Bough -- Logs

The trip down into the Valley of Snow goes a bit slowly; it is only a few hundred feet deep but it is perhaps evidence of the rather dynamic nature of the Dreamtime that as they go down, the snow flurries increased -- not to snowstorm level, but the flakes of snow and the fairly strong winds are enough to make one think that it is, indeed, deep winter, even if only within this large valley. Even so, the path downward is fairly clear, and it isn't too long before the group has reached the floor of the valley.

The floor is covered in snow, and it has been several days of wind since Mordred's army was here, but even the days of drifting, whirling snow have not been enough to erase most of the trampled, tamped snow left by the soldiers and the siege engines. There is some detrius left over by the soldiers' bivouacking here, the occasional piece of broken debris and materiel, but for the most part the army has taken it's gear with it, leaving little obvously behind.

Tomas looks through the debris for anything interesting.

As the snow increased, even the warm, armored Norris took the opportunity to make a few adjustments to his outfit. Taking a couple tries to do it, he thought up a warm hat and a cloak for himself, and stands like the immovable bastion he is as the snow falls around his group. He marvels quietly at the minimal waste that an army of this sort has left behind. Of course he approves - waste is the byproduct of laziness or little imagination. But it doesn't help their situation much.

Jareth whistles low to himself, storing up the images for something later. This is amazing and sad and frightening all at once.

Norris looks around for the kitsune. "Okori...yew know more about th' local civilization. Is this normal, that any folk, even an' army, manages t' leave so few traces lak this?

Okori shakes off some of the snow from her now-arctic-white pelt. "For an army, no," she says slowly. "Unless it was very well-disciplined, and it's possible that Mordred and his generals have forged his army into such a state of discipline."

Jareth can't imagine his small group of companions being this organized, much less the mass of humanity that would have to make this large a swathe.

Norris is about to ask how the color of Okori's fur changed...but then he dismisses it. We've already established like many folk, she's just different. And if he can make clothes from nothing, should be a simple matter for her to change fur color, eh? "It take onl' discipline? Er mebbe magics...ah remember th' seneschal said sommat about mortals being a large part o' th' army...could be that they dun save a lot in logistics iffn they make things lak tents and camp improvements annat from nothin'...an since they dun need it long term, they kin jus let it dissapear? That make anneh sense?"

Okori considers for a second. "That makes even better sense, actually. If the officers of Mordred's army are mortals, with enough training they could do that. And supposedly Mordred has a sorceress in his employ, as well.

After a few minutes of searching, Tomas is the first to find, under a snow drift, a broken wooden wheel, which appears to have struck a rock and cracked, making it useless. But it's rather larg, a meter in diameter, and, if the nearby wheel-marks in the ground are any indication, the cart or platform it was attached to was large and heavy.

It's possible that the wheel was from one of the large carts transporting the large statues.

Tomas throws down the wheel. "At least the statues weren't walking on their own," he mutters.

Norris grimaces, trying to work something out in his head. "What 'zactly iz a sorceress? Ah mean...iffn any mortal kin do amazin' things with th' right training, whut makes a sorceress r' a wizard diffrent?"

Okori paws lightly and curiously at the wheel Tomas had thrown down. "It's hard to say," she says at last. "It's not so much a matter of power as it is control and imposition. A strong-willed mortal can do a lot, but a well-trained sorcerer is capable of finely controlling their power, achieving similar results with less power expended. But it takes a lot of study. Some aethyrs know sorcery, but the very best sorcerers are mortals.

Meanwhile, after throwing down the wheel, Tomas notices the unmistakable shape of a body mostly covered by a snow drift.

Jareth is listening with fascination to Okori as she explains sorcery.

Tomas examines the body. He tries to figure out how it was killed, if it were human or something else, what it was wearing, if it had anything on it that might give us some more information.

Norris nods again, eyes scanning the landscape as he continues to laboriously churn the gears of thought in his head. "We gots ahhen idea how many folk wuz here with th' sorceress?"

