Short Story #1 - Untitled

[Aritria]

Good Thespis above, a story that consists in one post and less than four paged from me? I think I can hear a choir singing Handel's Alleluia chorus as I type. Anyway, this one features Alessira with her Pride Watcher, Finestra, from Winterspring and how they met. Enjoy!

-A.


It was sunny in Winterspring as Alessira reached the end of Timbermaw Tunnel, the Furbolg eyeing her with caution as she galloped through. The cold hit her bare arms and legs, sending gooseflesh up her entire body. She shivered out, “Holy Yogg-Saron, its COLD!!” as her Palomino whinnied a response of a definitive yes. They raced through the countryside, and as she rounded a bend, and saw the Gramophone of Everlook. “Those crazy Steamwheelians, they have the oddest sense of décor.” She trotted up to the sable master, dismounted, and paid the goblin some coin to keep her horse warm. She patted her horse down, told it to behave, and walked into the gated community. The inn had a notice board, filled with tasks for travelers strong enough to help out around the town for free house and board. Alessira noticed that they were having troubles with the Sabres and Spiders inhabiting the northern area of the Province. She tugged them off the board to get the directions and how many needed to be taken care of. Entering the inn, the Innkeeper gladly allotted a hammock to her. Alessira smiled pleasantly, and with that, she flopped down onto the weaved rope and promptly fell asleep.

She woke up a few hours later to the grumbling of her stomach. She hadn’t eaten since early that morning, and decided that it was time to grab a meal from the common room. However, she changed into some more appropriate undergarments, making sure her bare skin was underneath a layer of clothing and armour so that she didn’t freeze to death. After filling herself on a wonderful leg of roast turkey with plum filling and restocking her rations for the trip up to Frostsaber Rock, she flung her backpack up over her shoulder and left the Inn to get back to her horse. The Palomino was happy to see her, neighing excitedly as she gave him an apple she was able to sneak out of her accommodations. Mounting back up, she kicked the flanks of her ride and galloped off to the iconic rock of Winterspring.

Entering the domain of the Frostsabers scared her. These were slicked, icicle-like creatures, which had developed thick hides to protect them from the cold. They had also learned to tread softly on the hard, crunchy snow that enveloped the landscape, and were almost completely silent. The horse suddenly slowed and hesitated to go any further. “Calm down, girl,” Alessira whispered, “What is it? What’s got you so spooked?” The horse jolted her head to the side and whinnied. She followed the eyes of her horse to see a Frostsaber Pride Watcher, a pale lavender and white-striped feline of beauty, by the side of the road, breathing shallowly and a horrific gash on the left front leg. That was no arrow piercing, it was make by a crude sword, the muscles ragged in the wound. “Shit.” She jumped off her horse, hastily tying it to a branch of a dead tree, and rushed over the wild cat.

As she approached the injured feline, it growled, eyes narrowing, and then fell limp, too tired to exert any more energy to defend itself. Alessira advanced on it slowly, carefully, and heard a soft mew from underneath its paw. She stopped and saw something wiggle out from underneath the huge pad. It was a cub, no more than 3 months, and licked its parents’ nose, and looked sombrely back to Alessira. It was a mother protecting its cub. The most basic instinct of any animal, stopped in its tracks by some bastard resorting to violence instead of backing away slowly from the den a little ways off. The cub ran to Alessira, and she bent over to pick it up to hear a growl from the mother again, falling quickly to a whimper of pain. The cub was desperate, rubbing and purring and pleading for help. She looked the cub in its eyes. “It’s okay, I’m here, I can help your mother. You’re okay.”

She set down the cub and cautiously tiptoed up to the fallen beast, kneeling gently beside the wound, still gushing blood. She eased her pack off her back, and rummaged around for some bandages. She found a roll in the bottom of the backpack, and slowly wrapped it around the injured leg. The Saber seemed to relax at her touch, and she thanked the Titans that she had a mother who had a long history of healing in her family. Aritria would be so proud of her.

