searching for things (OPEN)

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{taeli shealaes*}
featuring--! --! ---! ---!

Illrea was beyond different without the riders within’ the great place. The silence was a scary though, but every now and then, the sound of bandits running through the streets could be heard. Rats had taken home in places most would not have found them before. The homes had been over turned of both nobles and riders. The home of Tasia Anne Georgios was in complete shambles, as well as the home of Awiti Ekere Richards, a human protector of the dragon eggs and the adopted sister of Leilani, former princess of Broddering, before she died. The rider’s training place had been destroyed and the libraries had been overturned and things taken in both a rush and due to thieves. This was the reason most were here… And it was the reason I was here. Laying on the floor of Tasia’s home, I looked out the door as morning began to awaken the city. The bandits of the night had gone into their hiding and I, as well as other werecats, had taken of residence in the homes of many other rider’s. Why? Well, that was easy… We were working for the riders, of course. We were not the small werecats of this land, we came from land far away and took the form of exotic women or men when walking among humans and elves, but when we were not or when we were among good company, we took the form Tigers or Lions… Panther’s or Cheetahs… We slept at night in the homes of those allied with the riders and during the day, we hunted for the artifacts to carry to port and return to the riders.

Awiti’s home had recently been cleaned of everything she and her sister would need. Same with Tasia, whom had managed to sneak into the city one time to help take her things to Vroengard. It had been a one time thing as she had been spotted by one of the Queens Soldier’s who took the form of a bandit to harm or kill any rider in Illrea. Luckily, the werecats were there to help her… But I had asked her not to return, for her safety.

As I woke, the sound of our call went out and I let my roar come out as well before changing into a human form. As I walked out, I shut the door of the house and used my magic to keep it locked and where no one could come in. Turning, I saw the form of others coming towards me and I changed into myself. It was time we split up and looked for the things we had come to get. As my paws hit the ground, I watched as everyone moved about and I moved towards the great building where the riders once learned and trained.

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[Lisenet]

Tellenani Valaician

Dear Mother, today I evaded bandits by digging myself a shallow grave and burying myself just to see if I could get away with it. I can.

No, that would only reinforce her opinion that I occasionally work harder than necessary just to see if I can achieve the same result as a more standard measure might.

Dear Mother, yesterday I spent nine hours in a tree listening to the droll, but enlightening, conversation of two travelers who decided to make camp beneath me while I was up in the canopy looking at the ocean. I learned how to create fake battle scars with a myriad of different elements just in case I--like these men--ever need to prove I couldn't possibly have abandoned the army because my flesh looks like a badly tilled field.

The sarcasm in this one was rather heavy. Perhaps not. I scraped that one out with my heel, the bare dirt before me already ruffled with my many previous attempts not to waste paper or ink, and began anew.

Dear Mother, tomorrow I plan to steal as many priceless tomes from the riders' library as I can carry and bury them nearby until I can return with an entire squadron to rescue every single one.

Did my foolishness never end? So my mother would think. She believes that I embark on these solitary quests out of sheer boredom and contempt for the minor nobility's way of life. I suppose she's not entirely wrong.

Dear Mother, I spent most of last evening chatting amiably with a man of the most fortuitous luck….

He had managed to dig his way into an old cellar and had disguised the entrance most ingeniously, so that the other beggars had little to no idea that he—or anything else for that matter—even lived there. But Mother would take it as she would, in the hopes that I had found some handsome young nobleman strong of intellect but light of will, whom she could use to convince me to come home. Excellent.

I wrote that at the top of my next letter, folded it, recorked my ink, and climbed back up to the soft rafters of the training room where I had spent the night. No one ever expected someone to sneak into a place of valuables during the day and not immediately leave. This gave me the slightest advantage over the other plunderers. That, and I had studied enough layouts of training compounds such as these to be able to guess how it was organized. The library held the majority of my interest; a golden goblet is all well and good, but at best it can be exchanged for food or money. A book can be exchanged for knowledge, food of the mind. The belly’s needs are temporary. The requirements of a swift mind are endless.