Tomas cannot find anything that might have cause the person's death. The skin of the body glitters a little, as if a few grains of sand had been scattered on it and somehow adhered to the body.

Okori shakes her head. "The army is large, that much the alfar know....

Jareth looks at the body and clears his throat, voice quiet, "It's a mortal."

Tomas says, "If it were an alfar, there wouldn't be a body."

Jareth kneels by the body and checks the sand, brows drawing together, wondering if the sand is awen.

Norris shakes his head. "Not th' army. We knows the army spans 'lotta...well, space. But this wuz just a...whatsis. A small occupyin force. Fer the town. An ahm jus wondering how big that force wuz. Mebbe when she comes back, our bashful forestlady kin tell us how many from tracks, annat."

Norris comes over to see when he notes everyone's fascinated with a corpse. Being the one that knows the most medicine, though, he crouches and probes the body with interest for bruises and such.

Tomas looks over his shoulder at Norris. "The whole army camped here, waiting for the signal from the watchtower. When it didn't come, it moved on to where it is now.

Jareth starts carefully gathering up the grains of sand scattered over the body, murmuring, "It's awen... covered in it."

Norris grimaces. "Oh. Ah see. Might be difficult then t' tell which wuz the army an which was the folks what just..." He trails off at Jareth's comment. "Izzit? Realleh?"

Jareth shakes hsi head, "Why leave a body... covered in awen..." He works it in his head and says, "Could... I wonder if awen could keep an aethyr's body here after it died...

Tomas wonders if awen is so valuable, why did they just scatter it over the body? Was it an accident or for some purpose?

Okori leaps nimbly onto Jareth's shoulder, looking about as thunderstruck and horrified as a fox can. "Oh, augh!" she murmurs in disgust. "For some reason the idea of that leaves me aghast." She looks briefly at Jareth. "If the situation weren't as serious, Jareth-chan, I'd swoon; would you catch me?"

The body feels brittle, the skin grainy. One would almost think it was a combination of being frozen and dessicated, though there is no sign of decomposition.

Norris can't help but smile at the sound of Okori's voice...she's being dramatic again.

Jareth smiles tightly at Okori and says, "It would be my honor to catch such a lovely lady, Okori." He shakes hsi head and says, "This feels weird. I know how skin feels... and this isn't it."

Norris feels over the body, but finally gives up, mystified as the rest as to cause of death. "Didn't even give th' man a proper burial...and left him covered in awen. Valuable stuff. Makes no sense." he grunts.

When Jareth is finished, Tomas will use the butt end of his glaive to lever the body over.

Norris does note, absently, that the awen is not loose, but embedded in places into the skin of the corpse. As if it were driven into him with some force. "Sommat said that it rains awen sometimes, yeah? I 'member that right?"

Jareth nods and his lips are tight, "Rain doesn't fall like this, Norris. Not normal rain."

Turning the body over, shows that the body is covered with the awen, fixed fast to the body.

Norris's brow knits. "Stranger n' stranger." he mumbles. He considers. "He's dead...mebbe we try prying off some awen, see iffn we can." he suggests.

Tomas says, "I wonder if we can get Iron Antlers to pull a travois to bring the body back."

Norris chuckles. "Mikal likely get him t' do annehthin."

Jareth shakes his head and reaches, trying to pry a grin of the awen of the body, "It's embedded."

Norris's brow knits. "Nothin's permanent...even if wuz like an arrow r' an icicle, surely it's come off with enough force...less it's more magic."

Tomas says, "Maybe the alfar can figure it out. It's beyond me."

Norris consider. "Try cuttin the skin out from under it, mebbe?"

Norris says, "Not lak th' body will care."

Tomas says, "I'd be carefull. If it is magic, we have no idea what might happen if we disrupt it."

Jareth recoils a little at the thought of skinning a body and stands up, reaching to steady Okori on his shoulder.

Tomas says, "She is the size of a fox, which is the size of a cat."

Okori makes an uncomfortable sound. "If you're going to try to skin someone, then please give me at least enough warning to go far away...

