The Chronicles of Meriden

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Please feel free to read; we hope you enjoy the story that unfolds.

Meret Silverstream

Name: Meret Silverstream

Age: 19

Height: 5' 6"

Weight: 145 lb

Physical Description: Meret is fit yet has budding curves that hint that, when completely developed, she will have curves in all the right places. Her hair is a glossy wave of auburn that reached down to her waist. Her eyes are chocolate brown and are constantly filled with the fire of her determination.

Character Background: Meret grew up comfortably as the daughter of the Marquis Brandon and Marquise Danielle of The Last Bastion. Her parents oversaw the upkeep of their long and narrow county, as well as the security of the rest of the country. Their castle, Wildmount, straddles the boundary between The Wild and the rest Meriden.

As daughter of the Marquis and Marquise Meret was privileged as a child. She was always well fed and wanted for nothing but her freedom. She was well educated and was particularly fond of anything to do with geography and history. Despite her comfortable upbringing she longed for the freedom that people of lesser ranks were able to enjoy. She wanted to be able to ride along the countryside on her horse, the wind rushing through her unbound hair, with no place to go or people to report to. In her personal time she went to the upper battlements of the Wildmount and fired stolen arrows from her contraband bow into the trees far below. It was the only place she really felt herself.

Due to her un-ladylike desire to be free everyone viewed her as a spoiled spark. She was bright, she stood out, but she was quite alone. She had friends amongst the other girls of the court, but none that she could truly trust or relate to. They were fun to be around, but there was nothing more to it than that. A lot of the young men of the court viewed her warily, her famous determination and stubbornness making all but the most daring turn their heads. As it was, Meret had not really dallied with any of the boys. There were some that she liked, to be sure, but they were all so full of courtly graces that she was surprised they didn't explode in a flurry of feathers, silk, and rainbow masks.


Image appropriated from here.

Name: Unknown
Age: unknown, but around 20, give or take
Height: 5ft 11"
Weight: 197 lbs
Physical Description: Much of his weight is the muscle he has gained from his life in the Wild. Living there is not easy, and he had to be in excellent shape to even have a slim chance of survival. But he did survive. His hair color is dark brown, almost black. His shoulders are broad, gained from the swimming he had to do when there was the flood a couple years back. His eyes, however, are his most remarkable trait. Most would think he would have brown eyes, possibly green, but his are a brilliant blue. Many would say that he was of a handsome appearance, despite his uncivilized life, but he does to know he looks handsome, having never had contact with another person in his life.
Personality: He is not one to joke or be wasteful, but he knows how to wait. He is not impulsive, knowing that it could get him killed. The only reason he even knows the Common language of Meridan is because of his companion, Kay, who is a sphinx. Even though most would look down on having a sphinx for a friend, Kay, a female, is different than the rest of her race. Se doesn't kill humans, but she will attack if necessary, and she is extremely loyal to her friend, whom she simply calls hunter. And, due to his many ours of riddle exchanging with Kay, he has developed a mind that allows him to solve problems much quicker than a person would expect of him.
Brief Bio: He never knew is parents. The farthest back in his life he remembers is waking up in the Wild as a young of, no more than 7 or 8. The only reason he survived was because of Kay, who helped him get food before he made weapons of his own. For this, he owes Kay his life, and he will quickly pay the debt with his life. Other than Kay, he has had no encounters with intelligent beings in his life that he could remember.

Dramatis Personae

Dramatis Personae​

Unknown: Protagonist. Orphan who grew up in the wild. Friends with the sphinx Kay.
Kay: Sphinx. Friends of unnamed protagonist/unkown.
Meret Silverstream: Protagonist. Daughter of Marquis Brandon Silverstream and Marquise Danielle (both deceased)
Brandon Silverstream: (Deceased) Marquis of The Last Bastion. Father of Meret. Husband of Danielle.
Danielle Silverstream: (Deceased) Marquise of The Last Bastion. Mother of Meret. Wife of Brandon.
Hamish: (Deceased) Personal Guard of Marquis Brandon.

Meret Silverstream

Meret sighed as she fell, exhausted, into a white silk covered chair. The strains of the harp and lute floated through the air accompanied by the most heavenly voice that The Last Bastion had to offer. The sun was simmering above the horizon to the west and tinting the world around with marvellous hues of yellow, burnt orange and fuchsia.

