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[Jeb]

Moondrop doesn't understand why Yare suddenly seems so shy. What kind of tribe did he come from where they don't share and their chief would rather they all die than allow another to lead?

Moondrop fidgets in the uncomfortable silence.

[Berit]

Stormsong is full of energy...

"Yes! larger prey! will go hunt! Stormsong show friend where white horn things are!..."

He is so excited that he walks in circles near the tower door...

"Come! come friend! we hunt! ARRrrooororoor!..."

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Marut looks Yare also surprised by his reaction, but the starts walking, waving them to follow him... they walk through the calm forest, Yare occasionally glances at Moondrop, like he would like to say something but somehow feels too shy to do so...

[Jeb]

Moondrop is confused that Yare had no problems talking before seems to be so quiet now. She hoped he would give some more information on his tribe and the mysterious danger in the mountain, but instead has gone silent as a cricket when she's stepped to close.

Although he didn't seem to want to share before, she decides to risk a question. "How did your tribe get to be here?"

[Berit]

Yare seems to snap back into the moment from his thoughts...

"Oh... Wander made up leave our home forest... in pursuit of some hidden treasure... ... we traveled so far... so very far... and we never found that cursed treasure he wanted... all we gained was suffering..."

Yare looks at the ground and seems depressed... He looks at Moondrop...

"How about you? are you... born to this hostile land?...w-what tribe are you from? are there more of your tribe??..."

Marut stops and lowers the reindeer from his back, they have arrived to a ancient looking birch tree... near the top of it there is a hole that is covered by furs... Marut says...

"My den... Welcome, you two..."

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[Czarine]

Laluna cannot but laugh at Stormsong's enthusiasm.

"I don't think I should go far from our pack! They might need me." she says, though she hopes that her skills won't be needed.

"But I'd like a quick stroll around, to get some fresh air." she smiles.

"Will you join me?"

[Berit]

Stormsong bounces from side to side...

"Will join friend! Stormsong loves friend!..."

He rushes to the door and starts scratching it with his huge paw...

"Wall not open fast enough!..."

then suddenly the door opens, Toad is already back! and there is a shivering beautiful redhead with him that is covered in furs!... as the Redhead lifts his head, Laluna notices it it Mehadrin!... Toad is carrying a big pile of leathers with him, he says...

"Ah! my magnificent Blue Jay... how do you do?..."

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[Jeb]

"I wonder what Wander was looking for..." Moondrop muses before answering Yare's questions.

"I don't belong to any tribe that I know of. I've been alone as long as I can remember. Except when I met Marut before." Her voice trails off as she glances at Marut's hands, thinking again about her fleeting memories and feeling a little disappointed that Yare showed up so she hasn't been able to talk to Marut as she had hoped to.

She looks up at the den when they get to the tree. "Looks like you've made yourself a snug home. Have you been here awhile then?"

[Berit]

"No tribe?..."

Yare whispers and looks after Moondrop, he cannot imagine the hardships having to live without one... Marut looks at the hole in the tree...

"I have been here a little while... hunting... just living..."

Marut says, as he cannot quite remember how long it has been... he is good at surviving alone it seems... he starts cutting the meat for smaller sections and skinning the pelt off the carcass... his hands are larger and rougher than hands of typical elves... and they feel so strangely familiar to Moondrop... like she can remember holding hands like his when she was little, she can already tell how the skin on them feels like... Yare asks Marut...

"How about you? any tribe?..."

Marut shakes his head...

"No... or I cannot remember if I had one in the past..."

[Czarine]

Laluna walks to the door to let out the over-enthusiastic wolf, but she's surprised when Toad steps in with a shivering elf.

"Ah, hello Toad!... and Mehadrin?" she voices her surprise when she recognizes the red-head.

"I never imagined you would be here too." she says. She wonders if he will be as much of a handful as last time...

"You must be freezing. It's warmer downstairs." she gestures towards the trapdoor. She isn't very eager to introduce the place to him when she was just about to go out to clear her head.

[Jeb]

Moondrop sighs. Seems she is not going to find any explanations for her memories here.

She tells Marut "Thank you for sharing your food, but I think I will go now."

She turns to Yare. "Past the lake there is a tall shelter. Wander is there."

She starts to walk away, but turns back to Marut as a thought hits her. "If you remember Laluna, she is there, too."

[Berit]

Mehadrin marches inside and looks cranky, he says...

"Stupid Toad, making me walk all the way here..."

Toad just rolls his eyes slightly, it wasn't a long trip... Mehadrin looks at everything around him...

