3. Rahnee

Rahnee


  • Player=Tribal Dancer
    Character= Rahnee

    It was the celebration of the Seldanquith. Everyone from most every tribe was invited. Beautiful, dark skinned nomads mingled and danced with their pale skinned cousins. Silky, bright material of the hosts contrasted with the thick, dark garments of the guests. Drums and an array of other instruments filled the air with rhythmic delight. A plethora of food and drink was shared by all.

    As part of the evening's entertainment some of the sun village maidens danced to vibrant music. Among them was Zahnree. She had sumptuous auburn curls that cascaded down her back. There off to the side sat a group of Briarholt hunters. One of them had wavy chestnut brown locks that tumbled around his shoulders. He was called Tusk and his golden eyes met her laughing emerald eyes for just for just a moment. That was all it took to shake their worlds upside down. Emotions ruled the moment and the feeling was so right. Zahnree left the circle of dancers to go see the one that captured her eye and heart.. She had always dreamed of it happening, but with a nomad? Tusk stood up with a grin on his lips as the lovely vision before him came near. She was beautiful and he had the urge. It mattered not what blood she had to him.

    Neither one chose to resist passion’s call and news spread quickly through the crowd about the new lovemates. Now the celebrants had even more reason to rejoice. Cheers and howls of delight went up, as the two didn't waste time in leaving to find a more private place to answer passion’s call.

    Just because there was going to be a birth neither was required to remain with the other if they did not want to. Tusk decided to stay and Zahnree was glad to have his company and help. In two turns of the seasons she grew heavy with cub. Labor began early one day and by evening their daughter was born.
    Zahnree named her Rahnee. At the birth celebration Zahnree and Tusk gave their little she-cub her a true name(soulname) signifying her strength and grace. Little Rahnee had bright green eyes. She was indeed a special child and the gift of plant shaping was bestowed upon her. Zahnree and Tusk worked together to raise their daughter. Rahnee enjoyed life growing up in the sun village. Tales of the forest told by her father and by other visiting Briarholters kept her educated and very curious about life outside the village. Since Rahnee was nearly grown enough that Zahnree wouldn't need as much help raising her, Tusk had talked about returning home to Briarholt
    He missed life in the forest and his tribe mates. He would like to have Rahnee go with him but he would never ask such a thing and hurt Zahnree. Rahnee herself felt a desire in her soul for some time to go to the forests. Not because of her father and not because of curiousity, but because it was in her blood like wolf song. She wrestled with telling her mother
    When she finally did get the courage up to tell her it was her mother's answer that came as a surprise. Zahnree told Rahnee that she knew the day Rahnee was born that her blood was more of her fathers and that this day would certainly come. Zahnree seemed relieved instead of hurt. Tusk and the other Briarholters were where Rahnee belonged now.
    Rahnee grew in hunting and tracking skills. The bow was her chosen weapon. The tribe plant shaper, Branch, who was also her grandmother, made her a special bow with a howling wolf's head at its top point. Rahnee named her bow Howlsinger. Many days were spent studying with Branch. Tusk gave her a bright metal knife he'd won in a game of troll dice.
    From tribe brothers and sisters she learned about what and where to forage. They taught her the Way of the tribe and the bond they shared with the wolves. She got lots of chances to practice her healing skills as many were wounded in the rough games they played. She herself was never very lucky in wrestling. Every rare once in a while she would pin someone, surprising her and the one she pinned
    Rahnee saved a wolf cub from becoming a long tooth's lunch one evening while she was out checking traps. She heard the crashing in the distance and the breeze brought scents to her nose of who was making the noise. Rahnee ‘sent’ for help from a few of her tribe mates that weren't far off. She knelt down by a tree and when the big cat was in range she let loose a couple of arrows into the beast's chest. Wide-eyed Rahnee braced herself when she realized the cat wasn't slowing down as fast as expected. She grabbed her dagger and the dying beast crashed upon her not yet willing to die. Rahnee suffered some deep cuts before thrusting her dagger through the roof of the animal's mouth up into its brain. It fell dead right on top of her.
    Oh HighOnes! She was pinned down and the weight of the cat was squishing the life out of her now. She could feel herself weakening from loss of blood. Her sendings became frantic. The wolf cub had come back and licked Rahnee's face trying to comfort her. Her tribe mates were amazed and relieved when they found her still alive. Rahnee gasped for air when the carcass was lifted away. A healer tended to her wounds and she was given the first meats of the kill, which she had earned
    After Rahnee regained her nerves and her bearings she inspected the cub she risked her life to save. She called the cub Pathfinder. The bonding was something good out of such a scary day. At the next howl they gave her the pelt of the big cat. Rahnee didn't like wrestling anymore as she became panicked because of what happened with the long tooth.
    At a point in her life Rahnee had gained a tribe name from her tribe mates. She was always tending to the needs of the wolf pack, pulling our burrs, briars and thorns. So she became known to her tribe mates as Thornpuller.

