========================================================================= = [Dragon] 1.10 - Brianna and Prytzouth - The Clearing - Pas du Mer = ========================================================================= Brianna didn't bother to get her horse immediately. Instead, she ran to the clearing she had found deep in the woods. Running used to help her clear her mind, she hoped it helped now. She thought back on the happenings this morning. The drow was just as strange as the legends said. That knight though! What arrogance! She wouldn't even waste an animal in fighting him, she'd do it herself . . . IF there was anything left after Thannin and Thwuck got finished with him. She chuckled to herself and slowed down as she reached the clearing. Prytz on the other hand . . . now there was something she couldn't figure out. He was acting like a cub! She didn't understand that. She shook her head and summoned the hawk in the area. She wanted to know what the big water looked like today for sailing, and the hawk could see far . . . * * * * * Prytzouth smiled as he stepped outside the inn. He tipped his head back and took in a deep breath, letting out a satisfied sigh. It was a beautiful day. Brianna's scent danced upon the light breeze coming from the woods in the back of the inn. He nodded at Melmar. "See you at the dinner, my friend." "Yes, my friend, I will be sure to do that," said Melmar, extremely distractedly. "Um, beautiful day, isn't it? We never get weather like this so early in the year in the moutains. I may just move south when this is all over with - there's always call for a good smith, and a reputation as a hero could be a real benefit to business." "Aye, that it would be." Prytz chuckled. Looking in the direction of Brianna's scent, Prytzouth walked with a relaxed stride examining the ground. Running, huh? He thought. Her footprints, although faint in the grass and leaves, were spread far apart. He casually picked flowers as he crossed the open field to the woods, enjoying the sun's gentle caress. At the sight of this, he said "Uh, Prytz? The town's not in that direction. That's the forest." He then chuckled and sat down, wondering what Prytzouth was tracking. "So it is!" Prytz laughed sarcastically, not bothering to look back. Prytzouth reached the first shadows of the woods. Brianna. She was different for some reason. He had first noticed it with how she handled her mount in a fashion very similar to him; she barely used the reigns. Her periodic solitary walks about the wooded areas appeared to relax her greatly. She seemed to have the same sort of connections to nature as he. Could this benefit him? How am I going to do this? he mused. He paused for a moment, glancing around to make sure he was alone. Smiling with satisfaction, Prytzouth jumped to the ground, silmultaneously shifting into himself, the wolf. His clothes disappeard as his body took shape. He landed on the ground running, tracking his best option. * * * * * Brianna stretched out her arm and the hawk landed. She stroked his breast and spoke softly to him, telling him what she wanted to know. The hawk seemed to be listening; he was cocking his head and looking into her eyes. Every now and then, the bird would bob his head and seem to answer back. Brianna seemed to be satisfed with the interaction, for she suddenly said thank you and helped push the bird skyward. She stood there watching the bird circle higher and higher... A wolf sat quietly at the edge of the clearing and watched Brianna as the bird soared into the sky. He was now convinced that she had a unique connection to animals, one he'd never seen before. Sure, he'd heard of it but he hadn't really been exposed to those with her gift. He could feel her empathy washing over the surroundings, almost taste it's sweetness. Instinctively, he stood up. He couldn't help being drawn to her, despite his usual wary manner concerning humans. He needed her help, although that was not what set his legs in motion toward her. As Brianna watched the hawk, she felt a presence she remembered feeling during their trip to Pas de Mur. That didn't make sense. Why would an animal follow the group all the way here? No animals' range in these woods would be that far. She reached out to the presence with her mind and felt...a wolf? But not a wolf. How strange.. She decided to try calling the wolf that was not to see if it would come to her... She turned at the approach of the wolf and saw a white-blonde/grey wolf approaching her. He had one golden eye and his right eye was scarred. Stranger still was the silver bracelet on his wrist. There was something VERY familiar about this creature, but she just couldn't seem to place it. She waited until the wolf was close enough to her, and spoke softly to him. ==Greetings, Wise One. Thank for coming to my call.