Meret looked around, her smooth auburn hair pulled up into a bun, with several loose tendrils curled around her face prettily. She should be pleased, she knew that, after all this was her birthday party. However, considering that it was supposed to be held in her honour, there was little there to humour her. It was a pretty day to be sure, but if it were up to her she’d rather spend it on her faithful mare Lightning with her hair flowing in the wind. The pins that held her bun in place stuck into her scalp painfully and she slipped a creamy skinned finger under her hair, hoping to dislodge the little blighter.

“I hope you’re enjoying yourself Darling, your Mother has put on a real show for your party this year.” Said her father, the Marquis Brandon of The Last Bastion. He sat down on a chair beside her and patted her knee over the green velvet of her dress.

“What is there to not enjoy?” Meret said exasperatedly. Her father shot her a look of warning but quickly returned his attention to the revellers on the nearby parquetry dance floor that had been moved to the courtyard for her benefit.

“I know that you don’t like this sort of thing Meret, but you are getting older now and it is time that you begun to think about-” The same old lecture began in the tired tone she had become accustomed to.

That is, until a scream pierced through the evening and turned Meret’s blood to curdled milk.

The music was the first thing to stop, and before long it was replaced by the macabre sounds of terrified screams and monstrous roars. The next thing that Meret noticed was that the dancers were out of step, a mad dash for safety replaced the swift prances of the fox trot.

“Lady Meret, we must go.” Hamish, her Father’s personal guard, sounded as though he was speaking through layers of compressed cotton. His voice was thick and clumsy to her stunned ears and his actions seemed out of time, disjointed, puppet like.

He tried to talk to her again but her brows furrowed in confusion. What was he talking about?

Then, she saw the first Bear.

The Bear was three times taller than any other she’d seen before and at least twice as wide. His long razor like claws were already dripping with a sticky plum sauce. Meret wished for a moment that somebody had told her there was plum sauce; she’d have liked to dip her dinner roll in it. Then, after a moment of being completely dazzled, horror tore through her system and her veins turned to ice. It wasn’t plum sauce; it was blood.

The Bear lumbered towards her with a graceful gait and incredible speed that was at odds with its lumbering appearance. The next thing she knew the world was revolving strangely around her and the wind was knocked out of her lungs. She could smell the pungent freshness of spring grass. There were distant sounds of a struggle and Meret looked up to she Hamish wrestling with the creature.

“HAMISH!” Her voice sounded thick and clumsy to her ears, but he turned.

RUN! She couldn’t hear the word as he screamed it, but she could tell what he meant by the way his lips moved and the desperation in his eyes. When he turned back she heard a blood-curdling roar and saw the Bear bring one massive clawed paw down across Hamish’s throat. A split second later a fountain of blood sprayed from Hamish and covered the Bear’s matted black fur.

That was when reality caught up to Meret.

The sounds and sights of the world came to her in a sudden rush as Hamish felt to the ground like a sack of potatoes. As he fell his body rotated and his head lolled back onto the ground. His previously twinkly blue eyes looked at hers, dead, and Meret’s cry of dismay filled the air.

RUN!

So Meret ran. She ran until her lungs burnt with the effort, until her ribs felt like they were caving in. She ran until her feet felt heavier than lead and her vision blurred with tears. And then she ran even further.

Meret had no idea where she was going until she reached the abandoned tower that overlooked The Last Bastion and the land around it. Instead of climbing up the winding stone staircase the ducked beneath it and fell into a trap door. Below the stone floor were some dark steps that led down to an even darker cellar. Meret didn’t bother checking to see if anyone was there. She didn’t even have the energy to light a torch before she collapsed to the ground and gave in to the pull of exhausted sleep.

~*~

Six weeks had passed since the disastrous events of Meret’s nineteenth birthday party. After falling into a deep black sleep she had awoken and ascended back into the light of day. Meret didn’t know how long she slept for, but by the time she returned to The Last Bastion everyone was dead. The previously beautiful town was splashed with red blood that was drying black in places. Amongst the dead bodies she could see tufts of matted black fur, or some claws that had been dislodged, but there was no sign of the giant Bears that had torn her world to shreds. Before she had left she had the good sense to pack a big bag with supplies, and she went to her old room to find weapons. Even though she knew she should, she couldn’t bear to look at the dead bodies. She had seen a man dressed in crimson and gold robes of velvet on the parquetry dance floor, but he was not her father. Not anymore. He was not her father any more than the woman in the purple silk dress was her mother.