Jareth reaches with one hand to silently stroke Okori's back, "No fear there, lovely."

Norris waffles with the idea. "Yew think we even should? ah mean, we coul' take it back, but it'll be...difficult. Might make people ask questions."

Norris says, "An we doan know what'll happen if we do."

Norris says, "er...flay skin off, thattis."

Jareth murmurs quietly, "I think we're about to have a visit..." He nudges Okori to look at the figure and asks, "Is that Raven?"

Norris uhs?

In the direction that Jareth indicates, about fifty meters away, there is a figure standing there, hard to make out but for the black cloak that whirls in the snow-filled wind. It is standing there motionless.

All throughout the investigation, the group has had the incontrovertible knowledge -- without really knowing how they know it -- that the body was that of a mortal.

Norris stares at the figure...the cold, he can stand. The black cloaked one makes him shiver. And he looks to see Okori's reaction.

Okori is holding on to Jareth's neck snugly, though not tightly. Her ears are perked curiously but she seems to not be afraid, more concerned.

Jareth says quietly, "Perhaps we should step back from the body, fellows. If that's Raven, this is her territory.

Tomas says, "If I remember, I don't think it matters what we do."

Jareth says, "Perhaps not, but it might be respectful."

Tomas continues to look around the campsite.

Norris says, "Plus, she might not come around iffn we don't. Mebbe we jus back off...see what she does. Might be we learn sommat."

Shortly after being noticed, the black-clad figure starts to move towards the group; as Raven nears them, more of her features can be made out: Beneath the cloak she wears aught but black, and her hair and skin are both virtually pale white. She appears young yet timeless, finally, when she stops five meters away, her eyes can be seen as having red irises.

Meanwhile, near the body, Tomas finds a spear, also peppered with awen grains that are embedded into it.

Jareth calls to Raven, "Shall we leave him to you, ma'am?"

Raven is looking with an almost perfectly neutral, expressionless face at the body. Finally, after several long moments, she says, her voice a whisper, "I can't."

Tomas gives the spear to Mikal and asks if she can get Iron Antlers to let it be packed on him.

Jareth blinks several times. This is new. And intriguing, "Is he not one of yours?"

Tomas says, "Maybe that's what the awen if for."

Raven says, "He was one of mine. But I can't take him to where he needs to be. He's...." She visibly struggles for the right word. "...'Fixed' in the Dreamtime."

Jareth nods quietly, still stroking Okori soothingly, "The awen."

Raven nods, once, still looking at the body. "It's done something to him. I don't think removing the awen will help, though."

Norris looks between Raven and the body. "Par'n me...uh..ma'am. Why woul' someone do that? What do a dead body matter?"

Raven hesitates. "I... don't know. It brought about his death, but I cannot take him with me."

From the direction of the town a blurry dark figure comes striding relaxedly through the snow. As it gets closer it can be made out more clearly: Raphael is trotting easily towards the group, and the big fey-stag follows behind. Both are producing little clouds of condensation as they breath the cold air. When the stag stops, Mikal pulls down her woolen scarf with one mittened hand and grins, waving shyly, "Hi. Sorry I'm late."

Mikal blinks, looking around startledly as she clutches at the fey-stag's mane, "Whoa! Did you all feel that too? Earth tremor?"

Norris blinks, and stops for a moment. "No?" he responds.

Tomas goes to full alert and scans the distance.

Mikal gives Norris a confused look, "You... didn't feel it?" She checks with her quadrupedal half brother, who's closer to the ground, "Raph, did you?"

Tomas says, "We were distracted."

Raph's ears are flat, and he's what one could best describe as 'prickly.' He feels it, and he doesn't like it.

Norris has to agree. "What wi dead bodies an Raven, an all."

Tomas says, "Was it a single tremor, or is it conituing?"

Mikal nods worriedly to Raphael, "Yeah, me too. Um..." she glances around worriedly, "you guys, we are in the middle of a flat plane... if anything large is coming?"