    To live free, to hunt, and to howl that was how she spent the many turns of her life. All was good and predictable. That all changed one afternoon while out exploring with her hunt mates. They were searching for a place to relocate the tribe so that they could be closer to the moving herds of deer. Pathfinder bore Rahnee up along the rocky hillside to inspect what looked to be a cave opening. She dismounted and Pathfinder followed at her side. At the cave entrance she listened, watched, and scented the air to make sure she didn’t walk in on an angry beast. Things seemed clear, but she kept alert as she went farther and farther in. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim visibility. A tingling in her senses told her some extremely old magic was in this place. Pathfinder whined. The she-wolf didn’t like it at all.

    Suddenly there was a great rumbling and the ground shook violently. Rocks were crashing down around her. All of the elves in the expedition were sending to each other franticly from their different locations. The rumbling and shaking continued as Rahnee became unusually disoriented. She and her wolf stumbled in the dark towards what they thought was the way out. She heard a splashing at her toes and the next thing she knew she was falling. Cold water enveloped her whole being and she just kept on falling into the seemingly bottomless pool. Rahnee kept sending as fast as she could but with each send she sensed she was farther and farther away. Oh HighOnes!! Where was she going??

    It seems she was being pulled along by some underground river that opened up during the earthquake. It bore her back up to the surface far far away from all she knew and loved. She made it to the bank of the river. She lay there for some time as she was exhausted. Eventually she roused and sat up, blinking her wolfish eyes. HighOnes! Where in the name of Mantricker was she? Where was Pathfinder? She sent as far as her mind could reach, but she sensed no sign of her beloved wolf. In fact she didn’t sense anyone’s mind out there. They couldn’t all be out of sending range.

    She felt ominously alone. The sounds, the smells, and even the feel of things led her to realize she was far from her tribe. Her wolf must have been terribly spooked to leave her like this. Rahnee hoped they would be reunited soon.

    Fortunately it was dark and she could easily make her way to the nearest tree. High in the branches she stayed. “In the trees as you please. On the ground not a sound.” This was her tribe’s creed. It meant more to her survival than ever before as she spent the next hand of days trying to find a way back to her tribe.

    Everything she encountered was different. Many moons had come and gone. During this time she learned the lay of the land, the best route to travel through the treetops.

    She was up in a tree enjoying some of her most recent kill, when a hunting party passed right under the tree she was in. She froze and the hairs on her neck rose. She barely allowed herself to breathe as her slender, pointed ears keenly picked up the voices. They were angry that the prey they were tracking had been taken. The hunters spoke of strange scents of the thief. Oh HighOnes! They were talking about her. Rahnee hoped the wind wouldn’t betray her to them. It wasn’t until she was sure they’d gone some distance away before she allowed herself to relax and breathe. She would have to be more careful in her choice of prey. She almost became one that day. At least that’s what she felt would be the result of the discovery of her presence in this world.

    Rahnee found it hard to accept that she wasn’t in her homelands any more. She howled that night. It was a long, sad howl. She was deeply grieved and fell into wolfsong. In the haze of wolfsong she was able to exist harmoniously in the wilds of a world she did not understand. Starsong, the song of her elven blood, kept her from going totally feral and losing herself forever.

    Rahnee peered at the darkening sky and became concerned about her situation. Even a great huntress has her limitations. She knew the rain would weaken her ability to scent the trail, listen for dangers, or even see very far ahead.

    She was pushing her limits that day by going farther into the forest than she had dared in the past. Now she had to get back to safer ground. Soundlessly Rahnee worked her way through the treetops. Then it became necessary for her to travel on the ground, as there wasn’t another tree to jump to at that point.

    She crept close to the rocky walls and made use of every bit of shadow. The rain began to pour. Drenched to the skin, Rahnee was getting ready to make a dash to a grove of trees just up ahead.

    With her attention focused on the destination in front of her she did not realize that a wolf was watching her. The beast saw the opportunity and rushed her from behind. Rahnee heard the growl as four large paws landed on her back. Huntress and wolf went tumbling to the wet grass. Rahnee blocked with her left hand as her other grabbed out her dagger. Painful was the terrible grip of the beast’s jaws on her arm, but just as terrible was the force with which she struck her dagger into its side. The wolf yelped and halted its attack only long enough for Rahnee to get to her feet. She had no desire to kill a cousin to her kin, but the wolf gave her no choice. These wolves lacked the elven blood and she just was not able to make it change its raging mind. How terrible the bad magic is in this land to make animals filled with unnatural desire to kill. It’s just not the Way.