When Meret left The Last Bastion and made for the woods she had been shocked to hear a familiar sound. When she turned she saw a flash of black through the trees. Instantly, her blood turned to ice. However, the flash was accompanied by a braying sound that could only mean one thing. Lightning. He had come up to her and nuzzled her and she had wept then. She climbed onto him, her legs straddling his bare back, and she was thankful for him; her only companion.

It took her half a day to reach the next town on horseback. At first she had seen smoke from the chimneys and had thought that she was in luck. However, but the time she got close enough to discern the state of the town she had realised that the fires were unattended. The blood and cadavers spread before the gates told her that story well enough.

And so it continued… Another six weeks of travel had woven the same tale. Every time she got to a new town it was too late. She had seen more blood in the past month and a half than most seasoned warriors would in their entire life. But, by the time she reached Port Dense, she had acquired a saddle, saddle bags, and a health amount of supplies.

Upon seeing the corpses littering the small fishing town of Port Dense Meret had assumed that it had met the same fate as the others that she had seen before. That was until she heard the growling. This time when she turned, she didn’t see a graceful mare walking towards her. Instead, this time, it was a Bear. It was the creature that had stolen everything she knew, it was the creature that wouldn’t even leave her alone in her nightmares.

The creature assessed her for a moment as she sat on Lightning, frozen. It’s black eyes twinkled with an intelligence not seen in even the canniest creatures.

“RUN!” This time it was her voice that yelled Hamish’s word. She dug her heels into Lightning’s side and the mare turned from the beast and ran. She was true to her name sake; Lightning ran so fast that afternoon that the world blurred around Meret as her mind raced.

She couldn’t go north; she had just come from Gillen and there was no hope there. To the west was Harper Town, The Siege and The Last Bastion- all had fallen victim to the fiendish Bears. To the east was the ocean, and for all her smarts Meret was not a sailor.

“SOUTH!” Meret cried, tugging on Lightning’s reins and looking over her shoulder as the garish creature and three of its kin raced after them, drool flying from their mouths and making them look like giant rabid dogs.

Lightning made for the perfectly straight line of trees in the distance. The wall that led to The Wild. Meret had been told stories of the Wild as a child, and all of the creatures and horrors that lay beyond the perimeter of ancient oak trees. However, when she looked over her shoulder and saw several more Bears joining the pack, even The Wild seemed like a better option.

The Bears were closing in on them with a speed that Meret felt was supernatural. The large oak trees grew taller and taller and eventually blotted out the sun as they approached. In the shadowed light of the Wild Meret turned and saw something strange. The Bears were slowing down. They were roaring to each other as if in conversation. When Lightning dashed between the first two sentinels of the forest the Bears came to a halt all together. Meret pulled the reins firmly and Lightning skidded to a stop.

The bears beady black eyes glared at her across the distance, their dangerous orbs holding a promise of pain and danger. However, with a loud roar from the one at the front, the pack turned and begun to lumber away slowly.
Meret was flabbergasted. What was it about The Wild that the bears were so afraid of?

