A strange bond.

[Helemaalleip]

Early in the morning, the sun has only just set and the birds sing their very own songs. The dew still covered the grass and the leaves of the trees and plants with a miniature layer of water, glancing in the sun. A deer walks through the ever green forest, searching for it's breakfast. An idyllic sight, or, almost... The deer lifted his head when he was roughly disturbed by a nearby chopping sound. 'Chop, chop, chop, chop...' A young man cutting wood, he continuously lifts an axe up high in the air and thereafter drops it on the wood. He threw both pieces on the pile of wood, and started all over again with another log, all day from dusk to dawn, every day of the week. Except today, on Fridays he brings his wood to the village to sell the wood to merchants. The residual wood could be bought on every other day of the week by the villagers, or would be used for fire to cook on.
David wiped his face and slammed the axe in the chopping block, and began loading the wood into a carriage. After years and years doing the exact same thing he developed his own methods to make it go faster, he became very good at it. Same counts for the hunting with his bow and traps, fighting with his bare hands and brawls in the taverns and inns in the vicinity. Although he was never really drunk, he did like to have a beer or two... or nine or ten, it seemed that under the influence of alcohol he never could never really get hold of himself.
After loading all the logs onto the carriage he left for the village, luckily it wasn't very far, the old horse wasn't able to handle the long rides anymore. He rode the carriage onto a road near his house when he saw a friend of his walking towards the village.
'Need a ride?' he shouted, his pal nodded and climbed on the carriage 'Thanks.' he said 'I might know a place you can sell the wood, they're building a house on the other side of the village.'
David rode the carriage along the way his mate had described to him, meanwhile talking about all kinds of useless things. They agreed to see each other in some local inn and the guy jumped of the cart and David rode along. He managed to sell the wood for a reasonable price and went to the market, he liked to go to the market to take a look at the merchandise. When he left the carriage and his horse bound to a tree to walk to the market suddenly a man came running towards him, he bumped against David. While he only just managed to stay on his feet the man ran along and when David looked around he was gone. What did just happen?

'Hey, you there!' someone shouted from the direction the man just came from, David saw three man walking towards him. Two were very heavily built but the middle one not so, he looked like a slightly rich merchant who obviously hired two man, probably chasing the man that just passed him. But something told him they suspected him of something as well.
'What are you holding there!?' the merchant shouted, it was only then David noticed he was holding a turquoise-ish stone in his left hand. 'Someone gave it to me!' David shouted back.
'Give it to me.' the merchant said, now closer so that he didn't have to shout anymore. David hesitated but then he shook his head 'It's mine now.' he said, slightly deviant.
The two other man walked threatening towards David, but he didn't step back, they couldn't take anything from him. One of the men grabbed him, but immediately struck him in the face, the man then pushed him away and the other man tried to hit him. He evaded the fist and then kicked the man as hard as he could in the face. The man staggered and fell on the ground, but the other man grabbed David again and tried to strangle him, he couldn't breath anymore and was about to pass out. 'Help!' he tried to shout, but no sound came out of his throat.

[GoblinFae]

Next to Connlaoth, La'marri happened to be one of Iorwerth's favorite places to spend his time. The people there were always very welcoming of him. It was a nice change in comparison to the on-edge tension and fear he experienced in his homeland. Connloath really was not the best place for a nonhuman to live. The fact that he also possessed magic and used it only made it worse for him.

Here in La'marri he could be himself; he could be free. He would often go to the orphanage and share his tales with the children there free of charge. Iorwerth did not often earn a great sum of coin here but he did stock up on a vast wealth of ideas and tales. Every person had something to tell and he was always ready to listen.

Today the centaur was enjoying the ability to maintain his natural form on this cool autumn day. Pacing himself to a steady trot he worked on thinking up some new silly rhymes for the children when a lone figure dashed past him followed by three others in pursuit. "What in the name of-"

Ever the curious one he trotted after the quartet to see what was amiss. 'There is sure to be a story to earn from this. A bard's duty to his listeners is never over,' he chuckled to himself. Stopping just shy of the road, the large centaur watched with interest the events that were beginning to unfold.

