Princess in Exile

[Annisthyrienne]

The peace of the mid-morning was shattered by a series of yelps, growls, and barks, as if a whole pack of wild dogs were after something. Keen eyes caught motion on the valley floor below, not more than 60 yards away. They spotted a lone figure riding desperately on a wild eyed, heavily lathered horse, breaking out of the tree line and racing through the scattered brush and deadfall littering the valley below.

The rider was slight of build and short, perhaps a youth or a member of one of the smaller races. Horse and rider were obviously running for their very lives. From out of the trees behind came a slavering fur covered figure, then another followed close on their heels.

It would have been hard to tell that these monsters were nearly 7 feet tall standing up, because as they loped after their prey, they went alternately on two legs or all fours, as it suited them. They were brownish grey, with some lighter spots approaching a shade of tan or yellow even. They wore remnants of poor quality armor and clothing that they had scavenged from previous victims. They also had weapons, although they had quite formidable natural weaponry, in the form of their claws and fangs.

Gnolls! They were vicious, but a skilled warrior and good tactics could defeat them. The small figure wouldn't have a chance against them. The fact that this chase would soon come to an end was clear. The horse's labored breaths could be heard, coming hard. As the rider cut through the brush, zig-zagging sharply to evade the grasping claws that even now tore at the rider's cloak and clothes, the horse was beginning to misstep and slip.

And then it happened. The horse gave a shudder as its endurance finally flagged. It slipped and stumbled, pitching the rider over its shoulder to land hard upon the ground. The horse didn't get back up. In a heartbeat, the lead gnoll was upon the hapless figure, just as it struggled to its feet and began to run. The slavering beast bore the small figure to the ground roughly beneath him, already snapping and snarling, tearing at the clothes. The hood of the cloak was off now, revealing long auburn hair, nearly the color of a roan horse.

The other one closed in now, hoping to get his share of the spoils of the attack. The entire tableau had unfolded in a matter of a few seconds. Most of the view of the small figure was blocked by the broad back of the hairy beast crouching over its victim, but the next sound split the air of the mountain glade. It was the sound of a scream from the gnoll's victim. It was the scream of a woman!

 

[Annisthyrienne]

Thyri knew her time had come, but please Goddess, not this way, she thought desperately. She felt the sickening lurch as the horse stumbled and went down; felt the disorienting feeling of her unsupported flight over the horse's shoulder, and then she felt the stunning impact with the ground. It hurt, and maybe something cracked inside, she couldn't be sure. But there was no time to worry about that now. There may never be time to worry about that if she didn't get away.

She sucked in her lip in pain as she scrambled to her feet to run. Already she saw the snarling gnoll bearing down on her impossibly fast. Not even elvish agility could escape at this close distance. She felt the cloak of her hood ripped away, spilling out her long auburn hair. He was so close!

She barely managed two more strides before he physically ran her down, bearing her roughly to the ground under his massive frame. She barely had time to turn back to face him, and as a result, she went down on her back beneath him, hitting hard enough to send another jolt of pain through her ribcage and smacking her head on the packed earth under her. Only the meadow grass cushioned her impact enough to spare her the stunned unconsciousness that might have been a blessed reprieve for what was to come.

She tried to fight him, she really did, with every thing she had, which wasn't much. Of what use were small fists or scratching fingernails against the thick fur covered body, backed by corded rangy muscle under that hide. She tried to kick out, but it was like swats from a baby to the large monster overpowering her.

His jaws snapped at her flailing hands, adding the danger of getting bitten to her already inadequate defenses. He slashed one clawed hand across the neckline of her tunic, ripping four parallel slashes through tunic and the blouse beneath it alike. It rent the fabric into strips totally unable to protect her skin or her modesty. Four identical scratches began to inflame into angry red welts, marring the perfection of her youthful breasts, almost as soon as the blow was delivered.

Her legs frantically kicked and struggled, though the leverage she had wasn't good. Protected as they were only in the fine soft cloth riding leggings she wore under her tunic, she knew it wouldn't be long before the monster exposed them too. Visions of what would happen then swam in her frantically desperate mind. She knew it could only end one way. She wasn't ready for her brief lifespan to be over; not like this, not at all!

