Rawr Wolf DNO Older bling in fam's blog: "Wolf's Tails"

   Sorsha sighed wearily as she slumped against the cliff face and looked to see if anyone else survived the dragon's suprise attack. As she looked around, her despair grew. The elf twins were obviously dead; Trila's head laid several feet from her body and Tiri was so much elven jelly between the dead dragons claws. They hadn't even had a chance, the dragon hit them first and before anyone could blink they were both dead.

 Suddenly Sorsha heard a groan and she stumbled over to Magnos. It had been Magnos' spear strike to the dragon's eye that allowed Sorsha to get the killing blow in, but as soon as he had made his thrust, the dragon had hit him with its tail and smashed him against the rocks.

 Sorsha feared the worst as she searched him for wounds. A strike like that killed most people and she feared she was going to see a good friend die in her arms yet again.

 She almost wept with joy when she found that besides a few nasty cuts and bruises, his main problem was a broken left arm.
 Magnos groaned again and opened his eyes as she was finding out how bad the break was.

 He looked at Sorsha and whispered, "Damn girl, what did I do to you that deserved your trying to beat my brains out?"

 Magnos then tried to rub his head with his wounded arm and went very pale as the pain shot through him, then slumped back.

 Sorsha could tell that the huge fighter was only hanging on to conciousness by his fingertips. She leaned him gently back and prayed to the Goddess that his head wound was just the simple bump it appeared to be.

 "Keep with me Magnos," Sorsha said, "you need to stay awake."

Magnos cracked an eye open and groaned, "How bad is the damage Sorsha?"

 Now this above anything had Sorsha worrying for usually Magnos was a flirt of the worst type and never stopped with the complimants and little petnames. For him to call her by name was a bad sign.

 Sorsha tried to banter,"Nothing for you to worry about o furry one; it is broken I am sure even you have noticed, but hasn't penatrated that thick skin of yours."

 Magnos didnt reply in form, instead he just whispered, "What about Trila, can she heal me?"

 Sorsha just shook her head and answered in a whisper, "Trila won't be healing anybody from now on."

 Magnos just shut his eyes to this and Sorsha quickly poked him in the ribs.

 "I told you to stay with me, you hairy ox." she prodded, "Let me set your arm and lets get some shelter found."

 Magnos opened his eyes and winced but he stayed awake as she went and picked up the broken spear shaft. Sorsha broke a section into two pieces the size she needed and walked back to Magnos.

 "Talk to me Magnos." Sorsha quietly said as she set up lengths of rope to bind the wound. "Let me know your still awake."

 Magnos actually managed to give Sorsha a weak grin and replied, "What? Here I am wounded and you want me to entertain you too? How about telling me one of your famous stories? Better yet, why dont you tell me why you never gave me a tumble."

 Sorsha gave him a smile for the humour was the best sign yet Magnos would be alright once she got him to a healer. She cared for the big ape, he was one of the best mercinary fighters she had met in years of adventuring and the past few months with him had been the most profitable she had had. It was too bad about the elf twins though, they were a large part of the team's success. With them gone a large part of the spirit was also gone.

 Sorsha saw herself walking alone again soon. A disaster like this brought many changes. She was going to miss these past few adventures. Sorsha also knew that this would sadden Magnos greatly, for he had grown very fond of Sorsha over the past few months. And Sorsha would miss him too. He wasn't bad looking in a big, blonde, hairy kind of way. His half serious bantering to convince her to take a try in his sleepsack were often more funny than serious. So she decided to gift him with his request and finally tell him why she didn't share a bed with any man.

 Sorsha gave him a wicked grin as she crouched by him gently cutting the shirt sleeve away. Magnos looked back at her wondering what he had just gotten himself into.

 "Be careful what you wish for, my friend. For the fulfilment may not be to your liking." Sorsha started talking and had to immediately supressed a giggle as Magnos' eyes widened and he glanced out of habit for escape from a possible threat.

 "Try to imagine me nothing like how I am now, long ago when I was just a little thing, still living in the town where I come from. I was a tavern keeper's daughter, who's biggest dream was to marry a blacksmith or maybe a merchant."

 Magnos shuddered at the thought, for he had great respect for the woman in front of him. He opened his mouth to make some kind of comment, but Sorsha shushed him and continued what she was doing with his arm.

 "One day while I was helping my pa in the tavern, a young man about my age walked in. He was everything opposite of what I had seen before. For our town was mostly farmers and every once in awhile a exotic mercinary would blow through." Sorsha laughed a little ironically here, for she is now by far more exotic than those ever were.

 "He made me smile just by the way he walked in and got my attention. He was so tall and lean, dark with wild animal type of manners and a merry glint in his eye like all of life was a joke. It didn't suprise me at all, when he said his name was Wolf. There was something in him that spoke the quiet preditor of the dark. You know what I mean Magnos, he had a way of looking like everyone around him was a sheep and he was just choosing which one for dinner."

 Sorsha continued gently straightning Magnos broken arm so it was laying parallel to him as she spoke.

