A New Arrival (Open...ATTN. Maggie)

[Anonymous]

*Deep in the woods outside of Ketra, a golden mist appears, glowing softly for a few seconds. As the mist clears, a slender humanoid figure is revealed with a miniature dragon perched on her shoulder. Behind her are eight horses, tied together leadline to tail, in two rows. The front four horses have saddles or gear packed onto them, and all eight's coats gleam in the dappled sunshine through the treetops. The female reaches up to scratch under the dragon's chin, then turns to check on her horses. After assuring herself that everone survived the trip, she lets out a shrill whistle. A giant shaggy black dog with tan markings appears out of the shadows of the forest, and bounds to the woman, taking her hand in it's mouth.*

'Shine find the road for us, and then feel free to do a little hunting.

*After 'speaking' to her pet, Pennier returns to her horses, and swings into the saddle on the first of them. She clucks to the others, and they start off through the woods, following the shaggy black animal through the shadows. The nymph seems to be oblivious to her surroundings, talking softly to her horses as they go through the unknown woods, but she remains in constant contact with her hound, while questioning the dragon wrapped around her shoulders.*

Albert, where have you brought us? I know that you aren't happy that we had to leave the lands of the Dragon Court, but even you have to agree we'd grown too well known, and I was losing my edge.

*The small green dragon ignores her mental inquiries, then finally shakes his wings and takes to the sky, flying low over the treetops. The sun glints off his shiny scales, and he marvels at the changes wrought in the land since the maps he came across were drawn. After a few minutes of flying, he returns to Pennier, and swoops low.*

Penni, the road is up ahead, we should reach it within the hour, even at the pace we're keeping. And to answer your question from before, I have brought us to a place where no one knows you, or me. We are rather distinctive, and the heat was on a little high back there. Besides, maybe you shall step out of the shadows and start breeding and raising horses full time.

*The nymph rolls her eyes at the dragon's 'words' and continues to follow the mental map 'Shine sent her, towards the road. She begin whistling softly to herself as they move through the woodlands, 'telling' the dog to go hunt, then catch up to the rest of them.*

[Anonymous]

It had been a very lonely couple of days for Cassius Sade. Wellâ€"lonely for want of other people. He had company, as he’d had for the past twenty years, but for now she only existed to him as a presence. As always, he wasn’t able to hear her or see her, but as he sat in that gnarled tree of Ketra’s forest, he was aware of kind eyes on him.

He made quite the picture, such a great man in mildly tarnished paladin’s armor, sitting up there. Blonde stubble coated his jaw like sand and his lids were weighed down with dark circles: it was obvious to any passer-by that he had been in the forest for some time, now.

In fact, he was contemplating going back to town and stocking up on supplies when, through the trees, he saw what looked to be a shining mist. He narrowed his eyes, clearing the picture, a small grin slowly growing across his countenance the longer he watched.

“The girl brought a zoo!� Cassius laughed to both himself and Lucy. A dragon, a dog, seven- no, eight horses.

Laughing, the Paladin shook his head and watched the dog. He liked some of them, but he tended to perturb themâ€"to an animal’s nose, Cassius smelt like a wolf. And that was fine with him, because it kept most wild ones away.

That didn’t seem to stop this dog, though. The girl barely looked at it and the creature went charging off: it was about to run past his tree when it stopped, sniffing the air.

Bark. Bark. Barkbarkbark.

“Oh, woof,� Cassius told it sourly, staring down at the great mongrel. “Yes, yes, we know you’re tough. Now shoo!�

[Anonymous]

*'Shine looks up at the man, curious as to why her eyes and nose don't say the same thing. Deciding that her mistress can handle whatever this creature's presence means, she eagerly returns to her hunt. Farther into the forest she sniffs out a strange odor, but it resembles the rabbits she knows from her home woods, and takes off like a shot in pursuit of the scent.

Pennier, continues moving her horses toward the road, when suddenly the two horses in the back of the line throw back their heads and balk, eyes rolling wildly. They frantically flash an image of large wolf to the other horses and their mistress. The nymph slides out of the saddle gracefully, and moves swiftly down the lines soothing the animals who are all now beginning to panic, with exception of the two horses in the lead. She gets her animals calm, in less than a minute, when the dragon lets out a sharp high pitched whistle.

Albert looks toward the trees, noticing the dull gleam of sunlight on metal for the first time. He flies towards it, identifying that there is a man, but his nose tells him that there is a canine other than 'Shine present close by. The dragon feels the presence of another, but cannot find it's source with his keen senses, and whistles sharply once more. The small dragon wheels around above the tree, seeking out the canine and the mystery person. Pennier immediately becomes wary, and looks in the direction Albert has indicated. She moves back towards the front of her horses, untying the lead ropes as she moves, if this is threat she wants her animals to be able to get away, at the least. Upon reaching the front horse, she leaps aboard the glistening dark bay stallion. He lets out a trumpeting scream, as she calls out to the man, her voice imperious.*

"Identify yourselves!"

*The nymph reaches behind her and grabs a slender shortbow and notches an arrow. She looks all around her at the trees, but spots no one else. She keeps the bow at the ready, and returns her gaze to the figure in the tree. Pennier curses herself for having sent 'Shine off to hunt and 'calls' to the hound frantically, flashing her an image of the ambush she anticipates.*

'Shine, to me.

[Anonymous]

Though at first pleased the dog had taken his advice and made its way past, it was only too soon that a clamor began among the horses: a cacophony of whinnies and squealing that made him roll his eyes, but hardly from fear. And then that tiny dragon, flittering about the tree like an irritating gnatâ€"Lucy wasn’t exactly a fan, either, considering how cold his right hand was growing.

“Now, now,� he whispered, barely moving his lips, “leave him be, Lucia. He means no harm.�

Oh really?

His dead fiancée’s voice rang through his mind and he looked up, watching as the tiny girl hopped onto the front horse and readied her bow. Ignoring Lucy’s cynicism, he instead placed a hand lightly on the handle of his long sword.

“I should ask you the very same thing,� he chuckled, half-smiling at the girl. “After all, this is my home. For now, anyways. And there’s only one of me,� he added, shrugging.

He didn’t say anything more, but he was aware of Lucia wrapping gently around his mind. A telepath, she told him. I heard her talking to the animals. And she has no business in your thoughts, should she try.

Acknowledging her with a brief thought, Cassius spoke again. "Move along, little girl," he told her gently, nodding with his head. "The road is that way."

[Anonymous]

((Maggie, I'll edit in a post tonite, srry, I forgot I had a Bio lab and a Math test this weekend. I promise to post by midnight though))