Already the creature was trying to capture her wrists in one massive clawed hand to restrain her. With the other, he grabbed the waistband of her leggings, even through the covering of her tunic where it hung down below her waist. He pulled with a strength she couldn't fully comprehend, and she felt the fabric rend asunder. She could feel the cool mountain air now caressing her naked flesh, and she knew that she was undone.

Glancing down fearfully, she could already see the angry looking red length of his penis sliding out from the furry sheath at the base of his torso. And she could hear the excited yelps and barks of his remaining pack mate closing in to get his share of the cruel sport. Hope of any salvation died within her. Her mind filled with images of her brave bodyguard and friend, Keira, falling beneath a similar assault back in their camp at dawn that very morning. She wondered if her brave friend had suffered the same indignities that she was about to endure.

The pack had attacked just at dawn. Keira hadn't even donned her armor for the day, and it was the worst time they could have come. Thyri had only managed to get dressed for another day's travel when the warning shout from Keira broke the peaceful stillness. She barely had time to grab her bow and rush out of the tent before they were in the clearing, nearing point blank range.

She had used her bow to good effect, her elvish heritage making the weapon deadly even in the hands of a gentle healer like herself. She wasn't much good with weapons that had to be used up close; her empathic sense that allowed her to heal others so well hindered her in inflicting injury like that. But the bow was another matter. Even with that, she had always treated her skill as more of a sport than ever intending to use it against another living being. But there had been no time to consider such matters then.

Back to back with Keira, she had brought down two of them before they got too close. They had reached for her even as Keira had shoved her bodily towards her own black stallion before going down under their attack. Keira had always been stalwart and true that way, since the time she switched allegiances to become Thyri's bodyguard and friend. Thyri hated that she had to flee, but she also knew that it would only hamper Keira's fighting ability to know her princess was still at risk. Keira would readily risk her life to save Thyri; she had done so before.

And so she had fled, leaping to the back of Keira's black stallion and racing through the underbrush, down the long valley, with three of the monsters in pursuit. In her desperate flight, she had managed to keep her bow, and even at a full run, she had turned to loose a couple shots, bringing one of the beasts down. Then she had run out of arrows. A low tree branch had snagged her bow when she'd cut too close to the brush to try to gain precious ground. After that she had just concentrated on getting away.

But it had all come to naught. Her fate seemed to be sealed now. Still she could not bring herself to that resignation. She had to fight them to her last breath!

 

[Niriate]

The pair of yellow-slitted eyes followed the events happening from a nearby bush of underdrgrowth. Sharp white fangs snarled as the owner observed the incoming raping of the gnolls.
Should I.. or should I not.. I really should, shouldn't I? The wolfess shook her head in a futile attempt to clear the confusion from her mind.

Gnolls were large, but mostly cowards at heart, only daring to attack if they outnumbered their enemy and took them by surprise. The large humanoid creatures were a blight on the forest in her eyes, but nothing could really be done about it. Yet.

A loud snarl came from her mouth as she leaped out of the bushes and straight onto the first of the three gnolls that were enjoying themselves with the presence of the elf. The entrance of the large wolf snapped all three of them to attention, cuasing the lead gnoll to abandon his attempted rape of the lithe elf and reset his focus to the wolf that had surprised them.

"If you can hear me, don't be afraid. I'm a.. friend.. I won't hurt you." She said in a mental message to the Elf as she circled the small clearing, trying to get between the fallen figure and the assaulting gnolls. Eventhough she knew that she was outnumbered, she also knew that she was probably more of a fight for the opportunistc gnolls then the Elf had been, for none of the three mongrels showed initiative to attack ther.
It certainly helped that she was a good 5 feet from paw to shoulder in height, eventhough she was still several heads smaller then the Gnolls, she was sure that she could take them all on if she needed to.

The lead gnoll snarled something to her in a tongue that she couldn't understand, before they started to slowly withdraw from the two of them. She kept her canines bared widely, a constant low growl emerging from her throat to keep them from making a sudden charge.

Come on.. get lost already.. You can't win.. She sighed inwardly as she kept a vigilant watch over the fallen Elf.

After several minutes of snarls and mental games, the three attackers chose the wiser option, the one of retreating into the forest. Niri exhaled a mental breath as she turned to the Elf on the floor.
"That took longer then I hoped... Are you okay?" The wolfess sat down on her haunches next to the Elf and slwoly let her tail brush over the ground.
"I did come in time, didn't I?"