However, the wound was more severe than she had thought, bleeding through the bandage, and was quickly running out of cloth. She would have to perform healing magic on the creature, which was something she had little experience of. Alessira caught eyes with the cat, and there was a jolt of electricity between them. She had to help it. What kind of hunter would she be if she didn’t? It was her Titan-given talent to subdue and help these creatures, and to turn her back on an animal? Unthinkable. Alessira shifter her weight on her legs, now numb and falling asleep from the lack of circulation. She tied off the last of the bandage, and warmed up her hands by rubbing them vigorously. Looking back at the cub, then at its mother, she smiled. These were her pets now, her companions to love and care for, because she showed them sympathy. They had put their trust in her, she couldn’t leave them now.

Placing her warm hands on the gash, the Saber winced, and they locked eyes again. It was like looking in a window, she could see every emotion running through the head of the feline. Looking back down, she hoped that this would work. Slowly, she started reciting an incantation in a fluent Thalassian, the Light passing through her heart, travelling down her arms and a warm glow arised from her hands. The cat relaxed and made a slight smile, the pain streaming out of its face. Alessira finished the incantation, the heat in her palms receding, and looked at her patient. A silence fell over the cats, the horse, and the woman as the mother stretched its leg out and flexed its paw. A wave of relief flooded the hunter, smiling from ear to ear. She gently took the leg and removed the bandage, a scar being the only visible mark. The cat sat up, taking care not to put much weight on the newly healed appendage, and started to gingerly lick the area, cleaning the crimson mess off its lavender fur in a nervous rush.

The cub, though, was much more interested in the piece of string keeping the pack shut than its mother, and started pouncing on it, creating a frenzy of snow as it rolled around with it in its mouth, then suddenly getting over-stimulated of the action and quickly stopping. Alessira laughed. The Lynx cubs on Sunstrider Isle were exactly the same, kittens never ceased to amaze her.

She heard a soft crunch of snow in front of her, and Alessira looked at the big cat, now content with what had happened, and walked slowly towards the hunter, staring at each other. It came so close to her that if it was any closer, they could have rubbed noses. Alessira smiled, and the cat started to purr enthusiastically, knocking the young hunter down into the snow, rubbing herself on the mail armour and rolling around in joy. “I think you want me to take you with me, huh?” The feline stopped, cocked its head to one side, and rolled over again. She giggled, “I’ll take that as a yes.” She stood up, brushing the powdered snow off her chain mail outfit. The mother trotted to her new master, nudging Alessira’s hand and looking to her cub. “I can take her with me, too. We’ll be one big happy family.” With another nudge of approval, they walked over the Palomino, who started to feel rejected with all that had just gone on.

“Oh, don’t look so sad, my dear,” she chirped to the horse. “We haven’t forgotten you,” and pulled out another apple, which was devoured immediately. Rubbing the nose of her horse, she turned back to look at her new companion. “I need a name for you, don’t I?” A cocked head from the cat was her reply, and she crouched down to look at her straight in her eyes. They were, in her most desperate time, a window to her life essence. That was it: a window.

“How about Finestra? That suits you, doesn’t it?” The cat meowed in agreement. “Okay, Finestra it is. Welcome to the family, my dear.” Standing up to mount her horse, she felt one last rub of Finestra’s soft fur against the thin layer of silk protecting her bare legs from the cold.

“Come on, guys. Let’s get back to Everlook and have a nice supper together. All of us.” The group of animals, plus a human, rode back to the warmth and safety of the Inn at Everlook. The spiders can wait for another time.

[Airwyn]

Oh that was so great! I loved it, really wonderful job!

[Litlemouse]

Another story! *noms* err, I mean, great job!

[Aritria]

Litle: It seems you're on a pulp diet.

Airwyn: Thanks for your kind words. I appreciate the feedback!