I woke to the feeling of movement at my side. My eyes opened at a flash, and I looked around, still lying down. I gave sigh of relief, realizing it was just Kay snuggling with me, not some animal that had crept in or something like that. I straightened my back, sitting on my bed, and began stretching my muscles. When I was satisfied, I slowly got off the bed, not wanting to awaken my companion.
But no matter how quiet I was, she immediately knew I had awoken. She gave a yawn, and was standing next to me in no time. Right now, she had changed her hair to brown, her eyes to green, and her body to that of a humans. I just couldn't shake off the feeling that she was possibly flirting with me sometimes. We had known ach other for as long as i could remember, and even though I considered her more of a sister to me than ordinary friend, she seemed to want more. She certainly fit it, since whenever she was human she always appeared to choose the most beautiful forms she could think of.
"What woke you?" she asked me.
"Nothing, I just woke up naturally," I answered, not wanting to tell her she had awoken me. I knew kay would probably know that asnt thecase; here in the Wild, you never awoke naturally, something always wakes you up. She sighed, and reverted to her true form, that of a sphinx. She now had the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, but a slightly humanoid face, a mixture of human and lion. When she was done morphing, I went to the corner where my bow and quiver was, full woth arrows, and began preparing for morning hunt.
"Listen, I will be back at earliest noon, latest late afternoon. Don't let anything in the house. If you see a human, just capture it for questioning, okay?" I instructed Kay. Although i doubted we would see any humans. When Kay had last checked on the villagers, she had said they were all dead, killed by a giant beast. That was weeks ago, but not much had changed. the only other major event was that a pack of giant bears had entered the Wild, going on a rampage. Kay and I had killed many of them together, but some had escaped.
Kay gave a nod at my instructions, looking bored, and I climbed down the rope ladder to reach the forest floor. I looked back to my home, a tree house, and Kay pulled up the rope ladder. Satisfied, I ran out deeper into the forest, being careful not to awaken any creatures,

Meret Silverstream

Meret didn't stop until she was deep enough in the forest that she could no longer see the plains through the gaps in the trees. When she slid of Lightning she began to rub him down, massaging the twitching muscles of her flanks as she did so.

"That was close." Meret told Lightning as she cleaned her down, taking her time with the task even though she was eager for it to be over so she could calm her own racing nerves.

Even though she knew the Bears had turned away at the edge of the forest Meret continued to face north, her ears trained for any sound that would announce the giant creatures if they changed their mind. Meret's mind buzzed with the intensity of the recent events and she tried to make sense of what had happened. All of it. How did she end up here when all she had been doing was celebrating her nineteenth birthday? It was so surreal, six weeks on the run and she had yet to see another live human. Live Bears, however, she had seen more than she cared to.

Meret's thoughts were broken when she hear a crunching sound in the forest around her. It was too light to be a Bear, and that frightened her more than if she had seen those glowing red eye. She remembered now why The Wild was avoided; she remembered why she had been scared of this place since she was a child. Cold fear washed over her like heavy summer rain and her body tensed. Slowly, she reached over her shoulder and grabbed her bow and an arrow. She mounted Lightning in one swift motion and knocked the arrow, ready to fire in a heartbeat.

There wasn't much game out, but I had still been able to find some rabbits in my traps. I had been on my way home when I heard a horse run through the woods. I stopped, concealing my self in the bushes, and saw the horse come into view it was being ridden by a person. The first person I had ever seen, besides Kay. The horse slowed to a stop, and the person, a girl to be accurate, jumped off. Her hair hung own at her sides, soaked with sweat. She began massaging her horse, and I began moving to get in a better position to leave. Wile I had been moving, stepped on a twig, to coursing on the ground beneath me. Se immediately brought up her head, having heard the sound, and she quickly mounted her horse, knocking an arrow on her how. Doing the same, I stepped out into the clearing to face her.
This was the first time I had been irked by someone from outside of the Wild, but it didn't other me. I had sworn to keep myself hidden, so either this girl had to die, or she wold stayin the Wild. Hopefully the latter, since I wasn't a killer.
"What business do you have in my woods?" I asked in the Common tongue of the outside world,which Kay had taught me. I tried to make myself appear to be the owner of the forest, but I was not sure how convincing I was.

Meret Silverstream

"What business do you have in my woods?"

His words were oddly accented and very demanding. Meret held her bow in place as she took a closer look at the stranger who had stepped out of the trees. Her first and most important observation was that he looked human enough. Meret had heard all sorts of strange and wondrous tales about the inhabitants of The Wild.

He looked to be around the same age as her, and though his appearance was unkempt she could see handsomeness behind the dirt. He was wearing leather pants and a leather top, looking as though it had been patched together from the skin of various animals. Over some parts of the leather there was also swatches of fur which, Meret guessed, was supposed to protect him from the cold that could suffuse The Wild come winter. Besides the bow that he was pointing directly at her, there were two daggers on his belt that looked more crude than some she had seen on the belts of the courtiers at The Last Bastion, but infinitely more dangerous.