 

[Annisthyrienne]

Thyri's outstretched hand scrabbled for something - anything- that she could use to fight off the beast. Her grasping fingers had barely closed around a stout branch when a terrible snarling growl startled all the occupants of the little clearing. And suddenly the monster above her leapt up and away, leaving her bare and vulnerable in the dirt.

At first she thought that one of the other gnolls had challenged the first for the right to ravage her. But then she saw the dire wolf circling the clearing, moving towards her. What new terror was this? She clutched the branch firmly as she struggled to sit up. Her ruined leggings hampered her, tangling around her lower thighs, and her cracked ribs hurt when she moved. But she had to stand. She wouldn't be an easy prey, not for any of them.

The wolf was huge! At first Thyri's heart leapt in hopes that it was her long lost friend Tetyanna, but no, this wolf was different. Tetyanna wasn't that big, and the coloration was wrong. Just then the words sounded in her head. She knew that Tet couldn't communicate like that. This was not her friend. This was another creature altogether.

But the words were reassuring. And as she maneuvered herself upright to a sitting position, wincing in pain from her ribs, she watched this huge animal facing off against the remaining gnolls. Now she realized that the wolf wasn't just approaching her; it was putting itself between the gnolls and her. Thyri watched, wide eyed in wonder, as her defender bravely backed the gnolls down.

The growl emitting from the wolf's throat rumbled deep as thunder, and Thyri noted the three and a half inch long fangs bared in a threat posture. She struggled to her feet, her eyes going to the gnolls as they backed away snarling. She raised the heavy branch, trying to add to the menace of her snarling guardian, but it hurt to raise her arm up higher than her shoulder. She could sense the cracked ribs inside her, and knew that she'd have some serious healing to do if she survived this. She hugged her other arm close about her protectively, her hand vainly trying to hold together the shreds of her tattered blouse and tunic. Her leggings were left to sag around her knees, leaving her partially bare and exposed. She clamped her lips in a grim expression, but it was mostly to keep her bottom lip from trembling.

At last the gnolls sought their retreat, and Thyri felt her resolve waiver. She physically seemed to collapse in on herself as she slowly knelt, shoulders drooping in fatigue. It had been close. Too close. But thanks to her unusual benefactor, she was alive. And where there was life, there was still hope. She let the branch drop to the ground, reaching to gather her leggings up around her, protecting her modesty.

More words sounded inside her mind, and she glanced up to find the giant wolf facing her. Even sitting as it was, it still towered over her. When she stood, she might just be able to see over it's shoulder, she thought. As she looked into those amber feral eyes, she could sense that this creature truly meant her no harm. Remembering the things that Tetyanna had taught her about wolfen protocol, she reached out her hand slowly, letting go of her ripped leggings, allowing them to partially drop again. But introductions were important, after all. She lowered and averted her eyes, extending the back of her hand for the animal to sniff and get her scent. Inadvertently, the 'scent' on the hand that she extended was very personal, acquired as she had held together her torn leggings.

"Yes, I'd say you arrived just in time. You saved my life, and you have my gratitude for that. My name is Annisthyrienne, but my friends call me Thyri. Do you have a name I should call you?" Thyri didn't know how the wolf was able to speak inside her mind. Perhaps it was some magic, or maybe this was really a person trapped in wolf form by some spell. In any case, it only seemed natural to answer, even if she had to respond verbally herself. "I'm not hurt too badly. That is, nothing I can't take care of. I'm a healer, you see."

She placed her palm over the bruised area on her side, closing her eyes with a wince of pain before concentrating on her injuries. Through gritted teeth, her voice strained as she continued, "I've a couple cracked ribs, and a few scratches and bruises, but I can mend them." Her brow furrowed as she applied her power to the area. The ribs mended with effort, but it was a vast improvement, and her breathing returned to normal.

Afterwards, she glanced down ruefully at her shredded clothes, realizing they didn't cover much of what they were supposed to anymore. "Sadly, a tailor I'm not. I suppose I'll have to try to find my camp again and see if there is anything left there." She traced a solitary finger over the worst of the scratches. The angry red welts raised by the gnolls claws disappeared as her finger passed over, leaving only unblemished skin in its wake.

She heaved a sad sigh as thoughts of her campsite reminded her of the cruel fate of her friend and bodyguard. "I....I'm afraid to imagine what has happened to poor Keira. But I owe it to her to help if I can. Unless you have a friendly pack-mate who helped her too though, I fear it is too late."