I had packed up the last of my sparse belongings and was preparing to lower myself down again—stepping lightly across one of the central beams crossing from the east wall to the west—when a dusty smudge of light below me flickered with a shadow. I paused, lifted onto my toes, fingers spread for balance even in stasis, and blinked down at the cause of the shadow. A tiger? Those weren’t native to this realm, surely, or I would have known about it. Unless…. I had heard rumors of different beasts, were-people with different alternate bodies. Regardless of whether this particular feline had a human living inside it or not, however, this land was not meant to hold them. They didn’t like the cold.

”What are you doing so far from home?” I asked lightly, calling down no louder than I needed to to be heard.

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{taeli shealaes*}
featuring--! --! ---! ---!

Entering the building of another rider was a simple task, especially when many of the were-creatures helping me had already left the doors open once they left. But this building was the home of a friend of mine… The rider known as Anselm Volasyl, the rider of the great beast known as Elisedd. The two were a unique pair, that was for sure. As I spoke to him not far from the spine during their flee, the asked me to grab the books he had left in his home and this was his home. With the streets once again quiet, it was easy to roam without much hassle. The sound of other were-beast alerting the carriers was sounding. Our task was simple, going into the city of Illrea and retrieve the items of the riders. The carriers were the were-creatures whom ran from our main gathering point to the others who were out searching. Once there, they took book at a time we gave them and ran back to the gathering place where the books were guarded by another were-creature or two.

Looking around, the scent of human could be smelt in my nostrils and I growled at the realization that another was here with me. Eyes amber eyes searched the room carefully as I padded into it. The feathers that were a part of my human hair were also braided into my feline appearance as well, mostly around my neck and head. As my feet landed on the hardened ground of the home, my black claws reached out from my toes, scrapping the ground ever so slightly as I looked around. Seeing the stack of books in the corner, I let out a bellow like sound. Moving further to the corner, my eyes searched the area around me before I made it to the books. With my mouth, I picked each up carefully and moved them to the door way.

Seeing the other coming down the street, I quickly looked around for the human I smelt. “What are you doing so far from home?” The sound came from a female and I looked up to see her looking down at me. The sound of the were-lion who had come to take the books was there and around his neck, a bag. Changing into my human self, my thin layer of clothing only just covering my body as I knelt down. The other changed as well, his lion pelt turning into the dark figure of black human with yellow cat eyes. My claws turned to sharp finger nails and my teeth were merely shorter to fit into my human head. My skin was like that of an amazon, tanned by the sun. My hair held a beautiful red tone to it and it was filled with feather.

As my friend gathered the books, I turned to the human. ”You are in one of my many homes, human… The home of one of my flying friend… What are you doing here?”

[/color] My voice held a tone of maturity and age that all were-cats developed early on. [/blockquote][/blockquote]

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[Lisenet]

As soon as the two of them—there was a lion now, also—blurred into human bodies, I lowered myself to sit comfortably on the wide beam. I could tell already that this would be an interesting interaction. I had not yet had the pleasure of meeting any werecats before. I hadn’t even realized that they could change into such diverse felines. That they could turn into creatures that did not belong in my homeland….unnerved me, admittedly. Not that they had the right to know such things. They were fascinating to see, surely. But what was the point, I wondered, of having feathers in your hair if you changed into a mammal? Purely vanity? Tsk tsk.

”I did not realize this home still belonged to anyone, I apologize,” I said equably. It wasn’t as if I took pride in trespassing, easy as it was once even in homes inhabited more comfortably by dust mites than humans….and other creatures, apparently. ”That depends,” I replied bluntly then. ”Although our interests seem to be coinciding on one point. My business is with the books if they’re bound somewhere I don’t care for. However,” I noted, [/b]”if I don’t care for the destination, I doubt there will be anything I can do to prevent you from taking them as you will.”[/b] I did wonder, most fiercely, about her declaration of who possessed this fine home. First she called it hers, then that of a friend. Whose home was it, really? Or did the home belong to him and he welcomed her to it so that now she felt at ease laying claim?

