[IC] SmallWonders && TDN

[TheDookieNut]

A building stood lonely against a mountain range. Huge white peaks and towering cliffs, each topped with deep snow. Running through the fifty or so long mountain range was a small path, the only road from Castermere to Chathlas; the most prosperous and most populous kingdom in the Seven Isles. On the edge of that road stood a fort, thick walls made of grey stone. It's name displayed it's purpose. First Watch. For many years, the First Watch had served its purpose, defending Cathlas against any enemies that tried to pass through from the West. Over the years, it had coined a phrase: First Watch, Last Haven. There were many traders who passed through to Castermere each season, all of which stayed the night, each leaving a name.

Those who lived in such a fort were no soldiers, nor criminals. They were Winter's Children, orphans or sons whose parents struggled over the winter months. They were given to the Watchers for a better life, one of brotherhood and honour. If they survived the rough conditions below the Seven Hundred Peaks, of course. Many Winter's Children were sent along the road that disappeared into Castermere as scouts, each watching the road for rouges or Wargs.

Three men walked along the road, hauling a mountain deer behind them. It would serve as dinner and breakfast tomorrow. They had a good hour before they reached their camp just off the road. With five mouths to feed, the deer would suit their needs just fine.

[SmallWonders]

Miri’khete watched as the mountain deer fell, dying quickly and she smiled. The young thief stayed quiet in the shadow as it was retrieved by the hunters, watching as they hauled it behind them towards their camp. She followed behind them, careful on the rocky terrain. Knocking any loosened stones would alert them to her presence and she couldn’t have that. She was hungry and there was no better way to sort that out than stealing from these men. She could take enough to last her awhile without alerting them to her presence and then she would be gone and out of their lives forever.

All she had to do was tail them until they reached camp and cooked the deer.

She cursed under her breath as she did exactly what she was hoping not to. The rock tumbled across the mountain road, clattering against the other rocks embedded into the ground. Staying completely silent, she withdrew further into the darkness. Being the night elf she was, she could blend into the shadows much easier than most and they would not see her. Of that, she was sure. Hopefully, their camp was not much further. They were taking her far off her planned journey but she could do little to change them and she couldn’t leave without some of that mountain deer. It had been far too long without food for that.

[TheDookieNut]

"You reckon we'll be back before Midsummer?" One man asked, turning his eyes to the two others.

"You actually think the gods care? They're useless and dead. They've been dead since the last King of Yunkai.
Bare in mind that was over two thousand years ago."

"I can still pray and join in." The first Scout added, defending himself quietly.

"Roran, how come you're quiet whenever we talk about the gods? Don't tell me you're one of those fanatics who hears the gods!" The second scout laughed. George shook his head, walking ahead of the others. In turn each of them turned to silence and before long all three of them were treading along the road in silence. It was the sound of a pebble that caused all three men to turn, two pulling steels swords, Roran brandishing a bow.

"Anyone see anything?" Roran asked, his eyes moving along the rocks above the road. They didn't need Wargs now. They were too poorly defended and too open. The three of them searched quietly. As Roran scanned, his eyes squinted into the darkness. He looked directly at Miri for a second, unaware she was there, slowly he removed the arrow and carried on walking.

[SmallWonders]

Miki sucked in a breath as the humans wandered around to look for her. Two of them wandered towards and then eventually away from her but one of them stared straight at her for just one moment. Her heart leapt to her throat and she pressed a hand over her lips to keep herself quiet until they had moved on.

After what seemed like an eternity, the human lowered his bow and left her. She relaxed, letting out an almost silent sigh of relief and thanking the gods that humans didn’t have quite as good vision in the darkness as she and her kind did.

She was more careful after that close shave, concentrating less on her empty stomach and more on the way she walked and where she stepped. She ducked and weaved through the trees, avoiding places where she would be heard or seen as she travelled behind the small band of men. Looking up from the ground every so often, she kept pace with them, staying a little behind but never falling back too far. Her stomach squeezed and she hoped they'd get there soon. It would be hard to stay quiet with a grumbling stomach sounding at inopportune times.

[TheDookieNut]

There was an strangely chilled breeze that brushed down the mountain path, chilling each of the men for a moment. The two others shivered, rubbing their hands across their arms. Roran, being the only one of them who hadn't placed his weapon away, stopped in his tracks. The two others walked past, ignoring the obvious sign. Roran closed his eyes for a second and glanced back behind them. Still nothing.. He furrowed an eyebrow and waited. Nothing. With a audible sigh, he carried on after the others, tucking his now under an arm and over his torso. They walked for a few miles, ever weary of the mountain Wargs and other folk who lived in the pass between worlds.