"It's mine now," the stranger yelled, causing Iorwerth to mentally flinch. 'Not a smart move. Sure as fire way to make them madder than a hornet's nest.' He continued to observe as things went from uncomfortable to horrible.

Incensed, Iorwerth stepped out onto the road and clopped his hooves down hard on the beaten path. "Come now," he cried, raising his hands to the threatening men. "He didn't do nothing. Let him go!"

"Stay out of this pony-boy," the merchant sneered. "This is none of your business!"
The centaur raised one thick brow in surprise and then shook his head in consideration. "You're going to kill him, for what, standing on the road? Your quarrel with him is as much as it is with me," he reasoned, steadily moving closer.

Iorwerth placed a hand to his chin and then pointed at the suffocating man. "You know I really don't think that is a particularly good shade of blue for him. I'll just-uh-uh-oh heavens!" Flicking his tail in irritation and stamping his hooves, the centaur pulled back one arm and balling the hand into a fist, hit the strangler as hard as he could. "I said let him go!"

[Helemaalleip]

David almost passed out, his vision began to blur bit by bit and he felt his hart beating as if the man strangling him was drumming on his chest with a couple of large sticks. But then he saw a hazy figure on the road, at first it was just watching but then he heard a voice "He didn't do nothing. Let him go!", hope gave him new strength and he began struggling again. As the unknown one tried to reason with the men David managed loosen the grip of the man holding him, he bit him in the arm. The man cried out loud 'YOU NASTY LITTLE PEST!', he pulled himself from David and looked disgusted at the wound in his arm, and then to David. 'You'll pay for that boy!' he tried to hit David, but he missed and David rapidly picked up a stone from the road and hit the man as hard as he could. The man was instantly knocked out, they may be big but David wasn't weak, he bet the man had a concussion or at least a few weeks of headache. The merchant couldn't believe his eyes, a man that big lying on the ground like that, he stood there a moment all shaky and afraid but then turned around and ran away. The other man followed the merchant, probably to get his payment.
David took some time to recover from the strangulation, his throat felt all soar and his head was a little light. (Is that an actual expression in English: 'To feel light in the head.' ??)
He then got up and first carefully inspected his new friend, he was a centaur, that much was obvious. He liked something about the guy, in a certain way he looked very friendly, but perhaps that was just because the guy just saved his life.
'Thanks man.' He said to the centaur, 'I guess I owe you, here take this.'
David handed the turquoise stone to the centaur 'You just saved my life, so I guess it's only fair to give it to you.'
'What's your name by the way?'

[GoblinFae]

(OOC: Yes to feel light in the head is an actual expression)

Iorwerth smiled as the man thanked him and bowed his head bashfully. "It was nothing. No, no, no! I couldn't!" he tried protesting as the stone was plopped into his hand. Its surface was cool and smooth to the touch. Yet, it also seemed to give a sense of warmth to the centaur as if it was alive. "Thank you," he finally acknowledged quietly. "You did not have to, but thank you."

The centaur smiled broadly at the other man and bowed at the waist. "I am Iorwerth, a bard. But, I am afraid I do not know your name sir. Perhaps after you have given it you would honor me with your company. I was just on my way back to where I was staying and hoping to meet someone such as yourself to share a meal and a drink with, that is if you would be obliged."

[Helemaalleip]

'In the contrary bard Iorwerth, I am the one who owes you. Not the other way around, that stone only represents a fraction of my gratitude.' He touched his pocket to see if he had any money on him. 'We shall now leave this place and go to my home immediately to open a bottle of my finest mead, but first I will take you to the market and buy the ingredients to make you this meal you were talking about.'
Although he was a poor man, David liked company. Especially the company of a bard who always had many interesting stories to tell, and he was prepared to spend at least a little money on that.
'I am David Mollhan, you can call me anything, for I am in your debt forever!'
He took a couple of paces in the direction of the market and then turned around 'Let me take you to the market, or would you rather go somewhere else?'