"These aren't your woods." Meret said, a suspicious frown twisting her lips as she spoke. "This is The Wild, it belongs to no man." She knew that for certain, for it had been told to her time and time again by her history teacher. The Wild was, as its name supposed, completely untameable. Many had tried and died horribly for their ill-conceived attempts.

"Lightning and I are here because were were running from some Bears." She added, realising that she should at least try and answer the question posed to her by a bow wielding stranger.

Se didnt answer me for a moment, she looked as if she was examining me. I felt alightly uncomfortable, but I kept my grip firm on my bow, not wanting to be distracted. When I heard her answer to my demand, and it was less than pleasing. I waited a moment to see if she had anything else to say, and she continued her words. When she added what she was running from, I was amazed. I had been told that there had been basically no survivors among the nobles, and yet here one was. It was obvious that she was a noble, her clothes covered in dirt and grim, but obviously meant to be attractive looking. Confused, I thought for a moment, trying to think of what to do. If I brought her back home, Kay wouldn't be appy, I knew. But I couldn't leave her out her, she would die within a couple days. Torn between, I made my decision.
"If you need someplace to hide from these Bears you talk of, you can stay out my home," he told her, trying to sound the least bit awkward, but his words still come out a bit odd. He had never spoken to a human before, save when he spoke to Kay, and his Common was a bit rusty, so he couldn't convey his real meaning as easily. But his intent was obvious in his words; he was doing this to keep her from disrupting anything in the forest, and to help her.

Meret Silverstream

"You want me to hide... at your home?" Meret asked, her voice filled with suspicion and disbelief. "I don't even know you!"

Her fingers ran over Lightning's soft hide and she automatically regretted her quick words. He was the first live human that she'd seen in over a week, she should be celebrating, not interrogating.

"It's just that I don't even know your name. I didn't even know that there were humans in The Wild. And how do I know that this isn't a trap?"

I had expected her to not trust me, but it still stung a bit, even though I barely knew her. I kept my hurt out of my voice before speaking during her pause in words.
"If you want to survive, you should consider the proposition before being hasty."
I waited for her to speak again, and listened to her explanation.
"It's just that I don't even know your name. I didn't even know there were humans in the Wild.and how do I know this isn't a trap? she inquired. I gave a sigh, getting ready to answer her. It wouldn't satisfy her, but I didn't care.
"I don't have a name. For now, you can just call me whatever you like. And as for humans in the Wild, I am the only one. No other humans besides me. And le me tell you why it is in both of our best interests for you to stay at my house." I sat on a rock nearby, a boulder set in the ground.
"First of all,if you are in my home, that offers you shelter, food, protection, and many other things. It will also prevent you from disturbing the wildlife here, allowing me to hunt better and to avoid the attention of dangerous creatures. So far, it is a Win-Win for both of us. And as fo rif this is a trap, why would I possibly be interested in you for any reason what so ever? I barely even know you, and to me you are really nothing more than a possible second pair of hands to help."
I gave a sigh, waiting for her to reply.

Meret Silverstream

Meret's forehead scrunched up and her grip on her bow tightened as she listened to his words. Even though he casually took a seat on a rock she kept her weapon at the ready.

"And as fo rif this is a trap, why would I possibly be interested in you for any reason what so ever? I barely even know you, and to me you are really nothing more than a possible second pair of hands to help."

Meret was affronted. Normally she appreciated open and honest speech, but there was a fine line between being truthful and being rude. He was the one that had surprised her in the forest, not the other way around. He was the one to suggest going to his home to stop her disturbing the wildlife.

"Look," Said Meret, hips shifting to the left as she spoke "I don't plan to be in The Wild for long. The Bears wouldn't follow me in, so I am just going to follow the line of trees until I reach Wildershins and then I am heading back out to find some more humans.... Ones that will be able to get to the King and warn him of this threat." She lowered her weapon slightly. "So thank you, Sir, for your kind offer of hospitality, but I have things to do and places to go. Good day."

Meret turned quickly and mounted Lightning.