If she and her partner intended damage to the books they were gathering, they could just as easily have torched them here or merely strewn them about to make insulation for the mites living in the floor, so my supposition was that they had similar aims with the volumes as I did. Who would benefit from them, though? These books, I felt, belonged to whoever had the inclination to gather them, since their previous owner had abandoned them so suddenly, regardless of the circumstances. But if she was taking them to one of the factions that repeatedly raided the smaller towns for supplies, that sank our ships or told the elves all the things they didn’t need to know about whose power threaded through whom, I would feel the need to somehow take them first, or, at most disastrous, destroy them. Better for us to be on equal ground than to allow the enemy to take the higher stand because I am sentimental about the written word. Then again, what use would common raiders have with such excellent artifacts, on some of which the velvet they were bound in still shining faintly in the morning glow.

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{taeli shealaes*}
featuring--! --! ---! ---!

As we placed the books carefully into the bag, I was careful not to ruin any and even checked for anything damaged. As I noted a few rats had gotten the corner, my eyes landed on the eyes of the were-lion and mentally spoke to him. They would be repaired when we got them to the riders, but right now, we were going to get them where they needed to be gotten. Luckily, another group of were-cats and humans would be taking them to Teirm in a week. As the lion finished gathering the book, he returned to his feline form and after another mental conversation, let his bellow be heard as he exited the building. I went again to the corner and brought more books over as well as a few pictures that had been left. Looking at them, I smiled. The painting of the green dragon showed how small the hatchling had been at the time, but that was many years ago. As I watched the woman and still did my job, I waited for the next carrier.

”I did not realize this home still belonged to anyone, I apologize.” I looked at her for a moment and shrugged. I still considered all the homes of the rider’s their home. One day, they would be able to return, the Queen had banished them, but she honestly had no rule over the Broddering nation and Illrea was in the middle. Soon, the queen of Broddering would not allow the armies of the elves to be in Broddering. I could see it coming soon if the elves continued their acts by acting like the land belonged to them. ”That depends… Although our interests seem to be coinciding on one point. My business is with the books if they’re bound somewhere I don’t care for. However, if I don’t care for the destination, I doubt there will be anything I can do to prevent you from taking them as you will.” I nodded in agreement. ”These are bound for the realm of the riders. In their flee, they could not take everything and my friends and I gathered our resources and I protecting the items until the human’s allied with the riders can met.”

[/color] I didn’t care who I told the plan to. What most didn’t know was that were-creatures were traveling with the convoy to Teirm, where a dragon would met the ship and travel the rest of the way. As the other came, a cheetah, I removed the bag and filled it as well before handing it back to the feline, explaining to her to take these and don’t send another. [/blockquote][/blockquote]

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[Lisenet]

At the resonant trumpet of the lion, I rocked back slightly on my perch. I do believe even the dust quivered with intimidation. By the look of it, though, a fight with these weres was highly unlikely, seeing as they had thus far done no harm to the books they so gingerly tucked into their satchels. Granted, if one should occur, I believe it would also be highly unlikely that I escaped under any circumstances other than that they permitted me to do so. The hairs on the back of my neck and shoulders stood at attention just at the imagining of such a scuffle.

”….protecting the items….” I smiled faintly. It seemed our aims were the same after all. She was taking the books to the riders and I would have taken them to the human populations, but so long as they didn’t go solely to the elves—who I knew had quite enough knowledge of their own without cutting into ours—I had no complaints.

”In that case,” I remarked, bringing my pack around and onto my lap, rummaging through it, ”you should know that I found this hidden in one of the walls that fell down.” I produced a modestly-lined book that was clearly, by the state of its fading ink, older than even the small manor it had been in. My reading of the ancient language had not yet caught up to my speaking of it, but the book appeared to have something to do with various small uses of magic that, from my glances, had large impacts. I gripped the beam between my legs and leaned out over the open air between us, arm stretched out with the book at its end. ”Catch,” I said, so she wouldn’t think I was taunting her with it. I just had no intention of dropping such an item twenty feet down onto a dusty floor. It deserved better. ”Were you planning on visiting the library as well? The doors burned when I touched them; I couldn’t get in.” But I wasn’t versed in magic. I’d never even tried. Perhaps she or someone among her group could get through the spell though. I could probably find a wiggle hole to get through if I expended enough effort, but why waste my expansive skills if I could get her to do it for me?