"well, this is better than a hole in the ground..."

Toad calmly explains...

"I do apologize for not having a better shelter, but you insisted on staying with me..."

Mehadrin just marches downstairs, Toad looks at Laluna for a moment...

"Are you heading outside, my good lady?... do you wish someone to accompany you, or do you want to be alone?..."

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Marut nods at Moondrop...

"Sure, but you are welcome back whenever... take some meat with you..."

Yare jumps up, seems instantly angry, and ready to attack...

"Wander is there?!? in that case I will end his life this instant!..."

Yare turns and rushes to the direction of the lake, keeping firm hold of his weapon... Marut rises ready to stop him as he doesn't know what is going on as he has not met Wander... but stops and looks at Moondrop...

"Oh... I see..."

but he doesn't seem to be interested in going...

[Czarine]

Laluna isn't surprised to see that Mehadrin is as inconsiderate as usual. She watches him march downstairs, and thinks how Wander will react to him.

She turns her attention to Toad when he asks to accompany her. She looks a bit uncertain and glances at the trapdoor.

"I was thinking of heading outside for a while to take a breath of fresh air, but I don't know now that Mehadrin is here..."

Laluna is worried that Mehadrin will be too much for Wander and Toad to handle by themselves. She might have to sacrifice her own comfort to keep things somewhat peaceful.

"But Stormsong should be let out. He's been cooped up here for too long. Right?" she glances at Stormsong, smiling.

[Berit]

Toad laughs...

"Oh, do take the time you need, my dear!... I will make sure the leech will not bother Wander too much... but... I do have a request for you... miss Blue Jay... once you have time, could you help me making a big tent out of these leathers? I'm afraid my skills at leather working are not the finest..."

Toad looks at the leathers he is holding, maybe he wants a tent where he can be out of Antaka's way and to have some space from Mehadrin...

"But do enjoy your time for now..."

Toads bows deep... Stormsong pants impatiently and scratches the door frame again then looks at Laluna! he wants to go and wants her with him!...

[Yavia]

Antaka looks in surprise to the redhaired elf coming downstairs. He do have some fur in his face like a human. Was he really wearing just that transparent fabric?
"Who are you?" she asks before she could reason that this must be the leech toad has spoken of.

[Berit]

Mehadrin dramatically bursts out of the leathers like a beautiful butterfly! the furs drop to the floor revealing... everything, his transparent fabrics don't hide anything at all... Mehadrin's anklets and wristbands shimmer golden in the light of the heatstone... slowly, his hair comes to an halt at his back... his yellowish green eyes sparkle... soulfully, as he looks at Antaka...

"I am Mehadrin, the beautiful rose of Aman... Who might you be? and... who is the leader here?..."

Wander snorts in the background, amused by Mehadrin's dramatic greeting...

[Jeb]

Moondrop heads into the forest away from Marut's den. As she walks, she keeps seeing the tree Yare pointed out rising above the others. Her mind returns to the time when she challenged Wander. He seemed unable to do anything then. He doesn't seem like a leader that could force his tribe into danger.

Then, too, Tare appeared to be starving. What would happen when these two helpless creatures meet for Yare's revenge?

She decides that it may be interesting to return to the shelter to see how the meeting plays out. But she also feels the pull of Yare's tree rising above her.

Maybe a quick look there first?

[Berit]

Moondrop walks into the direction of Yare's hideout, the pine forest is a bit thicker there. then Moondrop suddenly spots bushes the have softer needles, some of the bushes are taller than she is..  and the most bizarre thing is that they all have three colors of berries in each bush, green, blue and almost black... there are also Yare's footprints around the area, it seems he has been eating these berries to stay alive in the wilderness...

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[Czarine]

Laluna laughs awkwardly when Toad sees through her so easily. She just knows that Mehadrin is trouble, and she would rather be away from it all... She seems curious about Toad's plan for the leathers.

"Oh? I'd be glad to help you with leatherwork." she smiles. She's not entirely sure what a 'tent' is, but she decides to ask about it later.

She seems amused by Toad's chivalrous bow, but she heads for the door when she sees how anxious Stormsong is to get out.

"I'll see you later. I won't go too far." she nods a farewell to Toad before she opens the door for Stormsong. She takes a quick detour to fetch some warm clothes and a sack for herself before she heads out as well.

[Berit]

Laluna walks outside and to her surprise the weather is clearly warmed by sunlight... snow has started to drop from tree branches, leaving them dark and bare against the blue sky... Stormsong runs forward and even in circles and rolls in the snow happily! as he lays on his back he looks at Laluna, tongue hanging from his mouth, Stormsong whines happily and kicks the air, he tries to get her to come and play too!...

