet they were under the cover of a thick dense canopy of trees. The stream actually widened some as the ground leveled off.
Heather stopped and listened for several moments, testing the air for scent or noise. Other than the normal night sounds found in a forest, she heard nothing. She motioned Enya forward again and this time picked up the pace to a trot when the streambed allowed it. They were heading west again when she finally spotted a rocky bank they could navigate. She urged Shasta up onto the rocks, out of the water and let her lunge her way up the bank. Unfortunately the rocks ended and the forest closed. The hard packed dirt was covered in rotting and fresh leaves from the oaks and maples that made up the majority of the forest.
“With any luck it will rain tonight and if anyone is tracking us they won’t be able to tell where we exited the stream.” Heather led Enya through the thick underbrush until they were far enough away from the stream that the trees thinned out a bit and there were fewer brambles and ferns. Once it thinned out Heather figured they could pick up the pace. She turned once again to the north. “Now we ride!” She told Enya and urged Shasta into a fast canter.
As she rode her mind wandered to thoughts of Ben. She realized that since departing the Gathering she was thinking a bit more cautiously from her normal reckless behavior. At first she had attributed that to being responsible for Enya now, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it had more to do with her feelings for Ben and his for her. She could no longer afford to be so reckless with her life, for if something happened to her, it would affect Ben and she couldn’t bear to do anything to hurt him. She smiled to herself as she thought about him and remembered the feel of his lips on hers. She hadn’t been sure at the time that she had made the right decision because it had all happened so fast, but now, as more time has passed and she’d grown used to the idea, she was sure that she had. She hoped she was going to get back to her fief safely, not only for her sake and Enya’s sake, but for Ben’s as well.
Then her thoughts drifted toward trying to figure out what was going on with these pirates that seemed to be atypical in their behavior. Why were they so hell-bent on capturing or killing her? What did that one mean when he said “open season on rangers”? Were other rangers being targeted? She kept going over everything that had happened in the weeks leading up to the Ranger Gathering but couldn’t make sense of it. She needed more information. Maybe they would find out more at Brockton Foorde when they got there.
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Enya
Apprentice Scribe
Posts: 109
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Post by Enya on Feb 22, 2012 17:17:37 GMT -5
Enya had kept quiet up still when Heather spoke. " I hope so "She replied with a soft smile. The young black hair girl kept close behind her mentor, her horse keeping pace with Heather's.
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