I heard her denial, and listened to her without interruption. When she stated her agenda, I was surprised. The king was dead. Or, at least, that was what Kay had told me. I didn't say anything, to thinking she was serious, until she mounted her horse. I jumped off of the rock, onto my feet.
"Ah, Miss? I strongly advise you change your plans, for it is. Impossible for you to carry out your objective for this simple reason: The King, he is dead."
Not sure how she would react, I quickly let out a high-pitched whistle, similar to a certain type of bird located only in the Wild, but slightly different so it wouldn't be confused for it. It was a signal to Kay, telling her I needed her ASAP. I just hoped that she would come in her human form, so she wouldn't frighten their unexpected "guest".

Meret Silverstream

The King is dead.

Those words sent a cold shiver running down her spine, and Meret gripped Lightning's reigns tighter.

"How do you know?" She snapped the words angrily before she had time to temper her mood and remember her manners. She knew that she should have apologised for her sharp tone, but she couldn't find it within her to do so when the boy was offering such horrific tidings.

Meret had spent weeks scouring the country only to find death and destruction everywhere she went. She hadn't made it as far North as the the Splendid City, but she didn't even want to toy with the possibility that they had all died as well. It wasn't possible, it couldn't be true. This strange Wild Man was just telling her this to lure her in.

Meret's entire body tensed as she waited for a response. She would count to three in her mind before leaving this strange being to his Wild. She had to get back out into the real world, she had to see if the King was dead for herself.

One...

Two...

When Itold her the King was dead, she gripped the reins tighter, and then snapped at me.
"How do you know?" she snapped.
I thought quickly of what would be the most appropriate thing to say. I didn't want to tell her I had a sphinx for a fiend; most people didn't trust sphinxes, so that would just send her off. I finally found words to say, and quickly said them.
"I have a friend from the outside, who used to live in the capital. Se went their every once and a while, and six weeks ago she came running back here, riding her horse, saying that the city had been attacked by a whole horde of giant bears, and she was the only survivor. Based on that, I assumed the King was dead."
Right as I finished speaking, Kay walked into the learning, thankfully in her human form. Wen she saw the human I was talking to, she understood and walked next me, facing her.
I quickly told her what was going on in the secret language she and I had devised together. When she was filled in, she gave a nod and faced the girl.
"My friend says the truth: the King really is dead," Kay told her grimly.

Meret Silverstream

Meret had been about to respond to his statement when her body tensed in shock. A very pretty female, maybe around the same age as herself, stepped out from behind the trees. The two conversed in an alien tongue and then the female spoke in a strangely accented voice that was deeper than Meret expected.

"My friend says the truth: the King really is dead,"

Meret didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say. Hearing it again made the words sink deeper and deeper into her heart. The small dark part of her that had suspected this reared its ugly head and she fought to maintain her semblance of calm.

"Be that as it may," Meret said, her voice dangerously close to trembling "I have to see this for myself. Good day to you both, and thank you for your words of warning." Meret tugged gently on the reins and Lightning begun to walk from the clearing. She had to stop herself from looking back at her shoulder at the odd couple.

When the girl began leaving, I felt a bit upest that she was, despite the fact that I had only just met her, and I knew nothing about her. I have a sigh, watching her on her horse trot off, leaving the clearing.
"She will be back, I know it." Kay's voice cut into my thoughts. Surprised, I turned to face her.
"How do you know?"
"When I was flying around the orders of the forest, I saw that many Bears had set p a 'camp' all around the forest. It is a couple hundred feet from the tree line, but it surrounds it entirely; she won't be able to get past that. If she notices the camp before the Bears notice her, she will most likely turn around. If she doesn't notice it, she will be killed." The logic was sound, and for some reasoni desperately wished she would come back. I guessed that I had become lonely, despite Kay's companionship, and I had wanted to meet one of my own kind, a human. And now that I had, I wanted to get to know her. I turned around, though, and Kay and I set off to our tree home, my rabbits sling over my shoulder.

Meret Silverstream

Meret couldn't believe it. The better part of three days passed as she attempted to escape The Wild. At first she thought that the Bears were just there out of coincidence. However, every time she tried to emerge from the trees she could spot their furry black hides off somewhere in the distance.

It was another sign that these were no ordinary bears. As they waited outside the reach of the trees shadows they watched. She knew that some of them had spotted her as she peered out at them, but they made no move to come closer. There was something about The Wild that they feared, something that held them at bay when nothing else would.

