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MIIIINE ALL MIIINE.
Rayne heads back into Sagewynd, only to find a stranger has taken an interest in her as well as her knowledge with dragons.
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__________________________________________________________________
Rayne wasn't happy about leaving, but it was in their agreement. It had been one week since she first arrived and now it was time for her to leave. She confessed only to herself she needed to leave, the journal that had taken years to fill a few pages was almost all full of new knowledge, including the empty spaces she had left on previous pages. She clearly needed to get back to town and start binding several journals before returning. Luckily, with a dragon and his constant roasting habits, she seemed to find plenty of charcoal to write with.
In her off time, which consisted of his trips in and out at random intervals, she had found enough rope to create a ladder of sorts for getting in and out of the high cave. When she was half way done with it she saw her teacher watching her carefully, eyes curious and engrossed with the way her paws braided and tightened the rope ladder. If she wasn't making the lengthy ladder, she had been writing and drawing, and more than one occasion lingered outside several cavern openings to try to peer inside. The cave seemed like a long labyrinth of intersecting tunnels and side caverns, some lit, some bathed in darkness. She would of course, only go exploring when he wasn't around.
She adjusted her satchel, having found several edible plants and been given some of her master's left overs for rations on the three day trip back to Sagewynd. She'd fill her canteen at the creek, and then come to the next hurtle, trying to find a way up the steep hill she had tumbled down on her way here.
“You have one week,” Magnus' voice rumbled from behind her as he looked over one of his very large scrolls with a careful eye. “If you are late, you loose a lesson for that day as we agreed.”
“Yes Master,” Rayne replied as she bowed to him. “Thank you master, for letting me stay here. I'll be back—”
“ONE other thing,” Magnus stated as he rolled his scroll up and leaned it carefully against a dry portion of the wall. “You mention anything about what you have been up to, then do not return here. If you tell anyone where my lair is, expect to die a very painful death.”
Rayne remembered their prior dealing, a paw reaching up and touching her shirt where his scale lay pressed in her chest. She nodded a few times to him, meeting his eyes for a fleeting moment before turning to leave. She hadn't been planning on telling anyone anything, the knowledge he had already given her would keep her tongue still easily. She would never tell anyone of his lair for fear not for her life, but for his own. She made her way to the bright entrance, the sun's mid-day rays beating down upon the prairie before grasping her rope ladder tied to two spires of rock, and climbed down and out of sight.
***********************************************************************
Magnus peered forward slowly, waiting a few moments before he gathered up his scroll and tucked it into a darkened cavern filled with scrolls and books. He moved with purpose to his treasury, digging through the glorious coins and jewels as he searched for something.
He wanted his lair back, but his agreement with his new pupil bound him to keep her around. But in his cunning wisdom, he had come up with a plan to make her break her own oath...
Not to kill her of course, just to get her to mention his lair, perhaps...break the rule and he could have peace once more. Although Rayne hadn't truly disrupted his peace, she seemed to bring a small presence into his lair without disturbing his natural routine, and having the small amount of company had been somewhat...soothing perhaps?
He shook his head slightly, trying to remember the time before his pupil, the mortal had to go. He couldn't let his work and protection of the word be witted away by her any longer. He went on searching for the small trinket he had gotten from a very clever magic user, a silver band that could easily fit one of Magnus' smaller digits.
Aha...he pulled it from the pile of dark red rubies, rubbing it between his claws and looking at the small engraved image of a bird along the inside. His face smiled, before he went to work his own magic over it secretly.
***********************************************************************
Rayne was able to scale a less treacherous slope into the thick forest and after a long trek back through the trees, she finally found her way to the road leading to Sagewynd. She almost ran home, knowing she had little time to bind new journals, clean her clothes, get more previsions and make it back in time for her lessons to begin again. She bought a larger pack with the rent from her tenants, filling it with water, rations and new freshly bound journals as well as another change of clothes. It wasn't easy to wash her clothes at her teacher's, or wash herself in general. She found him trying to scare her half to death the first real chance she got to strip and scrub, ever since she ran off into the woods to urinate he wanted to know how mortals did simple things.
Since then she'd been trying to avoid his watching yellow eyes, for some reason it made her more than nervous.
She said farewell to her tenants and began to make the long trek down the road after only one night in her comfortable bed. But she wanted to be back early, or on time to start fresh with Master Magnus. She turned and locked her door tightly, before beginning to walk around the dirt paths surrounding the small houses around the edge of Sagewynd, waving and calling to a few passers by before she nearly walked into the chest of a shining armored man.