She glanced around at the shadows of the forest warily. Those gnolls could still be out there somewhere. And how could she fight them if she encountered them again?

She glanced back at the large wolf, curious about why it had helped her. "Is this your territory? Those gnolls, were they invading your pack's domain? I bet they could still be out there. It might be a good idea if you went with me to my camp. That way you could run them off if they still lurk about. And if I can find my bow on the way, I could help you get rid of them."

The elf knew that the companionship would be more in her favor than any good she could do for the wolf, but it didn't hurt to ask, and right now she needed a friend. She reached out again, cautiously aware of the recent image of those terrible fangs, and braved a tentative caress of the wolf's thick ruff. "I think we could help each other. And I'd like to know more about how you got to be this way. Will you come with me?"

 

[Niriate]

The wolfess lowered her muzzle and rubbed her nose over the extended hand, nuzzling her fur agains the Elf's skin as she took in her rescuee's scent. She did detect the slightly more 'personal' sides to the smell, but told herself to not comment on it.

"You can call me Niri, and I'm afraid that there is little more then I can do for you other then offer protection." The wolf gave a light smirk-like smile as she raised herself back on her paws, her tail still lightly swishing from side to side. "As for your other questions. I will answer everything I can, but not here. This is Gnoll land, I can smell their musk hanging thickly in the air."

Her ears perked as the questions about a possible pack came from the Elf. She shook her head lightly as she used one of her front paws to push the Elf into moving. "I wish I did, but I'm alone in my kind. I'll explain once we reach a safe place. Lead on to your camp, I'll be right on your heels."
Niri had to supress her wolven urges as she smelled Thyri's deceased horse on the wind. This was not the time for a feeding frenzy. As an Aenima, she was proud of her control over her form, she wasn't going to let it slip for something as small as some more food.

 

[Annisthyrienne]

"Thank you again, Niri. Your protection is just what I need right now. That, along with your friendship, is most welcome. You're right; they could come back with more of their kind. We'd better go." Thyri smiled a little at the gentle push the huge wolf gave her, nudging her on her way. She was reminded of the way that a certain mother wolf nudged her cub towards the safety of her den long ago.

It had happened when she was a little girl. She used to love spending time alone in the forest. The welcome she'd found with the other Elvish children had been less than cordial due to her part human blood. So most often she found her amusement alone in the forest. On one such occasion she had found a young wolf pup, and had spent an afternoon playing with the little fellow, until it's mother returned and nudged him towards the safety of the den. It wasn't that she thought the little elf girl offered her pup any harm. It was only the protective caution of a concerned mother. Thyri smiled at the memory. Now another protective wolf was nudging her towards safety. Did this one think of her as a pup?

She gathered the shreds of her clothes together around her body as best she could and started backtracking the way she'd ridden in her harrowing escape. As she passed, Thyri glanced with sadness at the once magnificent form that had been Keira's horse. The noble beast had given it's very life to try to carry her away from danger, but in the end it had paid the price. She murmured a prayer of gratitude for the sacrifice the animal had made. It reminded her that another had most likely also paid that ultimate price. Keira.

She traveled as quickly as she was able, her new-found companion having no trouble staying with her. As nimble as an elf could be in the forest, she was still was no match for a wolf. It wasn't long before Thyri found the quiver that held her few remaining arrows. She had dropped it after her bow had been snatched from her hands, snagged on a branch during her mad dash for her life. And not too far away, she found her bow, still hanging from the branch. The force of being snagged had unstrung the weapon, but she easily fixed that. She felt much better now that she wasn't completely helpless.

Her clothing hung from her, and her leggings kept sagging down to tangle around her lower thighs, just above her knees. It frustrated her with nearly every step. At last she stopped, considering how she could solve the problem. With a glance at the curious expression of her companion, she blushed slightly. "I can't run when my clothes keep slipping down to hobble me. But I suppose there is little need of modesty now, is there? You don't care whether I'm wearing clothes or not, I suppose. And there is no one else around."

She nodded as she made a decision, and ripped away the shredded waist band and tops of her leggings, down to about her crotch. Using her teeth to rip the waist band into two equal lengths, she tied them around each upper thigh, holding the rest of the leggings up like garters. The make-shift solution left her bare underneath, but when she stood, the shredded tail of her tunic hung down like a fringe to conceal her nakedness.