Meret wanted to escape the dark and dreary forest, but with so many bears guarding the passages out she knew it would be suicidal. Each time she spotted the black bears with their evil red eyes off in the distance her thoughts turned back to the strange male and female she had met in the Wild.

~*~

It took her another few days to reach the spot where she thought she found the other humans. She knew this was the place because she could see the Bears in the distance, camping before the outlying buildings of Port Dense. The food that she had carried with her was all but gone, but Meret was just thankful that she had not seen nor heard of any of the creatures that were rumoured to reside in this part of the realm.

So it was, with a heavy heart lacking hope, that Meret set up camp amongst the trees where she had rejected an offer from a stranger almost a week earlier. She had wanted to see the rest of the kingdom for herself, wanted to know that the king was dead from her own experience rather than that of some random stranger that lived in a forest far from the palace.

If it weren't for the Bears she would be most of the way to the capital by now. If it weren't for the Bears she would still be in The Last Bastion with her family, arguing about the fact that she would rather be outside than studying in a stone prison.

Meret gave Lightning a gently pat on the rump before she pulled her bow off her back and knocked an arrow. It would no longer to to waste the limited rations she had in her pack, if she wanted food, she would need to start hunting for it.

The next week my thoughts couldn't leave the stranger that I had encountered. Every day I went to the spot where we met, just to see if she had returned. I couldn't explain it, but I felt attracted to her, I felt that I wanted her to stay in. He Wld with me. When I told Kay about this, it seemed to upset her and she didn't talk tome for a while, but slowly things returned to normal. I had checked the spot for almost a week now, and I had decided that if she didn't return today, then I would assume she was dead.
As I reached the clearing where we met, I didn't see anyone there. For some reason, I decided to look around the clearing to see any signs of her. I saw the markings of her horse from a week ago, and I almost overlooked them but I noticed at the last moment that some of the tracks were fresh. I also saw her footprints, and as I looked around I saw more signs of her return. Excited, I looked at the surrounding areas to try and find her camp. When I found it, she wasn't there, but then I remembered her long bow, and I figured she would be out hunting. I hid behind one of the bushes near her camp, just in case I was mistaken and this wasn't her camp. Glad that I had brought some food, I waited for her to return.

Meret Silverstream

As Meret made her way back to her camp she couldn't help but be pleased with her efforts. In her left hand she carried a very large, well fed, hare. It had taken her only one shot to down the creature as it ran from its hiding spot. However, as she neared her horse and her other belongings her mood turned slightly. She had never skinned a rabbit before, and she had no idea how to cook anything. She'd never had to put together a meal before, always eating whatever was offered by the kitchens at the Last Bastion.

Well, Meret thought with a grim smile, there are a lot of things I thought I'd never be able to do which I have achieved over the past month and a half. If she was ever going to eat something other than bread, cheese, fruit and nuts, she would need to start learning how to cook.

So it was that Meret set about her business when she reached camp. She took the dagger from her boot and begun the grizzly job of skinning the hare, before she gathered wood for a small fire.

When I saw the girl return, I decided to wait for the right moment. I had been waiting for over an hour, but I still had some patience left in me. When she began skinning the hare, I could tell it was her first time ever. I decided that then was the best time to reveal myself. Taking a deep breath, I left my hiding spot from behind the bushes. She didn't notice me until I spoke.
"Need any help with that?" I asked her. I didn't mean to startle her; after all, she was holding a dagger and I didn't need to be told what accidents could occur from that.

Meret Silverstream

"Need any help with that?"

The sudden human voice amidst the gentle song of the forest made Meret jump in fright and her dagger fall to the leaf covered floor. Without hesitation she snatched it up again before turning around, eyeing the surrounding forest warily. When her gaze rested upon that strange man she had met several days earlier her posture loosened slightly, but she still kept her dagger raises defensively.

"How long have you been standing there?" Meret asked.

I saw that I had startled her when she jumped and dropped her dagger. Se quickly picked it up and pointed towards me, but when she recognized who I was, I saw that she relaxed a bit.
"How long have you been standing there?" she asked. I gave a sigh of relief, glad she hadn't attack me, and decided that I shouldn't answer her question complely truththfully this time.
"Oh, not too long. I had just been huntin when I noticed your tracks in the forest. Curious, I followed back to here, and here you were, attempting to skin a hare. First time skinning, no doubt?"