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Becoming an Outcast

Started by Ickedu, March 26, 2014, 01:27:28 PM

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Ickedu

Javan could not get his eyes off Felinn. But he was not only fascinated... like always, traces of distrust remained in his thoughts. Felinn somehow was not normal. In fact she wore the usual practical and tight leather clothes of a woman walking through the woods that clearly showed her slim and delicate body that in spite of her 23 years seemed to be that of a girl. Also she had the short bow slung over her back and the dagger in her belt, both attached in a way that would not hinder the movements, everything like himself and how it was custom with the hands of the gamekeeper when patrolling the woods.

But her hair, it glimmered in the half shade of the trees. Here in the woods all the more than when seeing her in the village. Strands of her hair seemed to light up in a golden tint when a ray of sunlight broke through the tight canopy of the trees, far more than the sparse light should permit. At times he even had seen her hair turn to grey, golden blond or even a bright red. Actually, her hair often was topic of covert and open gossip, when the people were talking about Felinn.
And when she moved... All of the hands of the gamekeeper were able to move steady and quiet in the woods. But when watching Felinn he was not the only one that had the feeling of watching a beast of prey that silently scurried through even the thickest underwoods... and with which you never could know when it would turn around and assault.

Maybe the gossip was right and Felinn really was a mage. Nobody ever had seen her using actual magic, but her mother had been a Serenian slave, and this also would explain why the Connlaothian trackers always were anxious when Felinn was near them. This suspicion was additionally strengthened by her very liberal views about equalization of mages and normal people.
It was a mistake on here part to not keep quiet about these views. She was getting more unpopular every day because of this. It even occurred, that some of the other young people were openly hostile toward here because of this, put obstacles in her way and generally gave her a hard time. a few days ago an actual brawl erupted as a result of one of the many discussions from which Felinn came out as the loser with several scrapes and bruises. But this didn't seem to bar her from telling her views at the next opportunity.

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Felinn was glad to be on the prowl. The village grew more and more awkward on her with the many people who just lived for the moment without regard for other creatures and their surroundings. Also here she was safe from the harassment of the others.
And she was glad to be on the prowl with Javan. He was not the best of the gamekeeper's hands and often seemed to be lost in his thoughts instead of doing his job. But he did not face her with as much animosity as some of the others and she could be sure that he would not detain her part of the provisions, would not put things into her drinking bottle, and would refrain from all the other things that the others had done to her.
In this way she at least could enjoy the forest. When she was on the prowl... regardless of fine sunshine, chilling winds or heavy rainfall, regardless of easygoing paths at the edge of the woods, thick underbrush or following little streams... here she felt free. Here she felt at home. Here she did well.

Far too early the evening came and their way led them back to the village. They already could smell the smoke of the fireplaces when Felinn heard an unusual noise. This late in the evening nobody should be around this far outside the village, but she could her human sounds slightly to the side of the path that lead to the gate.
She stopped, raised a warning hand to call Javan's attention and listened into the forest. Javan had not yet noticed the sounds, but he knew that he could rely on her ears, so he stopped and listened silently into the forest.
A few moments later, he also could hear it. Humans, probably a small group that was camping somewhere in front of them. Felinn and Javan carefully approached the group to find out what was happening.
But they were expected. Before they arrived at the group they also could hear quiet noises behind them, like someone wanted to sneak up to them. At once the both stopped and drew their daggers when they could hear a whistle after which they noticed people approaching from all sides. They were ambushed.

Felinn struggled to identify their opponents in the dark. And her confusion grew when the people that had formed a ring around the two uncovered oil lamps and Felinn could recognize her comrades and more people from the village. The situation gave her the creeps. What did the others want from her? Why had they intercepted her outside the village? She lowered her dagger slowly but kept it in her hand and looked around the ring of people. In the faces she could see all but kindness.

...

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