Starting off again, this time at a jog, she smiled with satisfaction as she was able to move faster without hindrance. With Niri, her newest friend, at her side, a steady pace led her to her ruined campsite just as the sun was beginning to dip below the tree-line of the distant hills. Night would be upon them soon, and Thyri knew she mustn't be in the camp when night fell. The gnolls could return to finish what they started.

Her first view of the wreckage of the attack left her dismayed. There was no sign of her own horse, except for the spatters of blood everywhere. The tent she had shared with Keira hung in shredded tatters from it's poles. And there was no sign of Keira anywhere.

Thyri was quiet and somber as she gathered her scattered belongings. The gnolls had ransacked everything, looking for anything of value or interest to them. The ones that had stayed in camp had been sure that no survivors would have need of the items they left scattered about, Thyri realized. That could only mean that Keira was dead.

Tears blurred her vision as she stuffed what she could into a makeshift bundle she'd fabricated out of the remains of the tent canvas. Keira had been her friend and bodyguard; her personal agent when she'd become the Princess of Randalee. And when the order had come for exile, Keira had been at her side when they rode out into the wilderness, seeking another place to call home. Thyri would mourn her.

At last she'd collected everything of use that she could carry, and with a final look around at the scene of tragedy, she sighed, "Let's go, Niri. There is nothing for us here anymore. We need a safe place to pass the night." Her fingers trembled with her emotion as she slid them through the thick ruff of Niri's fur. Except for her Guardian, Thyri knew she would be alone. She turned her weary steps down the trail, leaving her past behind her, unsure of what lay ahead.

 

[Niriate]

The Wolfess whimpered softly as she could smell the heavy Gnoll scent around the campsite. She knew very well that whoever had still been here when they attacked, would've had very little chance to survive. The silence that had overcome her companion said enough to fill in the blanks.

The faint trace of a human scent was still there, but she could not tell if the owner had escaped, or the Gnolls had simply taken the unlucky one for 'storage'. One quick look over her shoulder told Niri that it was for the best to keep quit about it. If even her lupine nose wasn't able to be sure, then it was best to not raise her companion's hopes.

She walked up to the Elf and rubbed her muzzle against an arm in a gesture of sympathy. Even on all fours, her head would reach to Thyri's shoulders.
"I'm very sorry for you. I can feel that you lost something.. or someone.. very dear to you. Just know that I will be here for you for as long as you need me to." Her tail wagged gently from side to side as she felt the hand brushing through the fur in her neck.

A gentle nod, nose in the air and a few seconds of sniffing about was all it took for her to pick up the breeze as it drifted through the clearing. "I know somewhere we can stay. It won't be as comfortable as that tent, but it will keep us safe and dry." She easilly followed the Elf, even slowing her own pace slightly so the touch-link could stay intact between the two of them.

As the sun fell through the canopies, a cavern showed itself through the trees. The air was clear, no Gnoll musk around, no signs of sleeping bears or other large forest dwellers. A small, yet cozy sleeping place. For the moment.


The two weary, and unusual travellers side by side. Each with secrets they haden't shared yet. Both surprisingly similar yet very different.

 

[Annisthyrienne]

By the time they reached the cavern, the days struggles had begun to take their toll on the young elf's body. Thyri sighed in relief, her fingers stroking Niri's ruff in gratitude for leading her to this safe place. "Right now, it looks perfect. It's safe and out of the weather. It might be cozy, with the two of us, but I'll feel safer with you. You're the last friend I have left at this point." Aches and pains from various bruises were making themselves felt as she clambered through the entrance of the narrow rock cleft. She groaned as she lowered her makeshift pack to the ground within the cave.

She rubbed her arms briskly with her hands. Already the chill of the mountain evening was falling with the darkness of night. Looking around, she spotted a few pieces of deadwood, and enough old leaves and pine needles to serve as kindling. Thyri found a spot behind a large rock and scooped out a little hollow at its base. She explained as she built a small pile of tinder, "I'll make a small fire for warmth. This rock will shield the light from being seen beyond the entrance, and the rock will warm up with the heat from the fire, and reflect it back to us during the night long after the wood burns out."