I returned my own satchel to its place hanging behind my shoulders and stood on the beam once more, stepping evenly across it to the far wall—just to be safe—and eased my way down from the beam to the wide windowsills, below them to the brickwork of the hearth, down its side and to the ground. Hopefully they wouldn’t consider my descent a threat, but I doubted it. It wasn’t like I had claws.

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{taeli shealaes*}
featuring--! --! ---! ---!

As I looked out the door to check for my carrier, I could hear the sounds of other were-creatures as they found more items in the homes of the riders. This was good, soon they would have enough worth protecting and wouldn’t have to worry about only protecting a few and people getting killed over that. Looking back at the girl, I watched her carefully. I didn’t know who she was and didn’t want to start problems when the Queen of the humans was already causing enough. As I finished the last of the books, I stuffed the picture into my own bag, seeing as it was not too heavy and I personally wanted the rider to get this back to him.

”In that case.” I walked over to where the woman sat and waited for whatever she was looking around for. ”You should know that I found this hidden in one of the walls that fell down.” As she leaned over the beam to hand it to me, I took it with ease. My long body made for getting things from high places easy and I opened the book. As my eyes read over some of the ancient language, I knew that it was an important book dealing with magic as well as other stuff. Something the riders needed… But why was it in such bad condition? Hiding in one of the many walls? It was odd, which was the only thing I could think of. As I looked through it, the human’s voice touched my sensitive ears again. ”Were you planning on visiting the library as well? The doors burned when I touched them; I couldn’t get in.” Burned? It was odd, but luckily I knew a few back ways in through the underground as well as the roof. I wondered if the riders had put a spell on the library to keep bandit’s out? I would have to contact Tasia or one of the other riders.

”I was, but before I do that, I need to contact the riders…”

[/color] Being a were-being I was able to use magic and that included using the water to make contact with the riders. As I placed the old book in my bag, I looked out the door. This building was basically cleaned out now, other than furniture and such. ”You are welcome to join me, but I must go to our central location where we are taking the items we are gathering.”[/color] I waited for her to pick what she wanted to do. The woman could easily chose to not do anything else with me. This woman could come with me and see what we had gathered. Or, she could meet me at the library. Many choices were upon the woman now, so it was up to her.[/blockquote][/blockquote]

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[Lisenet]

I removed a length of waxed twine that had come unraveled from itself out of a side pocket of my satchel and toyed with it as she thought, twisting each individual thread and winding the two together in turns. The cord was still in workable condition, it just hadn’t been burnt properly on the ends to keep it that way. I got a length of rope for free and only had to make a small payment of time before I could use it. I was glad that neither she nor any of her companions outside had charged for me when my toes had found the ground. I would be remiss to let myself get killed now, when they world may yet have need of me.

”….but I must go to our central location where we are taking the items we are gathering.” A location at which I would not be welcome. I nodded once, pleased that she’d made the offer of accepting assistance. Prideful, prejudiced people are just so troublesome to deal with, especially when they’re being illogical about it. Refusing an urgal’s help when washing the dishes is one thing, refusing the urgal’s help when building a dam is entirely another. ”I will see you at your library’s quarrelsome doors then,” I said cheerfully, tucking the ball of twine away and setting out through a leaning doorway in the west wall. ”And I do apologize for trespassing,” I added in earnest before ducking through it. As outcome-oriented as I was, I had still been raised to respect the homes and possessions of others; I always preferred to conduct business through civilized means when possible.

The halls to the large library were easy to navigate, and in moments I stood before the grand, weathered doors, turning a pinked quartz over and over in my hands. One of my more useful acquisitions, it glowed or sparkled in accordance to the amount of magic it was in the proximity of. Not terribly useful for magic-users themselves, as it would nearly always glow, but for an ordinary human such as myself, it came in handy on the occasions I remembered to use it. The stone glittered faintly in my hands as I fingered it, and gave a solid, medium-light glow when I gingerly pressed it to the fine wood of the doors, careful not to let my skin touch. Of all injuries, broken bones included, burns were my most loathed. I understood cuts, I understood broken bones, I did not understand burns. Nor did I appreciate feeling the fool for acquiring them, since of the three burns took the longest time both to attain and, in certain instances, to heal.