EDIT: Jon, fix Norris's last post for that repetition.

Tomas looks around for anything approaching.

Jareth looks down at the body with pity, "I'm sorry for that, then, lady."

Iron Antlers is a little skittish. Tremors are nothing new, really, but he wasn't expecting this. Raven for her part is making no reaction wahtsoever.

Mikal looks at her packmates, and decides the quadrupedal ones are the ones whose senses she's going to trust right now. She says quietly, "Let's get off this valley floor. Now."

Tomas says, "Which way?"

Mikal glances around, not feeling anything bugging her immediately, and simply points back to the town. She glances at the dead body, adding, "Do you want to bring him along? Iron Antlers might be willing to carry him if so. You can sling him up behind me, but let's do it now, please?"

Tomas heads for the nearest valley wall.

Tomas says, "No time"

Norris hmms. "Technically, e's uh...your'n, Miss Raven. Yew mind if we take with?"

Mikal sighs and slides off the stag, doing it herself.

Raven shakes her head once. "Thank you. Please... find a way for me to be able to bring him with me? He's already waited so long...."

Mikal gets the big stag to lower his body, and Raphael to help push, so she can manage. She picks up the weird staff/spear/whatever it was, then says politely to the eerie woman, "If you change your mind and want him... ah, all- wait, what?!" She lightly pats the stag's rump, pointing him towards the town, and Iron Antlers starts walking with calm dignity in that direction. Mikal turns back to Raven, "How long has he been dead?"

Norris is a little disturbed by this implacable woman saying 'please'...but he just nods and helps Mikal.

Mikal smiles and thanks Norris.

Raven says, a faint hint of emotion in her voice, "Four Dawns." That would put it the day before the army was seen moving from the Valley.

Where Tomas is now, near the path leading upward, the tremors are barely felt.

Jareth nods to Raven and says, "We will do everything we can, lady."

Mikal looks surprised, "It took you this long to- er... how long does it take you to notice usually?"

From the top of the wall, Tomas looks around for what is coming.

Raven says softly, "I know right away. But I couldn't bring him back. I kept coming here to see if he had gotten better somehow... but he didn't... and that's when I saw you."

Nothing is immediately visible to Tomas, except the snow on the ground is shaking apparently more violently at the far end of the valley, opposite the group.

Mikal nods, "All right. Well, I'm going to guess you know how to find us. We really need to be going, sorry." She turns and starts jog-trotting after the big stag, adding, "C'mon, guys! We should hurry!"

Norris doesn't argue...he follows quickly in Mikal's wake.

Raven nods, not moving. She just doesn't seem to be there when someone looks there next.

And then, the tremors stop. Abruptly.

Jareth braces the kitsune on his shoulder and moves as quickly as he can after Mikal.

Mikal speeds up.

Tomas starts moving toward where the tremors came from, trying to be as stealthy as he can.

Mikal sees Tomas coming back down into the valley floor -- she looks confused, but doesn't deviate from her swift run after the stag, heading towards the town.

As he passes the group, he suggests that, instead of going to town, they head back to the sally port, to get the information back to the senechal.

Mikal will use the staff to swing herself up onto Iron Antlers' back once she reaches him. Holding onto the body, she urges the stag into a swift run heading for the valley wall. Halfway up the path she unceremoniously dumps the body and the spear, leaves Raphael there on guard, and turns to ride the galloping stag back down into the valley.

At that moment, the valley floor at the far end erupts upward from below. There is no roar, no shriek, no animal sound, just the sudden explosion upward of dirt and snow and rock... and a big stone hand that slams into the ground, as something begins to pull itself up from beneath the ground.

Jareth's eyes widen and he swears softly under his breath.

Mikal urges the stag even faster, heading for Jareth and Okori. Norris is closer to the town than Jareth, and as Mikal gallops by him she gasps, "Hurry!"

Tomas swears profusely and looks for cover.