    Fur and braid flew about as the two remained locked in a battle both were helpless to walk away from. Then from the sky relief came in a loud explosion of lightening striking the ground near them. The wolf fell as it was stunned by the blast. The force threw Rahnee back and down the bank of a river. She was unconscious, but momentum kept her rolling down into the river where she was washed away with the current.

    Rain beaded down his shield and armor as a paladin returned from a trip to town. The ground shook beneath his feet as he witnessed the lightening strike in the distance. It wasn’t unusual to see lightening, but the force of that particular strike was cause for concern. He understood that the unusual most likely meant strange and unexpected things would come to pass. Be it good or evil his god would guide his steps.

    The rain began to let up as darkness began to fall. He reached a bridge. The wood was slick and so the Paladin went slower than usual. No sense risking a fall into the river with his entire armor on. Lightening crackled across the sky briefly shedding light on someone lying at the river’s edge. Cautiously he went to investigate. Had a villager drowned or worse been murdered? He looked around to see if this might be a trap. Seeing no present danger the paladin checked for signs of life. It was an elven female and she lived, but barely so. He drew in a sharp breath as he inspected wounds that should have ended her life. She was stained with blood and smears of mud as she hung lifelessly in his arms. He carried her to town.

    At the inn there were many gasps and whisperings as the patrons stared with fear. Fortunately the inn keeper knew of the Paladin's good deeds and wasn’t surprised at all.

    “What poor soul have ye’ rescued from death’s clutches this time lad?” the innkeeper inquired. It was good to have a paladin around.

    "I've never seen her before." he replied.

    “Shall I send up the usual supplies?” the innkeeper asked with a knowing smile. He was used to the paladine showing up like this and sent up some of the women with bandages and medicines.

    The Paladine paid for the room and supplies. He asked the women to stay to bathe the elven maiden and he paid them extra for their service. The women left and he himself saw to the bandaging of her wounds.

    When he was finished he pulled the blankets around her. He thought she must be a hunter by the kind clothes she wore. He admired the shape of her face. He had not seen an elf like her before. With one finger he gently lifted the elf’s upper lip to examine those pearly sharp teeth.

    He set up a shrine on a low table with candles so that he could worship and pray to his god. He set his armor aside and knelt down.

    In her dreams Rahnee thought she was being carried to the heavens so her spirit could join those of her tribe that had passed on before her. She heard voices and thought they were calling to her, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. As she regained consciousness she realized she was not among her ancestors..

    Panic griped her as the strong human scents filled her nostrils. She barely opened her eyes, not knowing what she might see. –Troll Dung!- She was in a human’s dwelling. Her eyes glanced over and her ears flattened against her head as she saw him kneeling there, speaking in a hushed tone. She was fearful and angry.

    -Where are my clothes?- She ran her hands across her body. –A dress? He put her in a dress!- She would tear his throat out for putting his hands on her. Glowering eyes looked around for dagger. –Dung!- It was no where to be seen. No matter she would do it with her bare hands and teeth. As she raised up her head ached and her wounds throbbed, but her adrenaline was taking over for now.

    He heard a stirring behind him and looked around with a smile on his lips. “Good! You…have…awoken..” His voice trailed off as he beheld not a maiden sitting up in bed, but instead a feral creature with long, auburn curls tumbling around her. She was in a crouching position ready to leap at him.

    He moved very slowly and she growled dangerously. “I mean you no harm. You are…” She didn’t let him finish and leaped at him, knocking him over. She was very strong, but praise his god that he was stronger. She snarled and snapped at his face and throat. She was determined to kill him. He was determined to get her, a wild thing, to see reason. This was going to be good.

    Rahnee could sense he was about to over power her. She slashed his chest with sharp nails and leaped towards the door. Finding it locked she thew herself against it again and again.

    The Paladin had just about enough of that. He picked himself up and saw that he wasn’t cut too deeply. He glared at her as he came closer. She looked around with fear and anger in her eyes. With her back against the door she lashed out with those sharp nails. A deep gutteral growl emited from her throat gave a serious warning.

    He towered over her by at least two feet, but he hadn’t laid a hand on her that is not until she lunged at him again as he started to speak. His words meant nothing to her. She just wanted to escape.

    He grabbed her by the arms, spun her around, and crossed her arms in front of her. Held her tight, lifting her up off the floor. He simply waited for her to wear herself out. He said nothing as he waited with his mind focused not on the struggling female, but on his god.

    Oh was Rahnee ever frantic now being pinned up against this brute! She did kick hard and most likely left deep bruises on her captor. Her struggling made her wounds begin to bleed again and her head was pounding in pain. She had no choice but to lessen her fight.