"Hey! We thought you'd died!" One man yelled, leaving his wooden seat to greet the others. "Hadvar had best me seven silvers that you'd be dead in the street." He added, helping one of the men with the catch.

"Perhaps we might of been. Roran reckons Wargs followed us.",The speaking man, one by the name of Theolin, dumped the deer by the fire and sat down, resting his feet against the flames that licked the air. Roran and the second man followed, sitting on each of the wooden love they'd collected.

"Any signs of travellers?" Roran asked, still consciously thinking about the wind that had shook them not some time ago.

"Nothing." Had at replied, cutting the deer and peeling back its skin. It was strange, to feel such wind yet see no source.

[SmallWonders]

Miri’khete followed through the trees, falling back as they approached the lighter area around their camp. The light of the fire and their torches would likely prove a problem but she was up for the challenge. Seeing how they skinned the deer, she wondered briefly if it were worth stealing. It got cold out in the night and the furs would certainly serve as good protection against the elements but she couldn’t help but be wary. If she was too ambitious in what she tried to steal, they would notice and she could be captured. Humans were really not too tolerant of thieves, as she’d discovered, even if those thieves were taking things that they were to throw away anyway.

She dropped her bag so she’d be lighter on her feet and less likely to be noticed. Taking the time to mark the tree under which she left her bag, she turned and headed towards the camp. Getting close as she dared, Miri hid in the shadows and waited for an opening. Their conversation floated over on the wind and she caught little snippets of sentences.

It seemed that perhaps she had been noticed by one of them after all. The one that had looked right at her, too. She hadn’t been quite as sneaky as she had hoped to be, then. It surprised her that he seemed to dwell on it for so long after the rest of them had seemingly dismissed it. Getting past him would be the hardest part of getting to the food, then. He was the most observant of them all. Miri drew her hood over her head and waited, her eyes flickering around the group as she searched for a good enough chance for her to get close and steal some food.

[TheDookieNut]

"Sit down. If it is Wargs, we've already given our position away." Theolin commented, removing his sword so he could rest it against his lap. The group sat quietly for a while, no one really spoke whilst the deer was cooked. Being sent out into this pass, to wear these clothes, to live a life of one purpose with no intention or ability to raise a family; the latter of which was against he rules. Being here, was a blessing yet a curse. No child died in the harsh winters, but they were bound to a life of serving and protecting the relm.

"Here." Hadvar smiled, handing them each of section of sliced and cooked deer. "It's going to be a cold night." He added, feeling the wind slowly begin to pick up. They all pulled their furs closer around them, nibbling and eating quietly. They had no wine skins or cause for merriment. If Wargs were around, they had plenty of choices not to drink themselves to sleep.

Theolin was the first to retire, the second was a man named Jaimes, and soon enough it was just Roran, sitting by the fire, watching the road. They'd shifted to deer onto a pile of crates to keep it off the ground.

[SmallWonders]

Miri watched and waited patiently as one by one, they retired. Soon, there was only one young man left and he didn’t seem to want to go yet but she was feeling faint. She needed to get sustenance and so she took the chance. Shivering as she broke free of the trees that blocked most of the wind from her, she advanced closer to the camp. It was easy to stay in the shadows until she reached the edges of the light their fire gave off.

Her footsteps traced around the edge until she got as close as she could, darting forward to snatch one of the pieces of deer they’d left out. In her haste, Miri clumsily knocked over the crates. They clattered, spilling the food over the ground. Cursing herself in her mind, she retreated into the shadows and bit into the meat. She chewed slowly, hiding in the shadows and trying to stay still so she wouldn’t be noticed. Her heart raced in her chest and she lowered her bright eyes, allowing her hair and her hood to shield them from view. There was no way she would be fast enough to escape when she was so hungry. Swallowing her food, she crouched in the inky darkness of the trees.

[TheDookieNut]

Roran stared into the flames, desperately linking things together. The gods were dead, yet a gods wind, or so his mother had called it, flew past with bone chilling cold. He couldn't quite understand. Yet it had been after they'd heard the mountain crumble slightly. If there had been someone following them, then the gods clearly didn't want him and his friends to be killed. Which meant the gods were back.. After so long? Yet, he couldn't just leave the Winter's watch.. He wasn't allowed. He had a debt to pay.