OOC: any comments on this post, about the story and about grammar, just say it. Else I might repeat the same mistake over and over again, that'd be bad for the both of us. ^^

[GoblinFae]

The centaur smiled and bowed again. "Well met David Mollhan." He raised his hands to wave the following comments though. "No really David, it was nothing. You owe me nothing. Let's end it with food and mead, a story or two on my part and we can call all debts paid."

Iorwerth motioned for David to lead and then fell into pace beside him as they journeyed to the market. "Now David, if it is not too bold of me to ask, how ever did you manage to find yourself in such a scrap? You really don't seem the type to go making trouble. Unless," he gently elbowed the man in the ribs, "you just happen to always be the one in the wrong place at the wrong time."

[Helemaalleip]

"In fact, I tend to be into trouble a lot I am afraid. It would be cliché if I told you the trouble's seek me, so I made up another theory. There are people boobytrapping every single place I come, specified to me!' He surprisingly stated his new idea while wildly expressing his thoughts with his hands. 'That's why I live in the woods, chopping trees!'
'I shall tell you this story,' he began, while walking in the direction of the market - it felt a bit odd saying that to a bard - ',a few months ago I went to sell some wood to some old bloke near the fields in the woods, I had heard he was building an Inn there, or a stable, don't know what it was again. Anyway, when I came there and I delivered the logs I started chatting with these guys who where helping building the Inn. Nice lads, full of shit, but nice to talk to. And suddenly this guy says he had some ale, so we had a drink... or two... or twenty...'
They reached a point at where they had a nice view of a part of the village, also an Inn was just below the hill they were standing on. 'Just down the road is a place I can buy you something to eat and drink, and if you are not exceedingly bored I could continue my story there.' He laughed of him saying that so humorous before realizing it wasn't really funny.

[GoblinFae]

Iorwerth perked up in interest when the human began to tell a story. It was a refreshing change to be the listener rather than the entertainer for once. He laughed and rolled his eyes when the mention of ale entered the tale. In his experience a lot of interesting stories came from the imbibing of spirits. He could not wait to hear more and promptly urged David on.

"Come, come. I am a bard my good man. Every story is worth telling and none of them are boring. Let me be the judge of its quality, after all I am the professional here," he jested with a wink. "Do you mind eating outdoors though," he sheepishly asked, casting a glance at his withers. "I may be house-trained but most places aren't centaur-trained."

[Helemaalleip]

"I wouldn't mind at all! I prefer outside actually, except when it's cold at night, or just bad weather. And the sun is shining, its a beautiful day to have lunch outside." he pictured himself with the centaur on some white beach in a far away land, sitting in a comfortable chair... or in Iorwerths case lying on the ground, and drinking juice from all kinds of fruits. He fantasized six exotic dancers wearing very exotic clothing dancing around them and... that would probably never happen. He realized he was staring at Iorwerths tail, which was awfully close to his bottom, and abruptly woke from his daydream. "That must have looked awkward..." he concluded.
"Anyway, where was I with my story..."
At that very moment a drop of rain fell on his face, and another one. Within no time it was pouring rain, he sighed, it was to good to be true. "This seems a wet situation to be in," he dryly remarked ", Sorry, Iorwerth, but bad weather also includes pouring rain, so the building will have to adept a little to bigger persons and hooves. Come on lets not wait for the rain to drown us both!"
He ran up front towards the Inn, he hoped the barkeeper had forgotten their last quarrel, involving him, a friend, a drunken man and a three-legged chicken.

[GoblinFae]

The centaur had glanced up at David from behind him to catch the man staring at his rear. Iorwerth flicked his tail nervously and shuffled his hooves, clearing his throat. "Indeed," he replied about to say more when a rain droplet landed on his nose and interrupted him.

"Um, well it only looks like a drizzle. A little rain never hurts, right?" He shifted his hooves nervously about, shifting his weight from side to side. Being able to shift forms came in handy in situations such as these but, being born and raised in Connlaoth had always made Iorwerth an overly cautious one. He preferred to stay as he was, rather than shift. Besides, La'marri was one of the few places he always felt he could be completely himself, no strings attached.

He approached the tavern entrance when those few shy droplets turned into torrential rain. The centaur groaned in frustration and shook his head. "You head in David, I'll only be a minute," he called making his way to the back where the stables were.