When I heard the faintest of footsteps easing over the floorboards before me I tucked the stone in the front of my blouse in a smooth, slow motion coinciding with the movements my hands were already making. Nothing warned of subterfuge like sudden motions or silences when company appeared. Assuming the were was the company, I inquired, ”Why aren’t the Riders able to fetch their own belongings? Being the partner of a dragon seems fair fearsome, no offense to you and yours.” I let some of my properness of speech slip away. Grandfather had taught me that folks in positions of power—wealth, family, numbers, strength—often feel less disquieted around those they believed to be their inferiors. I didn’t mind being thought a tart-tongued commoner if it meant the woman capable of sprouting fangs and claws was less jumpy in my presence. I didn’t lose all of my taught speech, however. Powerful people often feel they have the right to consider commoners as tools to be used; while I did wish to be useful, I wanted to make it clear that my first interest was still with myself. I was not to be used.

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{taeli shealaes*}
featuring--! --! ---! ---!

As the human woman came to the ground, I just merely looked at her, but I could sense the tension in the air that came from her moving to the ground. Was it possible that my pack of were-creatures was causing her nerves to become tense? It was possible. I didn’t understand why though. Waiting to see if she would come with me to our meeting place, but it seemed she wanted to go somewhere else and I didn’t blame here. If someone did not know of the were-creatures, it was easy to get nervous about them… Even if they did work for the great Riders of this land. ”I will see you at your library’s quarrelsome doors then… And I do apologize for trespassing.” With a simple nod, I ran a few feet, tossed my bag into the air and morphed into my true form. Catching the bag in my teeth, I loped easily towards the area where my friends were settled.

A few other creatures were calling out to get extra help and as I entered the home of one of the riders, I added my collection to the pile, where a few were-cats were in their human form organizing the books and artifacts before packing them in crates. In the court yard of the home were horses that we were going to use to take the things out in a week or two and a few of the were creatures slept on the wagons to watch over the horses. ”I must make contact with the riders. Where is the human magician who came with us?”

[/color] My mind was stretched over the room and the human came down the stairs and looked at me. ”I have a name” I merely rolled my eyes and changed into myself. ”You have yet to earn my respect, but in time, human… Can you get in touch with the rider known as Anselm Volasyl.” The man just waved his hand before moving over to the mirror upon the wall. As he said words in the ancient language, I stood there waiting until I saw the rider in his tent. ”Great rider, we have managed to collect many things here in Illrea, however, a young human has been in the city doing the same, collecting artifacts. She has offered to help the riders collect items since they belong to the riders… But she said the library door burns to the touch, what magic has been placed upon it.”[/color] At first, I noticed he was not happy about hearing a human plundering the city, but he soon eased his facial expression and thought for a moment.

”Yes, a ward was placed on all the doors that lead to the outside… You, however, should be able to open it. It was made to where only those who are allied with the riders can open it. Once it is opened, let who ever you want into the building and then shut it to make sure no one else can get it.” With a nod, I bowed to the elf and moved away from the mirror which then went blank. After gathering a few linen bags for myself and a few others did the same, we headed towards the library in our were-creature forms. A Lion, Cheetah, and myself, the tiger, moved with quick speed towards the library and soon, could see the woman looking at it.

As I got close, I morphed and so did my friends, both dressed like those of the great desert. Their skins were both very dark and their eyes the color of yellow and orange. ”Why aren’t the Riders able to fetch their own belongings? Being the partner of a dragon seems fair fearsome, no offense to you and yours.” My lips parted as I smiled and revealed my own sharp teeth. ”Because, even though Illrea is in the middle of the human kingdom, the Queen still owns this city and she banished the riders to the island known as Vroengard… Elves have positioned themselves along the spine and in other places looking for any rider who tries to fly into the mainland. I am sure that soon, your human Queen will demand they leave, but right now, with everything happening so quickly, the riders need to keep themselves and our allies safe.”[/color] I said to her as I went up to the door. I could feel the ward upon the door, but as I touched it, the burning sensation did not touch me, merely a small tingle. As I pushed the door, it soon opened and I turned. ”Quickly, come in so I can shut the door.”[/color][/blockquote][/blockquote]