Mikal grabs one of the fey stag's antlers and pulls to let Iron Antlers know to whirl around in a tight circle behind Jareth so the big stag has reversed. As she does so, she holds out her hand, "Come on, Jareth! Okori, jump!"

Jareth grabs for Mikal's hand and jumps, still swearing in awe, but not stupid enough to want to see the rest of that.

Norris is taken aback, first by the stone hand, and then Mikal riding the stag *into* danger. He stands frozen, indecisive..take cover in the town? What about Tomas?

Mikal hauls as hard as she can, trusting the little fox spirit to be sufficiently into self-preservation that she'll leap for the ride as well.

Tomas backs away slowly, keeping an eye on what is coming out of the ground. He turns to the others and shouts "RUN!!!"

Mikal wonders with the amused clarity of terror what it looks like she's doing?!

Tomas does not spot any cover on the valley floor, only the snow drifts that aren't large enough to hide behind.

Okori makes a most unfoxlike squeak as she leaps for Iron Antlers, trying not to dig in with her claws.

The long-haired former goatherd grasps Mikal's hand and with a tug and and leap, he's behind her on the stag, wrapping his arms around her wait and gasping out his thanks.

Mikal gasps in relief as Jareth makes it up onto the fey-stag's back behind her, and kicks urgently with her heels, "C'mon, Iron Antlers -- run!" She pats Jareth's hands around her waist absently as she pulls open her jacket with the other hand. Then she grabs Okori and unceremoniously stuffs her in, then leans as flat as she can so the big stag can really pound through the snow towards the valley wall.

Bit by bit, a giant made from stone is pulling itself out of the ground. It has barely any features other than a rudimentary bump for a head, and it is drawing itself out with some effort.

Okori yerfs out, before being stuffed in the bag, "Stone golem!"

Norris finally turns, running fast towards the wall when he sees Mikal coming back.

Mikal yells over the thunder of hooves through the snow and the stag's panting, "Later, Okori! For now, just hold on!"

Tomas keeps backing up, checking the progress of the others.

Tomas wonders if moving the body woke the thing.

As it pulls itself up out of the hole, the stone golem smashes it's fists into the ground and begins to run towards Tomas. It does not look like it's going to hug him.

Mikal squeaks startledly at the sight -- then turns and urges the stag on even faster.

Norris puffs...running without tiring, that's easy. Running while worried about his friends, that's hard. And at the sound, he turns and looks over his shoulder...crap. He skids to a stop.

Mikal calls over her shoulder to Jareth, "Do you think the valley wall will stop it?"

As soon as he sees the others get over the crest of the wall, Tomas tries to make a judgement. Can he outrun the golem?

Mikal yells ahead of herself, "Norris! MOVE!"

Jareth isn't sure the valley wall will completely stop it. Meanwhile Tomas thinks he can probably outrun the golem. If he starts soon.

Jareth is breathless as he gasps, "I.. I'm not sure! That thing's bloody huge!"

Mikal says, "Okori, what stops them?"

Norris moves out of the stag's path. But he can't bring himself to abandon Tomas, unslinging his hammer.

Mikal shakes her head, then tries again, "NORRIS! Get OFF THE VALLEY FLOOR!"

Okori replies, "I'm.. I'm not sure! It's some wierd sort of sorcery I never had anything to do with but I think something to do with the writing on it's forhead that animates it but I don't think it's going to just stop to let you give it a facial!"

Norris calls back, "Can't jus abandon Tomas!" he calls back uncertainly.

Mikal giggles a little histerically at Okori, then yells at Norris, "He's faster than you, Norr! RUN!"

Jareth nods and looks ove rhis shoulder, laughing a little hysterically, "I don't think I could reach its forehead, anyway."

Norris grits his teeth, but is goaded to action, running with his maul in hand.

Norris is looking over his shoulder as he runs as fast as his legs will take him. Hoping that Tomas will break into a run any moment now...

Mikal blinks disbelievingly at Norris. He's running for his life... and not looking where he's going?! The only thing crazier she knows of is what Tomas is doing -- only backing away from a charging monster that could squish him like a bug!