His thought were abruptly disturbed when the crates fell. He pushed himself to his feet and pulled his bow out as fast as he could. Wargs? Well, warg? He pushed an arrow into the strings and aimed at the crates.
"Out. Now." He spat, keeping his voice down so he didn't alert the others. A wind howled again, quietly get stop as cold. It pushed past his arms, chilling his fingers as they wrapped around the arrow. It seemed to swirl around the camp, pushing past his legs and blowing past his face. "Out. Now." He commanded again, ignoring the wind as best he could. It wasn't a gods wind, Merelda, the Queen god, was dead. She died with the last true King.. "Out. Now."

[SmallWonders]

Miri hoped to whoever was listening that this guard didn’t find her. Tucking her stolen meat away, she took a steeling breath and watched this guard search for her She didn’t know what he would have done if he did but she didn’t think it would have been pleasant. But she was trapped with nowhere to go but into the firelight where she could be seen. He must have seen her or known she was there somehow or perhaps by sheer dumb luck he’d aimed correctly because he was aiming straight at her heart. If he loosed his arrow, she would be dead within moments.

The first time he asked, she stayed hidden and hoped he’d give up. The second time, she cringed and hoped he’d turn elsewhere so she could escape. The third time, she gave up. He would not leave. Biting softly on her lip, she stood up slowly, her slender frame barely discernible from the darkness until she stood tall enough to escape from the shadows of the crates and the fire shone light upon her. Slowly, she raised her hands, palm facing him to show she meant no harm and that she wasn’t armed in anyway.

[TheDookieNut]

Roran kept his how extended, watching the crates until the figure came out.
"You're stealing from the kingdom of Cathlas, this kill, is property of the King." As was everything else in the kingdom. There was a certain air of venom in his tone as the word King spat across his tongue. It slid off with a sticky, hateful tone, as if Roran held a deep hatred for the man on the throne that spam back to earlier than the day he was forced to join the Watch. "I will ask you your name once, you will answer and will be taken back to Harrow where your sentance will be judged." He'd have to take her himself, after all, it was the rules. "Or should I kill you now? That way-" He stopped, feeling a fierce wind push from behind his shoulders. The wind seemed powerful and forced his fingers to release the hold of the bow string. The arrow was sent swirling towards the thief. It was so quick, Roran barely saw it. The arrow moved visably out the way so it didn't pierce the heart of the elf.

Roran stumbled back a little and stared at the arrow as it lay on the ground just outside of the fire's light.
"Wait there." He stammered, moving over to Hadvar's tent. He disappeared to a second and the two reappeared.
"Warg? Oh.. A Castermere thief. Seems a bit stretched to be stealing from Watchmen in these hills." He looked the elf up and down befor seating himself by the fire. He'd cover watch and leave Roran to take the thief to Harrow.

[SmallWonders]

Miri watched the arrow fly towards her and get pushed off course before she had even blinked. With wide eyes and a thundering heart, she stared at the man who still held the bow. He seemed to be just as surprised as she was. Miri'khete had been almost certain that it was her turn to die at the hands of these guards and then here she was, still standing. It felt like her heart was five, ten, fifteen heart beats past expiry and she couldn't comprehend why. It hadn't even touched her, lying in the shadows and glinting silver in the light of the fire.

It was this shock that kept her still, even as she heard him retreat into a tent. She could have escaped. She could have run, grabbed her bag and been clear of these guards easily but by the time her mind had caught up to her, it was too late. He was back and with a companion too. Warily, she eyed the two of them. There was an exchange of words but Miri didn't pay much attention. That was that. She was going to be taken back to where she had been running from. There was little chance of escape now.

[TheDookieNut]

Roran grabbed up his sword and retightened his quiver.
"Eat. There will be no time whilst were walking." He gestured over the food she'd been trying to steal. They'd leave as soon as she was done. He needed the permission to leave, even if he had to lie in order to get it. "It's a three day walk." He added. He pulled at the two cords on his cloak and wrapped them further around his shoulders. He'd need to take her to one of the priests, and no doubt the King would need to know. Regardless, if he knew the King well enough, he'd want her dead. If it came to it, he'd take her into the god's Waste, if she was who he suspected, chances were they wouldn't die.