She took a few bewildered steps backwards and looked up at the armor covered male, his body standing sturdy in front of her as he stared at her easily. It was a male white tiger, black hair shaggy atop his head and a sword and dagger at his hip. His tail swished back and forth in curiosity as her eyes narrowed and traveled along his frame unconsciously before she jerked them back to his face. She was hoping it looked like she was judging him and not—taking notice of his somewhat handsome figure and face.
“Hello there,” he greeted in far too warm a tone for her liking. She really needed to work on being more discreet about her eyes.
“Excuse me,” Rayne stated in a slight growl, trying to step around him when he stepped in her path once more.
“I hear tell that you are the dragon lady in this area,” he stated all of a sudden, looking down at her with his own slow motion. “And I need help with finding a dragon.”
“I'm sorry, I'm really running late,” she stated and pushed passed him, his armor warm from the morning sun.
“Late for what?” he inquired before beginning to step behind her, his armor chiming to the beat of his steps.
“I'm going to visit family,” she lied but it sounded truthful, beginning to walk down the roadway leading out of town.
“I'll keep you company,” he stated rather eagerly, stepping up beside her as the rocks shifted under his armored feet. “The road isn't a safe place for a pretty tigress alone.”
She turned to him sharply and spat out,
“That's really very—kind of you but I know the way, and don't prefer the company of strangers. Thanks.”
By then familiar eyes of several of the local townsfolk were focused on the knight, scrutinizing him for bothering one of their own. His face read defeat, and he bowed his head to her solemnly.
“As you wish,” he replied in a gentle manner, before stepping back around and heading into town, his armor's chatter growing dimmer and dimmer. Rayne let out a gentle sigh, before she continued on her trek, thankful all of a sudden to know the people around town well enough that when a stranger was following her, they'd easily take notice.
A day and a half of walking on the road led her to the edge of the forest. She made good time even with the heavier pack and belongings but she was excited to resume her lessons. Magnus had promised a full day's accounts on serpents, and she had very little information on them. He assured her he had little as well since it wasn't pertinent to his kind, but there were some stories and encounters he could talk about. She was on the edge of the tree line when she left the road, smiling to herself absentmindedly.
A figure stepped out suddenly from one of the shorter trees, looking directly at her as she approached. It was the male white tiger, fur covered with leggings, a nice cotton shirt and leather vest. He wore the sword and dagger at his hip, but it seemed clear that this was his under clothing. Where had his armor gone? What was he doing here? How had he gotten passed her?
Rayne's trek stopped, staring at him as he stared easily at her, a smile growing on his mouth before he called out to her in greeting,
“Hello there, stranger!”
She glowered at him, before taking steady steps up towards him and looking at him scornfully.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded angrily.
“Your family live in the woods, do they?” he asked with a playful expression on his face, leaning his arm high against the tree and towering over her a bit. “Or can we stop playing that card?”
“Why are you following me?” she demanded once more, obviously his ignoring the first question meant he thought she knew the obvious and wasn't planning to answer.
“Well, I heard there is a dragon somewhere in these parts,” he replied in a gentle manner as if her snide demeanor was endearing to him. “And came upon your little village, where they told me the same thing I'd heard. A large dragon was somewhere, but they told me something else too...” He leaned over a little more. “That one of their own was researching the bloody things and had gone a little journey of her own to find it.”
Rayne cursed herself for telling others what she was up to.
“And suddenly, you showed back up,” he continued. “Not only that but obviously packed enough things to last you a while, and moved with such purpose like you know where you're going. Which leads me to assume you've found something...and what you know, is what I want to know.”
Rayne cast him a weak smile, but said nothing. His eyes narrowed, almost white gold in coloring peering through her as if to pull the images through her own.
“Not talking?” he asked, before leaning back a bit. “That's alright, I'll just follow you then.”
Rayne's face read fear and rage all at once.
“You can't do that—”
“Oh indeed I can,” he replied calmly. “I can do what ever I wish. I know you'll lead me to the dragon, or sit and chat with me. I have time to do so, but do you?”
Rayne's teeth clenched. No, she didn't have time for this, she didn't have the patience for his superior tone either.
“You're a dragon slayer,” she growled at him. His brow quirked up in amusement, he knew that, and she knew that back in town, why say it out loud now? “And you'll kill it if you find it.”
“The gruesome beasts already eaten half a herd of the king's cattle, its fattened itself up enough,” he replied in a soothing manner. Rayne wanted to slap him, to take her own knife and drive it into his unarmored form. She wouldn't have been quick enough to do either against a real fighter. She needed to play this right, she could run for it, but he seemed to have ditched his armor for a reason, to be fast enough to follow her. She could have continued down the road and the longer path into the forest, but he might just tag along and be further obnoxious. She looked at the woods, then back at him.