    As her movements diminished, he began to whisper quietly. He knew that her elvish ears would be able to hear him. “Quiet little one. I found you dying on the riverbank and brought here to tend to your wounds. This is how you repay my kindness?”

    Rahnee only kicked at him again in response. She was hurting badly, but her desire to escape was unwavering. He simply waited her out and then continued, “ I will not harm you. I’m not sure who or what has caused you to be so fearful, but I am not like that.”

    At that Rahnee passed out from the pain in her head. When she awoke she found herself back in bed. The first thing she feels is the residual magic. –He used his magic on me!- She was angry. She sat up and checked herself over. Her mind had not been violated as far as she could tell. To her brief surprise she discovered her wounds to be almost healed.

    Rahnee looks to where the human is sitting at his table, watching her. –Why hadn’t he just killed her?- She didn’t like what she was thinking next. She had heard the tale’s of what orcs did with their female elven slaves. Her eyes burned with a green fire of hate.

    The Paladin could see his guest was awake and from the look in her eyes she was still very hostile. “I know you are not from this land. I can help you.” He said calmly. Rahnee narrowed her eyes and for the first time spoke, “I want my clothes.” He raised an eyebrow, “Well that’s a start.” He points to the end of the bed. “I had them cleaned for you.” With that he stood up and turned his back.

    Rahnee could have attacked him again, but she knew that without her weapons she was no match for him. So she flung the gown to the floor and put on her hunting leathers. She yanked on her boots and headed for the door. It was locked. She growled and slammed her fist on the door. “Let me go!” she demanded
    The Paladin walked to the door, getting out his key as Rahnee kept her distance. “I never intended to keep you. I just wanted to help you.” He stated. He pulled her dagger from where it was tucked in his belt. “I will give this to you when we are outside.” Rahnee finished braiding her hair and reached for it, but he held it away and repeated reassuringly, “When we are outside.”

    Upon leaving the inn, the Paladin kept his word, but as he handed the dagger to her he asked, “What is your name?” Rahnee snatched the dagger out of his hand and was gone.

    Two seasons had passed since Rahnee’s dangerous brush with a human. She had yet to find her wolf. It was hard being alone, but she refused to speak to other elves of the land. She had no trust of anyone.

    Traveling through the thick under brush, Rahnee was tracking rabbits. She liked their tender meat and soft pelts. “Dung!” she hissed. She could hear fighting up ahead. Any chance of hunting rabbits in this part of the woods was ruined. Normally she’d just leave. She cared not for who was killing whom as long as she was not involved. Grumpily she turned to go, but the voice caught her attention. She recognized it.

    Rahnee climbed up into a tree to get a better look. She recognized that armor. Then she growled low as she remembered how he had her pinned. She decided to watch him fight and he was doing well. She admired his skill despite how she felt about what had transpired before. Then he got into some trouble with poisons and traps the enemy used against him. It was clear he would be killed. Rahnee couldn’t believe what she was doing as she began to let arrows fly. Something in her wouldn’t let someone so undeserving die.

    The Paladin slashed through the air, seeing no more attackers he dropped to his knees. –Who had come to his aid? Praise to his god who ever it was!- He eventually got up and began looking around to see who had shot the arrows. “Hello?” This was odd. Usually one would stay around to see that the other was well.

    Rahnee watched him. She let loose one more arrow. It swooshed just over the human’s head and stuck into the ground. He spun around with his own bow aimed high. There she was that same elf, from earlier that year, just looking down at him. He was surprised and concerned. He too remembered their last meeting and how it was.

    “I mean you no harm. I just wanted to help.” She said with a smirk.
    “What is your name?” he quickly asked. He didn’t want her to go away without telling him this time.
    “I am called Rahnee." It was good to finally know the mysterious elf.

    Over the next few days they began to hunt and travel together. They had become friends, but didn’t always stay together. She insisted on denning up in a tree at night while he stayed at an inn. Sometimes he was gone doing the will of his god and she would be out hunting on her own

    He patiently showed her the ways of this land so that she could interact with others. In the winter he convinced her to purchase a room at the inn. Since there was no plant shaper to shape a tree home for her, Rahnee agreed to the idea of a room of her own at the inn.

    He became her mentor. That is what she called him, Mentor. Many turns of the season had come and gone. Her mentor was aging and had retired from fighting. He continued teaching her the things. In time her mentor passed on to be with his god after a life well lived.

    Her travels brought her to Narfel where she decided to stay for a time. There were forests to explore. She still hoped to find her wolf and she longed to find a new tribe for herself.


  • Locked, pending exp

    MND