 "I felt drawn to him, he didnt look at me like I was a sheep. In fact, I could see in his eyes he had found another of a kind. Something deep in me opened up and suddenly a new world unfolded in front of me. I knew we had to meet together after this and made him promise to meet me when my shift was done.

 He was just as drawn to me and purchased a room from my father. We met after and you can wipe that grin off your face, Magnos. I am not going to tell you that kind of story."

 Sorsha laughed teasingly as she mocked punched at Magnos and then sighed for his face lost what little color it had gained.

 Sorsha continued, "We met that night, I won't even begin to discribe it to you, you old bear. Let us just leave it as everything you thought I couldn't be, I was and far more."

 Sorsha giggled as Magnos' eyes grew wide at the thought, broken arm or no.

 "He stayed for awhile, the days and nights bluring into endless laughter and pleasure. But it wasn't all fun and games; in me he found a match, yet untrained.

 I learned much from that preditor, he taught me his trade in thievery. As I learned he didn't look at others as prey for little reason. Most of the populous in any town, are sheep. They will happily give up their freedom for whatever little (usually false) sense of security they can get.

Wolf did not steal from those that had little; instead he took from those that were well off and returned to the honest workers that gain in the form of free spending.

 Many a time we would travel to the next town or city and prey on it's officials. Only to spend the coins gained on the people in my own town.

 When I asked him he said, 'You do not take from your packmate's mouth to fill yours; instead you work together and share the kill with the whole pack. That way you grow strong and they grow strong.'

 Sorsha smiled to herself at some warm memories as she placed the broken spear shaft on both sides of Magnos' broken arm.

 "But," She spoke on, "most importantly he taught me the sword. I should have seen it that first night when purly by accident I disarmed him by a cut across the knuckles.

 I think he did; I remember him gazing thoughtfully at me as he wrapped his hand in a cloth and then showed me what skill can do."

 Sorsha chuckled ruefully, "He showed me in more ways than I care to count. He kept me stumblin backwards till I fell into a haystack, stripped my sword from me with the flick of a wrist and pinned me with my first adult kiss. I willingly lost more than my sword that night.

 He had won me, my heart and my soul. Goddess bless him for knowing it too and handling me the way he did.

 I learned fast and before I knew it I could match him by the sword anytime. Oh I would never be the thief he was, not in a thousand years and a wish. But I had more than passed him with a sword.

 I hadn't realized it at the time but our paths were seperating. Wolf knew it though, from day one he had his nose to the trail he was following. What I did was sense it slowly."

 Magnos growled quietly as Sorsha moved his arm just a bit. "Hey, lets remember the present love. You know, like dead dragons, broken arms, and me?
Unimportant it is true, but umm kind of here."

 Sorsha's eyes glinted as some of the old Magnos was returning, the biggest sign yet he was going to be alright. Though she would rather die than show the joy in her heart.

 "Shush orcbait," Sorsha chided, "you want me to finish or not?"

 Sorsha almost laughed as Magnos subsided childlike, eager to hear the rest, forgetting for the moment his arm.

 "I started talking bout my plans for us, grand adventure, heros in many realms. Sadly I forgot he was more interested in fun than fame. My sweet wolf preferred kicking back in a tavern to fighting impossible odds for glory. But my soul had heard it's calling as well.

 One day when the sun was bright, he turned to me and said it was time for us to part. My heart froze in that moment and I could not get warm, no matter how hot the day was.

 I clung to him and cried as he showed me my path as my soul long for. Then with a quiet regret, which I shall remember to the day I die, he told me of his own path.

 I saw in my heart it was true, but being young I still fought against what needed to be. I swore to give up my dreams, just so I could be at his side."

 Magnos attention was fixed on Sorsha's dark eyes, which were misting up in a way he never had seen in her before.

 "With a sad smile I see every night before I sleep, he looked deep into my eyes. I could see his own pain now shining through as he whispered in my ear with a kiss and then slipped away into the shadows. In broad daylight he vanished into a shadow.

 What he said to me was, 'A clean break is much less painful than a partial wound, never healed properly.'"

 With that Sorsha suddenly yanked on Magnos' arm setting the break into place. She laughed as he howled and kicked, but held him in place while tying the spear pieces tight.

 "I have sinced learned the value of that lesson." Sorsha talked to calm Magnos down again. "It is better to let go swiftly, setting the break, than to hang on, letting the pain linger on and never heal properly."

 With that Sorsha tied the broken left arm to Magnos' chest in a sling and helped him up.

 Magnos glared and grumbled, "Couldn't you have found a better way to make your point?"

 Sorsha smiled wickedly and said with a shrug, "The timing couldn't have been resisted. Now let's get you back to that last village."

 Magnos snorted as he snagged Trila's staff and leaned on it, staring greedily at the dragon.

 "The last village is a day back and if we go and come back someone will have stripped this beasts lair. We are off to do onto others before the do onto us, my dear."

 Sorsha groaned knowing that he was not going to be talked out of it, but having to try anyways.

 "The lair??? Did that dragon crack your thick skull more than I thought?"

 Magnos grinned, "No, but have to have some coins to spend on our bed tonight love. Only the finest sheets to share with you."

 Sorsha mock punched him in the left arm and muttered something about men; as she helped him down a slope....