She started the fire with sparks struck from the small dagger she'd managed to find in the wreckage of the camp, and soon she coaxed a small blaze among the tinder. When she had the fire going enough to be self-sustaining, she stood and rummaged through the items in her makeshift bundle, pulling out a set of clothing. Sighing as she stood and stripped off her tunic and blouse, she murmured, "It's a shame we don't have anything to eat, Niri. But I guess I can forage for something in the morning." She smiled ruefully, standing momentarily in the nude, nothing but her tied up leggings cladding her legs from the thighs down, and moccasin boots on her feet. "Of course I don't imagine you favor roots, nuts, or berries, do you?"


Her voice sounded falsely cheerful, a clear attempt to make innocuous small talk to keep her mind from her grief. But she held her resolve, thinking only of the moment at hand. There had been too many lost friends, too many left behind. It was the way it always was. People came into her life for a time, and then were gone, one way or another. She shivered, but was it the chill of the evening air....or her thoughts?


The small fire was quickly warming the chill of the little cave, but even so her temporary nudity showed the raised goosebumps as she wriggled into the fresh clothing. First a peasant style blouse with full baggy sleeves that laced up at the low neckline was pulled on over her head. She fluffed her auburn hair out from within the collar, then laced the neckline part way. Next came the 3/4 length hooded cloak that she wrapped around herself. She sat again, working on removing the boots and the torn leggings.

"You know, I have to admit that we make for odd companions. I was wondering....how are you able to speak to me in my mind? Is it magic?" She stripped off the ruined leggings, now naked from the waist down, then reached for the pair of leather knee length riding breeches. It was a little awkward bit of struggle pulling on the pants in such close quarters, and it necessitated leaning against the furry body of her rather large companion on at least one occasion. But soon she was lacing the boots on her feet, and settling before the fire, a murmured apology on her lips for her new friend. "I'm sorry if I crowded you. It's actually a good thing that this cave is so small. It will help keep us warm, though we'll have to be close tonight."

 

[Niriate]

As she saw the Elf undress, first her top half and later her lower, she silently admired the well-formed shapes. Muscled legs, slender yet filled with elegance and agility. A well rounded ass, firm yet bouncy and a lightly toned backside with the skin tracing just past her bones.
She pretended not to notice the gentle brushes of naked skin against her fur. The wolfess felt it wouldn't make much sense for her to suddenly become prude.

While the Elf was pulling up her breeches, the question came. "You know, I have to admit that we make for odd companions. I was wondering....how are you able to speak to me in my mind? Is it magic?" A question that she'd been wondering if and when it would come, but it was certainly expected.
She waited untill Thyri had settled down near the fire before sitting down on her haunches on the other side of the cavity.

"It is.. but it is also much more then that." Niri began to explain mentaly to the Elf as her yellow eyes glimmered with the reflection of the burning branches. "I am a wolf, but I'm also not a wolf. Let me explain." She somewhat comicly raised one of her front paws in objection.

"I don't know if you've ever heard of group of people called the Aenimae. They are a group of Northmen priests and druids, who are revered as the voices of the wilds."
'The Norhtmen' was the collective term for the people that lived in the very north of the kingdoms, wether they were Human, Elf or Dwarf. Lands of snow, ice and low temperatures were their territory. Some said they were outcasts, others that they were just normal survivalists. The truth is somewhat in the middle of both.
Borrowing from the bests from all cultures, the Northmen were nomadic, tribal. They knew the forests like their own skin, and lived completely off what nature would give them. Because of their mixed racial composition, Northmen in combat were rare, but any soldier that had fought one spoke in awe of their calm and strength.

"Each time an Aemina priest is selected, he or she becomes the voice of an important animal in the North. Owl, Wolf, Bear, Raven or Elk. In their years of training, they learn to commune with the spirit of their chosen animal.
Every 10 years, the Voices are renewed, so to speak and the resigning priests are given a choice. They can either return to their village and pick up their life again. Or they can train further to become Exalted ones.

Exalted Aenimae are not human.. nor are they animal."

The wolfess closed her eyes as a soft green shimmer started to envelop her body. It was not bright, the fire burnt brighter, yet it envolped her completely.
It only took a few seconds, but onces the shimmer died, the wolf was gone. In her place was a female human of roughly Thyri's physical age, knees drawn to her chest. Clad in nothing more the a skin-tight grey leathery body suit, her hair straw blonde.

"We are both. I am Niri, Exalted Aenima priestess of the Wolf."