[Jeb]

Moondrop is unfamiliar with the berries but sees that Yare has been eating them. Curious, she takes one from the bush and crushes it with her fingers, sniffing.

[Berit]

The berry has a certain woody smell, there is something nice about the scent, all the berries are quite hard on the outside, and have lots of seeds on the inside... Moondrop notices her fingertips are colored purplish red from squeezing the berry... she also notices that Yare's hideout is on sight already, it is under the roots of the great pine tree, in a small cave left behind from the tree partly growing on top of a mossy rock... lot's of acorns sway on the old branches of the tree...

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(Hahaha! if this game had Achievements, Moondrop would definitely have achieved "the Explorer" achievement!)

[Jeb]

Moondrop goes to have a look inside the cave.

(Just for kicks, we'll do a die roll. Moondrop gets a 5.)

[Yavia]

First Antaka just looks stunned at Mehadirn, than she hears Wanders snort and can't stop herself to let pass a short giggle before her hand shuts her mouth with a tight clap. She hates herself to not be in controll but this great entrance she can't stand. This was brilliant!
She wonders about the golden rings on his wrists and ankles. In her tribes oral traditions a djinni is often bonded with gold chains and do not wear much. But shes from the desert - here ... She has seen naked men before but in this climate this is stupid.
She breathes a few short times to catch herself.
"Sorry" she bows her head shortly in apologies "Welcome. I'm Antaka. We don't have or need a leader so far. If you want to stay here you have to talk to Wander. He kinda owns this place." She gestured slack with her hand to the sitting Wander.
She sends to Wander: "I hope that was okay, because you took us in, you do decide. I do like him, he's funny..."

(I think I work on the Achievement: "Offending".  But seriously: Mehadirn has had an awesome entrance! This overacting - She just can't stand it. Nor do I - gorgeous! )

[Czarine]

Laluna is surprised to find that the weather really has warmed up! Her winter clothes won't be needed for much longer she thinks.

She turns her attention to Stormsong, who's clearly up for play! She lets out a chuckle and decides to lunge at the beast, ready to wrestle him, even though he's way bigger than Laluna.

(Laluna's roll:4. Mehadrin must have the achievement "Grand Entrance"! )

[Berit]

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Moondrop steps inside a small cold little cave under the tree, Yare must have been freezing here... there is some grass on the floor for a bedding and a rag that looks like flags on Wander's wall has been used as a cover for the entrance to keep the cold out... the mood is surprisingly sad and lonely here, it can be sensed that someone struggling to survive has lived here while trying to live with the fact that all he loves is gone...

(Dice roll, she discovers something else than a physical object!)

Suddenly Moondrop's head hurts a little, then she recalls being lonely and afraid, she is tiny and no one cares for her, alone in the dangerous wilderness, she feels it so clearly how unequipped she is to survive... but then, a vision comes to her of someones warming hug and furs... she can clear as day remember Marut holding her hand and smiling gently at her... then, something happens, earth shakes... they are thrown into different directions... and haven't seen each other since... only now they have been reunited, they really DID live together for a while!...

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Mehadrin stomps his foot on the ground angrily after being laughed at, her lower lip is more stuck out from his face than anything! a pouting little princess! Toad happens to come down also and says...

"Do not pout, this is an improvement, is it not?..."

Mehadrin turns to look at him ans suddenly slaps him like a little diva... Toad stands there for a moment... Mehadrin says...

"Improvement to YOUR place... but still not worthy of me..."

Toad says...

"well, now you can find your own place..."

Mehadrin looks at him and says...

"what? little while ago you accepted my warmth with open arms..."

Toad states...

"Yes... a thing I deeply regret, then I had no knowledge of what kind of person you really are... now, I will not care of you any longer... good day..."

He bows and decides to go back up, not wishing to stay with them... Mehadrin lifts his nose and says...

"Well who needs YOU anyway..."

then he looks at Antaka...

"So... another redhead in MY territory... beware, darling, I am more fiery than you..."

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Laluna lunges at Stomsong who acts as it cannot get out from under her and slightly bites Laluna's clothes while tossing and turning on his back he lets a playful growl!...then suddenly Laluna sees something in the distance looking at them! a some kind of small goat like animal with while fur!... it does not flee... it seems like it might be a pet of the humans... it starts quickly walking towards them and baaing! as if it feels it has been saved from the wilderness!---

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