== The wolf stopped short of Brianna, just out of her reach, and sat down on. He cocked his head at a curious angle and looked at Brianna, as if trying to decide what to say. ==Wise One? Yes, I suppose I could be considered wise among the animals that use this form.== The wolf wagged his tail. ==I've seen many things in my travels, but I had yet to meet a human of your talent . . . until today. It is very . . . unique, and actually quite fortuitous.== Brianna interjects ==Fortuitous, Wise One? I have not always considered it so.== ==Fortuitous because I need your help.== ==My help? But how...== Brianna responds, looking back at the wolf quizzically. ==Brianna . . .== Brianna's eyes widen and she starts to respond ==But== ==Brianna, I have been with you for a long time now. Search youself; you know who I am.== Brianna looked hard at the wolf and then stared unbelievingly ==Why you, yyyyou are...== As Prytzouth saw the light of recognition enter Brianna's eyes, he concentrated on his human form, calling his attire as he shifted. Sitting before Brianna, cross-legged, Prytzouth neither smiled nor made any attempt to move; instead, he looked at Brianna intensly with his good left eye. "Now do you see my dilemma?" he asked. Brianna slowly sank into a sitting position with her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands. She sat there shaking her head and mumbling to herself for a few seconds. This was almost too much. The animal tracking them was Prytz. Or was it Prytz was an animal. This was too confusing. She could use a drink. She started to call to the wolf and realized that she could just speak to him. "Prytz.....are you a man or a wolf? I mean you must be a wolf, or I couldn't sense you, but you don't feel like a wolf now, you smell and have the sense of a man, but, but not quite a man somehow. This is gonna be real hard to explain to the others..." She started to shake her head again. "To you only, for now, am I going to reveal who or what I am." He looked at her meaningfully. "My human name is Prytzouth de Wen, but I am not human. And as you well know, animals have no convention for names. If one were to interpret my wolven name it would mean..." Prytz continued talking as a wolf. ==Yellow-eyed, white wolf.== After a moment he added, ==Not quite as pretty as Prytzouth de Wen, now is it?== He grinned a toothy, human grin. Braianna let out a big sigh ==No. Not as pretty== and shook her head again. "Bri, I don't think I want to tell the others quite yet. As you can see, I can change my shape; I am a psionist..." Prytzouth continued to explain the nature of his existance and hinted only that he was raised as a fighter and psionist. "But that's not why I need you or why I wish to keep my identity secret. In light of the recent events our party has endured, I cannot bear to give them another thing to worry about. Their trust both in me and in themselves may break upon discovering who I really am. And for the life of me, I can't find a good explaination as to why I'd have to be in wolf form the whole trip if I _did_ tell them. "No, the best thing would be to have Prytzouth leave and have the wolf, your companion," he looked at her hopefully, "join the group." Brianna leaned back...this was going WAY to fast. She started to talk, almost as if to herself. "If Prytz leaves the party, how will he and his horse get to where we are going? I mean, I guess I could explain having found a wolf off somehow...but that bracelet!! This is going to take some planning. Food, supplies..." Brianna slowed and looked up at Prytz "And an excuse for how you got there. Wow. This is overwhelming..." She threw her hands up and layed back into the grass to think... -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- = [Dragon] Volume 01 Scene 10 Copyright (c) XX April, 1996 = -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- = Adain -- The Cheshire Cat -- cat@adi.uam.es = = Thanin -- Darren Robinson -- drobin02@uoguelph.ca = = Brianna -- -- Tammarion@aol.com = = Thwuck -- Mark Vanhommerig -- mvan@win.tue.nl = = Melmar -- Andrew of Scarborough -- AStoner@MAIL.WESLEYAN.EDU = = Prytzouth -- Chad C. Walstrom -- cwalstro@d.umn.edu = -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-