A
Place Called Home
7/4/10,122 - Thailot Foothills
Quickly the animals are quietened & readied to depart, as darkness falls Tharla collects the bloodied paw cut from the Thulyakhashawin, a trophy to be proud off, disappointedly she notes that Illyra has already drawn a claw from the dismembered limb, presumably to add to the bag of summoning, however given that the beast is assumed to still live the claw will be useless.
Pushing on Molin leads the way across territory increasingly familiar to him, progress is however slow as the dogs, sled & Kilite have difficulty in crossing the boulder strewn, scree-covered slopes.
As the sun rises Molin feels at home knowing he will sit at the clan hearth by end of day, but following a brief discourse the decision is made to sit out the sun thus avoiding any chance of being sighted by the patrolling eagle riders, disappointed, Molin leads the group to one of the many hidden bolt holes known only to the warriors of the Bear clan.
Sitting above the rock overhang on a concealed watch post Molin scans the sky as the others rest below, several eagles cross the sky over the course of the day, more so than would be expected other than when the path of the Sky City brings it close. Of greater concern to Molin however is the lack of sign of Bear clan watchers, whilst the clan itself is relatively few in number, for its borders to be bereft of watchers entirely only increases the foreboding in his guts.
Resting through the remainder of the day & into the night it is agreed that Molin & Tharla will leave on foot pre-dawn & cover the last few miles to Molin's home, Illyra & Kilite will remain here with the animals, leaving early Molin quietly voices his worries over what they may find ahead. Moving through the gullies Tharla endeavours to keep in touch with Illyra by use of mind speech however it expires long before they reach their target.
As they near the last turn, Molin, attuned to the noises of the mountains, picks up the tell tale rattle of scree dislodged as someone or thing tails their progress high above. Alerted now to the presence above he picks out several figures moving over the lip of the valley, with some degree of relief he can see they wear the dress of the Ust-Alayakit.
Despite Molin's association with the clan the two are treated warily until recognition of dawns on the face of one of the four warriors who confront them. After a hurried introduction they are escorted the remaining few hundred yards into the village itself. Casting around Molin can see the suffering his people have endured, undernourished, hollow eyed & with many a bandaged wound, preparations are underway for a withdrawal into the heart of the mountains.
Having paid homage to his clan chief & made his claim for full clan status Molin is questioned as to his travels & in return told of the onslaught of the now ever present eagle riders as well as mercenaries from the plains & militia from Thailot, Molin needs no reminding of the hardship of life of the bear clan, however it is clear that since Thailot fell to the Sky City things have rapidly gone downhill. Remembering the release of the Badger clan demon Molin feigns casualness & enquiries as to whether it is known if the badger clan suffer similarly.
Abruptly the clan chief snaps that he cares little how the badger clan fair, however Molin is later told that little news has come to them of the badger people, in fact that is the one enemy that lately they have largely been able to forget.
Finally Molin introduces Tharla, at first she is dismissed as simply baggage, at best a half breeds consort, a few eyes are raised & smiles hidden behind raised hands as Molin tells of her heroism, all laughter ceases however when the bloodied paw of the Thulyakhashawin is dropped to the ground before the gathered elders. With open respect thereafter Tharla is offered the friendship of the Ust-Alayakit & food, although meagre, is brought forward. Molin, keen to fulfil his geas to the clan, requests that Tharla be allowed to collect their friends who wait a mile or so back.
An hour or so later Tharla, escorted by two young warriors moves back along the valley towards her waiting friends, as they pass a landmark noted earlier on their inward journey she pauses to recast a spell of mind speech with Illyra, the response she receives is not what was expected & she urges her companions to make all haste.
Watching the two depart Illyra feels exposed as she sits alone upon the watch tower, returning to ground level she makes a quick search of the area to try & find better cover to conceal the dogs & Gunter, however finding little better than their current location she returns to watch alone from above. As she sits staring into space she suddenly picks up on three dots approaching below the clouds, realising they are mounted eagles she calls down to warn Kilite, & in attempt to assist casts shimmer upon him.
Kilite acknowledging the warning continues to keep the dogs quiet, suddenly however they begin to howl & snap at him, even Molin's bear grows restless, despite his best efforts the dogs scatter at his approach, hackles rising. Confused, he catches sight of his own hand & realises what Illyra has done, far from aiding his task it has served only to upset the animals as they see his wavering form. Realising that the eagles will soon be upon them he abandons the animals & conceals himself as best he can within a thicket of thorn bushes some thirty yards or so away.
Illyra too realises that she has compromised their concealment & unhesitatingly goes to aid Kilite, standing amidst the distraught animals, she has no time to wonder where Kilite has gone as she is confronted by one of the riders who has landed across the gully. As the rider dismounts he walks toward Illyra demanding to know who/where/why etc, Illyra flounders under his questions & attempts to cast a spell of befuddlement upon him.
Shaking aside Illyra's sorcery he draws his sword & strikes, as he does so Kilite first attempts to distract him from his intent & failing to do so raises his staff & streams fire towards the startled rider, out of the corner of his eye Kilite sees the two other eagles settle onto the ground. The closing rider is almost caught by Kilite's attack however dodging beneath he strikes illyra a fearful blow across the side of her head, dazed she slumps to the ground her helm rolling in the dust.
Before the rider can slit her throat Kilite bursts out of the bushes & launches into a frenzied tirade on behalf of his beloved Jirre, the rider looks on in astonishment that this fool who only seconds earlier tried to roast him alive is now preaching at him.
Illyra, shaking her head, thrusts her self to her feet as her would be captor stares at Kilite, as she rises she draws & slashes the rider across his stomach, mortally wounded he collapses to his knees, numb fingers fumbling as he tries to stuff glistening entrails back through the gaping hole. Unnerved by the sudden violence the mounted pair of riders thrash their beasts into the air, hurling throwing javelins, wide of the mark, as they do so.
As the two remaining riders, along with the third unoccupied eagle, circle high above, Tharla, along with her escorts, finally arrive gasping for breath. Seeing that there is little they can do about the watchers above the dogs are harnessed & Molin's bear cajoled into following, the group they head back towards the village of the Bear clan.