“What's your name, love?” he asked suddenly when their eyes met again.
Oh the icy glare she gave him after that, his stature didn't change, but the cleverness of his eyes read slight surprise.
“You first,” she replied in a calm but almost forced manner.
“Gaerwn,” he responded like it tasted good on his tongue. “And yours?”
“Gaerwn,” Rayne stated aloud. “How can I keep you here without following me?”
He ticked his tongue on his teeth, before his mouth tilted to the side, as if debating something. His face suddenly read triumphant before he stood straight on his own feet.
“You tell me your name,” he listed off, “And you give me a kiss.”
Rayne swore at him in her mind, her face piercing the swear eagerly wanting to escape her throat.
“Not a peck on the cheek either, real kiss, real name and I'll know if you're lying,” he responded in a lower tone of voice, silky and serene and enjoying the anger toying on her lips. “Time is wasting...” he reminded her out of spite.
“You'll stay here, not follow me,” she stated aloud. “Not follow my tracks, not enter the woods.”
His paw went over his vest.
“My word is my bond,” he answered. He really looked like he'd won, that he would get to follow her in, that she wouldn't choose the name and the kiss. But she had to protect Magnus, and her word of not telling anyone anything. How bad could one kiss be if it kept Magnus safe?
“Fine,” she stated, putting out her paw to shake his. “My name and a kiss and you stay out of the woods.”
His face frowned as his eyes widened, clearly he wasn't expecting that which made her own smile appear all of a sudden. He looked at her paw, before grasping it and shaking it. The deal was made and there was no going back now. She let go of his strong paw and adjusted her pack on her back.
“My name is Rayne,” she replied, before stepping up under his frame and arching her head to kiss his mouth slowly. For a few seconds his warm lips felt uncertain, as if he wasn't expecting it to occur so fast but then they greeted hers lightly, sending a shiver down her spine. She released his mouth abruptly and turned to continue onwards, head low and not looking back. She didn't hear his footsteps behind her as she entered the foliage, and her pace increased when she knew she was out of his sight.
***********************************************************************
Rayne heads back into Sagewynd, only to find a stranger has taken an interest in her as well as her knowledge with dragons.
<<< PREV | FIRST | NEXT >>>
__________________________________________________________________
Rayne wasn't happy about leaving, but it was in their agreement. It had been one week since she first arrived and now it was time for her to leave. She confessed only to herself she needed to leave, the journal that had taken years to fill a few pages was almost all full of new knowledge, including the empty spaces she had left on previous pages. She clearly needed to get back to town and start binding several journals before returning. Luckily, with a dragon and his constant roasting habits, she seemed to find plenty of charcoal to write with.
In her off time, which consisted of his trips in and out at random intervals, she had found enough rope to create a ladder of sorts for getting in and out of the high cave. When she was half way done with it she saw her teacher watching her carefully, eyes curious and engrossed with the way her paws braided and tightened the rope ladder. If she wasn't making the lengthy ladder, she had been writing and drawing, and more than one occasion lingered outside several cavern openings to try to peer inside. The cave seemed like a long labyrinth of intersecting tunnels and side caverns, some lit, some bathed in darkness. She would of course, only go exploring when he wasn't around.
She adjusted her satchel, having found several edible plants and been given some of her master's left overs for rations on the three day trip back to Sagewynd. She'd fill her canteen at the creek, and then come to the next hurtle, trying to find a way up the steep hill she had tumbled down on her way here.
“You have one week,” Magnus' voice rumbled from behind her as he looked over one of his very large scrolls with a careful eye. “If you are late, you loose a lesson for that day as we agreed.”
“Yes Master,” Rayne replied as she bowed to him. “Thank you master, for letting me stay here. I'll be back—”
“ONE other thing,” Magnus stated as he rolled his scroll up and leaned it carefully against a dry portion of the wall. “You mention anything about what you have been up to, then do not return here. If you tell anyone where my lair is, expect to die a very painful death.”
Rayne remembered their prior dealing, a paw reaching up and touching her shirt where his scale lay pressed in her chest. She nodded a few times to him, meeting his eyes for a fleeting moment before turning to leave. She hadn't been planning on telling anyone anything, the knowledge he had already given her would keep her tongue still easily. She would never tell anyone of his lair for fear not for her life, but for his own. She made her way to the bright entrance, the sun's mid-day rays beating down upon the prairie before grasping her rope ladder tied to two spires of rock, and climbed down and out of sight.