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[Lisenet]

At this I scowled. For all that I had studied them and their language—as best as a human can, with so little known about their race—I still doubted I would ever understand them properly, if such peoples even could be understood in any generalized fashion. ”Why would she attack a group containing her own people? The Riders are supposed to be….neutral, aren’t they?” I’d heard various summaries on the battle we’d all waged, but hearing others’ opinions was always informative, and besides, sometimes those opinions contained snippets of truths I hadn’t yet heard. When she beckoned I stepped over the threshold, having lost myself in a momentary memory: some people thought the Riders had brought this all upon themselves; others thought that without them we would soon follow. No one knew what or who to believe. We were a people of shadowy frailty balancing on cracked glass. No matter what we did we were liable to fall through.

As I stepped through to the library the stone I’d tucked between my breasts flared briefly, burning, and my frown deepened as I rubbed the spot. That stone wasn’t meant to carry or generate heat. Perhaps it had something to do with the way the were could open the burning doors and I couldn’t. Likely it had something to do with the fact that this used to be her home and not mine.

”Are you looking for books of any topic in particular?” I asked, noting that the library contained books of numerous subjects and languages. I could recognize most, even if I could read a word or two of only four and comprehend only two with any level of fluency. Magic, history, dragonlore, geography, philosophy, music, language, art, poetry, weaponry, battle tactics, weather, politics, maps. I could spend months in this library without fear of losing interest in its contents.

Too bad it wasn’t my library. I had no right to the words kept here.

Either way, I began sorting through the dust-soft books I could reach first, running my fingertips over their firm spines, admiring the dry scent that rose off of them. Most everyone was capable of sensing beauty, but there were so few these days who saw the beauty in subtler things, like ideas.

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{taeli shealaes*}
featuring--! --! ---! ---!

The elves were a great people. Not only were they great, they were a race of people who were old and held great knowledge. ”Why would she attack a group containing her own people? The Riders are supposed to be….neutral, aren’t they?” How was I to answer such a question. There were so many way to answer this child of Broddering and after a moment of walking through the library I finally settled on my answer. ”The queen of the elves… She has always considered the pact between the dragons and elves to be among them only… She felt betrayed by the Riders when they allowed humans into the pact. The humans, no offense, was the cause of her mate’s death… And she believes the humans are inferior beings who don’t know anything… Granted, the elves have always had a step up on knowledge with their long lives and keen ability the learn everything… But what she does not realize is that elves mature a lot longer and humans take only a decade or two to mature fully… Elves take many decades to full mature into the people that they will become.”

[/color] Oh sure, my best friends were elves, but even I knew that humans were a great alley. They breed much faster than the elves and they would become great riders. A good thing about the dragon was that it made life longer and it would mean that the human riders would have a much longer life, if not hundreds of years of life.

”Are you looking for books of any topic in particular?” My mind had already touched based with the other were-creatures who were helping me and they made their ways through the library to certain places. After which, I looked at the lovely lady. ”Anything to deal with history, magic, dragons, elves, or humans really. I want to try and make sure the new human riders and new elves that come to learn will be able to learn what they need to before becoming riders themselves.”[/color] I said, noticing a few on the floor. Picking them up, I realized they were story books that the children enjoy and I put a few in the bag. Many of these books held hundreds of stories, I knew a few would work perfectful. ”Basically, we need to get everything in the library that we can. Some of the important books were taken by the riders, but only as many as their dragon could carry for the short flight to the spine. Once they were safe in the spine, it was when I told them my species and I would help get as many more as possible.”[/color]
[/blockquote][/blockquote]

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[Lisenet]

I nodded, still lightly touching the dusty spines. Dust waited for no man, and took no time to settle in and make itself comfortable. ”That makes sense. The humans fill in the space in between the long-awaited next generations of elves.” I pursed my lips then, tipping down a book so it lay on its back while its comrades stood on their feet. Its title was in the ancient language, which I didn’t care for her to know I could read, and speak as well. She could come back and find the books she wanted when she was through on her side of the library. One in particular caught my eye, Our Sacred Forest, and I tugged it free, letting it fall open in my palms, obviously frequently-read. The script was easy to follow and clearly written, but something in the way the words were arranged inside each sentence made it obscurely more difficult for me to understand. I had to bite my lip to keep from mouthing the words to myself just to be sure I was reading them correctly.