 

[Annisthyrienne]

Thyri listened raptly as Niri 'told' her story. It was a wondrous way to communicate, she thought, like a daydream almost. The images formed in her mind where it was possible to convey the story in image form. When it was not, such as with names or unique concepts not in her own experience, the thoughts formed in her own native elvish language, as if spoken in her own voice. Yet somehow she knew the thoughts were not her own.

Her own empathy sense enhanced the story with the feelings that the thoughts of her home brought to the wolf. Thyri was able to get a sense, not only of the reverence and history of the story, but the genuine feelings that Niri felt as she recalled the memories.

It was with a solemn wonder that Thyri watched the gentle glow begin to envelope her new companion. At first she mistook it for the reflected firelight, but as she sensed the magic associated with it, she sat up, watching closely. As the transformation finished, the young elf gasped in astonishment and awe. Her violet eyes roamed appreciatively over the form of the woman before her. She had seen her best friend Tetyanna transform from woman to wolf and back, but that was different. For Tetyanna, it was just a part of her race, and the transformation was a natural shifting process. This was different. This was magical, and Thyri could sense the strong powers at work that suggested the divine. She rose to her feet, bringing a blanket from her makeshift pack to drape gently around Niri's shoulders. "I see you are as beautiful in this form as you are in wolven form. Once again, I am very glad to meet you, Niri."

Thyri knelt, then sat beside her friend, once again turning her gaze to the small fire. Now that Niri had told her story, Thyri felt that it was only polite to speak of her past as well, though she was apprehensive of the painful memories it would bring back to mind. She gazed into the fire a few moments in silence as she collected her thoughts before beginning.

"You might wonder how I came to be in trouble in the middle of the gnoll's territories. It was not intentional. Keira and I have been traveling for a fortnight now. We set out from Randalee, in the east. It was my home until recently. My husband and my children are still there. Thank the Goddess for that. I am so glad my little Blossom is safe in a comfortable home."

She mused on her memories of her adopted daughter for a moment before sensing that further explanation was in order. She turned to look into Niri's sympathetic eyes, then continued, her voice subdued, almost ashamed. "I had to leave, Niri. I was sent into exile. Keira came with me as my bodyguard, but she was much more than that. She was truly a good friend to me. Perhaps the last tie to the life I left behind."

A deep sigh preceded her plunge into her past. "Randalee is a small Elvish kingdom. My husband rules as King there. But the real power that holds Randalee is the Council of Elders. When Elendar married me, I went from being a mere healer to being a princess. It scared me to death, Niri. I felt the burden of people's expectations of me, of their dependence and admiration. It wasn't the sort of thing I would have chosen, but I loved my husband. I loved his people."

"I-I thought I could help them. I wanted to help....everyone. But the elves are very traditional, very conservative. It's what happens to a race that lives so long. They have long memories as well, always remembering things the way they were. They didn't see things the way I did, the way things could be. I tried to change too many things, too quickly. Some of the elves were open to it; mostly the younger generations. But too many of the old traditionalists felt threatened. They associated the changes in their world that they couldn't abide with me. And so the Council had to make the ruling that changed everything."

She sighed, then turned to her companion, meeting her eyes. "I'm a half-blood, as you can see. Maybe they associated that with the 'radical' ideas I had for changing things. Or maybe they just saw it as an excuse to get rid of me without singling me out personally. I'm sure they knew that my husband would not agree to their demands, so they made the decree that would seal my fate instead. They ruled that anyone of less than full elvish blood had to leave the kingdom. My husband had no choice but to accept it. Even the king must obey the laws of the Council."

"My infant son was heir to the throne, so he stayed with his father. My adopted daughter wanted so much to come with me, but I knew my journey would be difficult and possibly dangerous. Even with Keira by my side, it would be no place for a child. I insisted that she stay in the palace until I could find a new safe home, then I would send for her."

"Now I'm glad she stayed. She's safe at least. I couldn't bear it if the gnolls had...." Her voice broke with a choked sob as the feelings came rushing back. It was partly the horror of the thought of what the gnolls would have done to her little girl, but also partly the knowledge of what they had done to Keira. Thyri's eyes were blurred with tears, her eyelids heavy with fatigue. She lapsed into silence, staring into the fire as it began to dwindle to glowing embers.

"I guess now I'm just a simple healer again. But at least I'm not alone."