***********************************************************************
Magnus peered forward slowly, waiting a few moments before he gathered up his scroll and tucked it into a darkened cavern filled with scrolls and books. He moved with purpose to his treasury, digging through the glorious coins and jewels as he searched for something.
He wanted his lair back, but his agreement with his new pupil bound him to keep her around. But in his cunning wisdom, he had come up with a plan to make her break her own oath...
Not to kill her of course, just to get her to mention his lair, perhaps...break the rule and he could have peace once more. Although Rayne hadn't truly disrupted his peace, she seemed to bring a small presence into his lair without disturbing his natural routine, and having the small amount of company had been somewhat...soothing perhaps?
He shook his head slightly, trying to remember the time before his pupil, the mortal had to go. He couldn't let his work and protection of the word be witted away by her any longer. He went on searching for the small trinket he had gotten from a very clever magic user, a silver band that could easily fit one of Magnus' smaller digits.
Aha...he pulled it from the pile of dark red rubies, rubbing it between his claws and looking at the small engraved image of a bird along the inside. His face smiled, before he went to work his own magic over it secretly.
***********************************************************************
Rayne was able to scale a less treacherous slope into the thick forest and after a long trek back through the trees, she finally found her way to the road leading to Sagewynd. She almost ran home, knowing she had little time to bind new journals, clean her clothes, get more previsions and make it back in time for her lessons to begin again. She bought a larger pack with the rent from her tenants, filling it with water, rations and new freshly bound journals as well as another change of clothes. It wasn't easy to wash her clothes at her teacher's, or wash herself in general. She found him trying to scare her half to death the first real chance she got to strip and scrub, ever since she ran off into the woods to urinate he wanted to know how mortals did simple things.
Since then she'd been trying to avoid his watching yellow eyes, for some reason it made her more than nervous.
She said farewell to her tenants and began to make the long trek down the road after only one night in her comfortable bed. But she wanted to be back early, or on time to start fresh with Master Magnus. She turned and locked her door tightly, before beginning to walk around the dirt paths surrounding the small houses around the edge of Sagewynd, waving and calling to a few passers by before she nearly walked into the chest of a shining armored man.
She took a few bewildered steps backwards and looked up at the armor covered male, his body standing sturdy in front of her as he stared at her easily. It was a male white tiger, black hair shaggy atop his head and a sword and dagger at his hip. His tail swished back and forth in curiosity as her eyes narrowed and traveled along his frame unconsciously before she jerked them back to his face. She was hoping it looked like she was judging him and not—taking notice of his somewhat handsome figure and face.
“Hello there,” he greeted in far too warm a tone for her liking. She really needed to work on being more discreet about her eyes.
“Excuse me,” Rayne stated in a slight growl, trying to step around him when he stepped in her path once more.
“I hear tell that you are the dragon lady in this area,” he stated all of a sudden, looking down at her with his own slow motion. “And I need help with finding a dragon.”
“I'm sorry, I'm really running late,” she stated and pushed passed him, his armor warm from the morning sun.
“Late for what?” he inquired before beginning to step behind her, his armor chiming to the beat of his steps.
“I'm going to visit family,” she lied but it sounded truthful, beginning to walk down the roadway leading out of town.
“I'll keep you company,” he stated rather eagerly, stepping up beside her as the rocks shifted under his armored feet. “The road isn't a safe place for a pretty tigress alone.”
She turned to him sharply and spat out,
“That's really very—kind of you but I know the way, and don't prefer the company of strangers. Thanks.”
By then familiar eyes of several of the local townsfolk were focused on the knight, scrutinizing him for bothering one of their own. His face read defeat, and he bowed his head to her solemnly.
“As you wish,” he replied in a gentle manner, before stepping back around and heading into town, his armor's chatter growing dimmer and dimmer. Rayne let out a gentle sigh, before she continued on her trek, thankful all of a sudden to know the people around town well enough that when a stranger was following her, they'd easily take notice.
A day and a half of walking on the road led her to the edge of the forest. She made good time even with the heavier pack and belongings but she was excited to resume her lessons. Magnus had promised a full day's accounts on serpents, and she had very little information on them. He assured her he had little as well since it wasn't pertinent to his kind, but there were some stories and encounters he could talk about. She was on the edge of the tree line when she left the road, smiling to herself absentmindedly.
A figure stepped out suddenly from one of the shorter trees, looking directly at her as she approached. It was the male white tiger, fur covered with leggings, a nice cotton shirt and leather vest. He wore the sword and dagger at his hip, but it seemed clear that this was his under clothing. Where had his armor gone? What was he doing here? How had he gotten passed her?