Jareth holds on to Mikal for dear life, muttering about foreheads and giants and several other things besides.

Tomas turns and runs to put some distance between him and the golem.

Norris looks relieved. He picks up the pace, closing in on the valley wall.

Mikal shakes her head -- she can't save everyone. She focuses on getting the folks she can save to safety... and thinks about writing. She's got archery... would an arrow through one of the letters maybe mess it up? Hm... well, she'll find out soon, she guesses.

Iron Antlers continues galloping for the valley wall as fast as his legs can carry them.

The hard impacting cadence of the golem's footsteps stop, and a few moments later a shadow seems to pass overhead to Tomas....

Tomas just barely has a moment to register the shadow, the whooshing of air, and manages to get out of the way just as a stone that the golem threw hits the ground where he had been standing.

Pragmatically, Raphael has hauled the dead body the rest of the way up the path to the top of the valley wall... then trotted down for the weird spear as well. Now he stands at the top of the wall, watching in silent worry.

Tomas staggers as the stone grazes him.

Mikal calls back to Jareth, "Think of something I can shoot with an arrow at the monster to mess up its face then!"

The big fey-stag is just about to start leaping up the escarpment path.

Jareth pats himself down with one hand, thinking desperately. "Maybe... what about that coin? Didn't you keep one of the coins with the grain of awen in it?"

Mikal says, "Yeah -- but what would that do?" She pauses, thinking, then adds uncertainly, "We could... think the letter gone, maybe?"

Okori says rapidly, "It... I don't think sorcery works that way! Not when a mortal is doing the sorcery!"

Mikal says, "Well, shoot. So it'd have to be smeared physicall, Okori?"

Okori replies, "As far as I know, yes!"

Jareth says, "I'm telling you. Awen coin arrow!"

Mikal nods to Jareth, "All right! Um, let me figure out how to attach it..." She falls silent, thinking furiously as the stag thunders surefootedly up the trail.

Tomas keeps running, looking out for thrown stones.

Norris is on the path now, focused on the trail...this is more treacherous, and he has to keep focus. But he winces as he hears the thud of thrown stones.

Mikal is pulling her bow free, calling on Iron Antlers to stop at the top of the escarpment.

There is another great crunch of rock and dirt as the golem uproots another small boulder, and lobs it at the mortals.

The stone falls well short of it's mark, however, many feet behind Tomas.

Mikal pulls one of her wooden arrows (not her rare, precious steel-tipped ones) and holds it in her teeth as she fumbles around for the odd piece of awen. She carefully doesn't look back at all -- no need to scare herself.

Tomas starts up the path as fast as he can.

Jareth scrambles through Mikal's pack, muttering about awen and arrows and merging and golems. He's not really being very coherent. And it's not easy to juggle an arrow, a coin and some magical sand, but he does his best to use the raw grain of awen to bind the coin to an arrowhead by the simple expedient of pressing the coin and arrow together with the raw grain between them.

Mikal blinks a bit startledly over her shoulder at Jareth -- then realizes what he's doing and goes still, trying to help the only way she knows how.

Norris wonders how well the elemental will be able to climb...not well, he hopes. He keeps moving towards the top of the escarpment, his breath misting in the cold.

Mikal sits steadily on the stag, which is standing proudly at the top of the escarpment, panting great clouds of condensation. She narrows her eyes thoughtfully, bow in hand as she considers distances... then murmurs calmly, "Jareth? Got an arrow for me?"

Jareth pantingly hands the coin-tipped arrow over to Mikal. The adrenaline of the chase has his heart pounding a mile a minute and he has to work not to cling to the girl.

Mikal accepts the arrow without looking away from the golem. She's been studying the head for a while, looking for the expected writing. The big stag shifts to turn sideways, so she has a clear shot, and she draws and aims... then holds, doing her best to get as perfect a shot off as possible.

Mikal whispers quietly to Iron Antlers, without shifting her gaze, to jump if necessary, if a rock is thrown at them.