My head snapped up at a distant sound and the book fell closed. Absently I returned the book to its shelf, lying on its spine, and asked the other woman, ”What was that, do you suppose?”* Meanwhile I removed a few books in the human tongue that I thought might be useful, and upturned a few more in the language I supposedly didn’t know. Unfortunate that with the house’s true owner I couldn’t take a few for myself, as every one of them had fascination bound in every drop of ink, but I would much rather come back later and sort through what was left than try to sneak anything into my bag and be caught by the were and her sharp-fingered comrades.

The magic-sensing stone tucked into my bosom pulsed again and I drew it out while trying to look like I wasn’t doing anything. It shone far too brightly for my comprehension—I’d never seen it shine like that before, only flicker or flame now and again when I pressed it against something spelled or warded, as the doors had been. Was its own spell wearing off? Or was I being obtuse because one of my greatest fears was meeting a foe against which my every weapon would be merely entertainment for the person against whom I fought?

Slowly I settled the dozen books I’d relieved of the shelves on the thick rug in the center of the vast room. Debating with myself, I decided rather quickly that sometimes my secrets were better served exposed, and I opened my hand to reveal the shining stone. ”This senses magic. I’ve never seen it shine like this. It only sparkled when I touched it to those doors.” I tipped my head toward the great doors she had been able to open and I hadn’t been able to touch.

*Whatever you feel like, but I thought they deserved something more quick-beat than bookgathering. And I couldn’t think of anything else. :/

[Nayeli]

’introducing
{taeli shealaes*}
featuring--! --! ---! ---!

As I searched the shelves and even a desk in the room, I began to fill my bag with easy. I knew soon one of us would have to head back to the others with a bag and bring back help… Possible me, but right now, we would place the items at the door just to keep them in one spot. As I spoke to another mentally about the idea, the human girl quickly spoke as well. ”That makes sense. The humans fill in the space in between the long-awaited next generations of elves.” With an easy nod, I agreed. ”And, it is only fair that the pact is available to both races, especially since humans barely trust the riders due to them being elven, having human riders would even everything out.”

[/color] As I searched my side of the library, I could hear her moving the books about, opening the pages and as I glanced around my shoulders, I noticed she was looking at a few at the time. Read? It was not something I was sure about, but it was possible. Humans could learn the ancient language too, but it was harder compared to their language. It was a great accomplishment for them to learn the language.

At the sound of something not far from our area, I turned my head and gentle shut the book I was holding before placing it on the cluttered desk. As my eyes narrowed, my mental link searched for the others, who seemed as bewildered as myself. This was not good. Something was in the library and it was either animal or elf. ”What was that, do you suppose?” Stepping around the desk, I pulled myself closer to the entry way of this room. ”I do not know, but I am sure it would be good to find out.”[/color] As I quietly moved into the hallway, my dagger was easily slipped from my fabric belt and I moved towards the sound. I sniffed the air, my feline eyes searching the area as I moved carefully. I was not sure if the other would follow but I stopped a few yards from our room.

”Who is in this library? Show yourselves.”[/color] I was not one to be completely quiet, but I gave the other party an option to come forth first. Standing there, I glanced over as the human woman came over towards me and held out her hand. ”This senses magic. I’ve never seen it shine like this. It only sparkled when I touched it to those doors.” Taking the item into my own hand, my sharp finger nail traced over the stone and my eyes narrowed as I looked over it. ”Hmm… It senses magic, that is for sure… I doubt the door is having much of an effect on it right now, from what the riders said, it is only the doors and windows that have the wards upon them, not the whole building… Something is here… What, I am not sure.”[/color] I looked up at the end of the hallway and thought over everything. What else was here?[/blockquote][/blockquote]

’word count 0.514
’tagged none has come
’comment would we like to bring in another person to bring in some drama? i am not sure what we could do... I'm drawing a blank due to writing so many post... my muse just ran out.
’song None--! I Don’t Know
’post status done
’template creator nayeli

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