Rayne's trek stopped, staring at him as he stared easily at her, a smile growing on his mouth before he called out to her in greeting,
“Hello there, stranger!”
She glowered at him, before taking steady steps up towards him and looking at him scornfully.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded angrily.
“Your family live in the woods, do they?” he asked with a playful expression on his face, leaning his arm high against the tree and towering over her a bit. “Or can we stop playing that card?”
“Why are you following me?” she demanded once more, obviously his ignoring the first question meant he thought she knew the obvious and wasn't planning to answer.
“Well, I heard there is a dragon somewhere in these parts,” he replied in a gentle manner as if her snide demeanor was endearing to him. “And came upon your little village, where they told me the same thing I'd heard. A large dragon was somewhere, but they told me something else too...” He leaned over a little more. “That one of their own was researching the bloody things and had gone a little journey of her own to find it.”
Rayne cursed herself for telling others what she was up to.
“And suddenly, you showed back up,” he continued. “Not only that but obviously packed enough things to last you a while, and moved with such purpose like you know where you're going. Which leads me to assume you've found something...and what you know, is what I want to know.”
Rayne cast him a weak smile, but said nothing. His eyes narrowed, almost white gold in coloring peering through her as if to pull the images through her own.
“Not talking?” he asked, before leaning back a bit. “That's alright, I'll just follow you then.”
Rayne's face read fear and rage all at once.
“You can't do that—”
“Oh indeed I can,” he replied calmly. “I can do what ever I wish. I know you'll lead me to the dragon, or sit and chat with me. I have time to do so, but do you?”
Rayne's teeth clenched. No, she didn't have time for this, she didn't have the patience for his superior tone either.
“You're a dragon slayer,” she growled at him. His brow quirked up in amusement, he knew that, and she knew that back in town, why say it out loud now? “And you'll kill it if you find it.”
“The gruesome beasts already eaten half a herd of the king's cattle, its fattened itself up enough,” he replied in a soothing manner. Rayne wanted to slap him, to take her own knife and drive it into his unarmored form. She wouldn't have been quick enough to do either against a real fighter. She needed to play this right, she could run for it, but he seemed to have ditched his armor for a reason, to be fast enough to follow her. She could have continued down the road and the longer path into the forest, but he might just tag along and be further obnoxious. She looked at the woods, then back at him.
“What's your name, love?” he asked suddenly when their eyes met again.
Oh the icy glare she gave him after that, his stature didn't change, but the cleverness of his eyes read slight surprise.
“You first,” she replied in a calm but almost forced manner.
“Gaerwn,” he responded like it tasted good on his tongue. “And yours?”
“Gaerwn,” Rayne stated aloud. “How can I keep you here without following me?”
He ticked his tongue on his teeth, before his mouth tilted to the side, as if debating something. His face suddenly read triumphant before he stood straight on his own feet.
“You tell me your name,” he listed off, “And you give me a kiss.”
Rayne swore at him in her mind, her face piercing the swear eagerly wanting to escape her throat.
“Not a peck on the cheek either, real kiss, real name and I'll know if you're lying,” he responded in a lower tone of voice, silky and serene and enjoying the anger toying on her lips. “Time is wasting...” he reminded her out of spite.
“You'll stay here, not follow me,” she stated aloud. “Not follow my tracks, not enter the woods.”
His paw went over his vest.
“My word is my bond,” he answered. He really looked like he'd won, that he would get to follow her in, that she wouldn't choose the name and the kiss. But she had to protect Magnus, and her word of not telling anyone anything. How bad could one kiss be if it kept Magnus safe?
“Fine,” she stated, putting out her paw to shake his. “My name and a kiss and you stay out of the woods.”
His face frowned as his eyes widened, clearly he wasn't expecting that which made her own smile appear all of a sudden. He looked at her paw, before grasping it and shaking it. The deal was made and there was no going back now. She let go of his strong paw and adjusted her pack on her back.
“My name is Rayne,” she replied, before stepping up under his frame and arching her head to kiss his mouth slowly. For a few seconds his warm lips felt uncertain, as if he wasn't expecting it to occur so fast but then they greeted hers lightly, sending a shiver down her spine. She released his mouth abruptly and turned to continue onwards, head low and not looking back. She didn't hear his footsteps behind her as she entered the foliage, and her pace increased when she knew she was out of his sight.
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Category Story / Fantasy
Species Tiger
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 39.5 kB
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