The golem decides to forego throwing this time, instead running towards the escarpment.

Mikal starts focusing her thoughts as she aims. She's going to fire the arrow into the writing... and the awen will smear the writing and stop the golem. She whispers it like a mantra to herself, "Awen will smear the writing and stop the golem... yess..."

Jareth sits very, very still. Being where he is, he's very aware he needs not to distract Mikal from her aiming for the writing. He says a prayer to the One that she's a good enough archer to make the strange arrow fly true.

Norris stops a baker's dozen before the top of the escarpment, seeing Mikal aiming. He turns and faces the golem, watching Tomas climb, standing firm on the path and awaiting his friend. Hoping that maybe Mikal really can down it with one shot.

Tomas continues his climb up the escarpment, reaching about halfway up by the time Mikal makes her aim.

Mikal draws in a breath, lets it out slowly... and halfway through she releases the string. The arrow flies swiftly towards her target, and she remains unmoving, watching it.

THe awen-coin-tipped arrow whizzes through the air and smacks into the golem's forhead. The golem seems surprised, actualy stumbling backwards as if it had been physically smacked there... but it doesn't go down. it does, on the other hand, back away, retreating back to the further parts of the valley, and not pursuing any further.

Mikal whispers softly one last time, "Awen will smear the writing and stop the golem..." as she stares unblinkingly, watching.

Norris blinks at what he sees. Hmm. Apparently, you can scare a rock.

Jareth has, without meaning to, pressed his face against the back of Mikal's shoulder.

Mikal concentrates as hard as she can: the awen will smear the writing!

A few moments after Mikal whispers the mantra one last time... the golem topples to the snowy ground and explodes into a shower of dirt and pebbles.

Norris blinks. Now that's something to see.

Mikal throws her arms up and cheers! "We did it! Yaaaay!"

Mikal laughs happily, twisting around to throw her arms around Jareth, hugging him and Okori together, "We win!"

Jareth blinks in surprise but he's not one to turn down a hug from a pretty girl, especially since he's pretty bloody relieved himself. He hugs Mikal back, laughing in somewhat dizzy relief as the golem collapses back into the earth from which it came.

Norris nods to Tomas as he comes up to the younger man. "Yew need t' run more often, not worry a fella."

Mikal grins elatedly down the path at Norris, "Did you see that, Norr? Are we a good pack or what?!"

Norris just smiles. "Yew did all th' hard werk, Mikal. Still, jus as glad t'not have t' fight a rock. That'd have hurt." And then he takes note of Tomas's bruises, and sits him down like a mother hen, giving him a once over."

Mikal laughs delightedly, but shakes her head, "Nono, Iron Antlers did all the heavy work, and Jareth made the arrow, and Okori had the information! Wasn't just me -- we were like a proper pack!" She gives a small, very happy (and very unlike her!) squeal and hugs Jareth and Okori again!

Jareth nods and gives Mikal another squeezes, considering whether or not to slide down off Iron Antlers. When she hugs him gain, he laughs and kisses the top of her head.

From somewhere between Mikal and Jareth, there comes a tiny, strangled. "Please... stop... can't... breathe...!"

Jareth laughs and releases Mikal, reaching to fish the kitsune out of his companion's coat.

Norris just smiles quietly as he assures himself that Tomas isn't badly hurt. Which relieves him. That could have gone badly.

Mikal giggles, looking down at Okori, "Sorry, lady!" She gives the fox a gentle nuzzle against her white-furred cheek, adding happily, "Thank you so much for helping, Oko-ree!"

Mikal tucks her bow away and beams at Jareth and Okori, "The awen will be all used up, right?"

Okori coughs a bit, and settles onto the ground, grooming her fur. "I'm honestly not sure, Mikal-chan. I've never seen a fight with a golem before."

Mikal hms thoughtfully, looking back out over the valley floor. "I wonder then... if it's worth it to go hunt down my arrow shaft."

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Last modified: 2008-Oct-04 19:17:18

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