Talla Nimblefoot
Gnome Sorceress
Rivenwood: en route to the Deep Fell
Year 812, Spring, Day 61, Afternoon

Natural Wonders

After lunch, they all bade farewell to the Elves, and thanked them
again for the care of Lord Hasenpiper's horses and wagon. Afterward,
it meant going slower: not only because they no longer had horses and
wagon, but also to keep Talla from falling behind. Luckily, their
guide set the pace, and he was in no hurry to leave any of them
behind.

"I hope we return in time to get Hasenpiper's things back.... it'd be
a real pain to have to walk all the way back to the city," Talla
mumbled to herself. Brushtail squeaked, and she patted him
reassuringly. He made it no secret that he was terrified of Xavier,
even though the lynx had wisely not acknowledged he'd even seen the
squirrel. Talla hoped the poor thing's heart wouldn't give out from
fright.

"I shouldn't worry about it," Za'aro said. "If we don't get back in
time, we simply won't have to go back to the city: we can move on."

Talla blinked, surprised he'd heard her, but replied, "I suppose
so... but where to?" The half-orc shrugged.

"With a map and a road before us, it doesn't much matter," Kaely put
in, "as long as we get rid of Bel Uri. If this doesn't do it, we must
follow the course that will."

* * * *

Xavier suddenly halted and turned to face the others. "We have
reached the border of the Fell, and I have done my duty. I now bid
you farewell so that I may return to my much-missed family. Hopefully
my wife does not think me dead." Without another word, he strode into
the trees and was soon lost to sight.

:I wonder how he knew...: Talla thought, as the group began to move
forward again.

"This seems too easy... There should be a guardian," Za'aro said
suspiciously, glancing around. Acerd and Iriana nodded.

"Or two, or many," Iriana replied, then shivered as she walked. Talla
saw the others do the same in passing the same spot, and did so
herself as she passed it.

:Ooh... It tingles... like when I've sat on my legs too long, only on
my entire body!: She had the sudden feeling that something was
watching her from above, and deciding her worth. Just as suddenly, it
passed, and all was the same again.

"Well! Upon my word!" Lyntel exclaimed. "I have heard of such things
before, but never have I experienced it!" He seemed so excited that
the others questioned him.

"Did you not *feel* it? The eye of the Elvengod was upon us! I have
never been judged by any save Pelor before, and I must say that it is
a most unique experience! I must put this in the temple library upon
my return. Corellan Larethian *himself* watches the borders of this
land, that none may pass without his leave or with evil purpose. Can
you imagine the *honor* we have been given at being noted by him at
all? And to be considered worthy! This is most interesting..." After
this, they could get nothing from him but mutterings for a long time,
and the others discussed the matter among themselves.

* * * *

Some ways off, a brown eye blinked, taking dim notice of the presence
of strangers, and the creature stopped its feeding to smell them.
Knowing that no danger came from such Treestraight Twoleggers, the
beast reached up a long, shaggy arm to bend the branch back toward
it, and the equally shaggy head stretched up to meet the succulent
new growth. She munched contentedly, secure in the knowledge that she
could fill her belly from this tree alone, and then move to a thicket
until her young were born. It was almost time; she'd carried her
twins longer than usual, but she knew they would come soon, and she
must be well-protected in that time of vulnerability.

Upwind, in the undergrowth, an amber eye blinked, assessing the
extent to which the great, furry beast was concentrating on its food
rather than its surroundings. She knew other sets of eyes were also
watching, and with her young already birthed, they must be fed to
grow strong. She had also noted the Straightwalkers, and dismissed
their presence as quickly as her quarry had. She shifted on her
golden-dappled green legs, her natural coloring shielding her from
all but the keenest sight. Silently, she sprang forward and sprinted
toward the other creature.

The crunching of leaves drowned out any sound the hunted might have
heard, but as soon as claws and teeth touched her flesh, the hairy
beast bellowed in fright and pain, turning to see what had caused her
blood to flow. A Bigclaw Twolegger, but one was not too alarming: she
was much bigger and stronger, but it was faster. She would just have
to wound it before running away.

Then another pain stabbed into her flank! She turned to see another,
and another leap out of the undergrowth. There were more, a pack!
Dangerous! She knew she must flee, or die. Maybe if she hurt one or
two of them badly enough, the others would flee from *her*...

* * * *

"What was that?" Talla asked nervously. It had sounded terrible, and
too close for her comfort. "Will the beast that made it hurt us?"

"I don't know," Acerd replied, listening intently. "But it was a cry
of fear, and of pain... not of rage. I believe whatever made it may
be coming this way... we need to be out of the path before it gets
here. It will want the quickest way out!" Some got into the
undergrowth nearby, others into trees, but all saw the spectacle.

A huge, hairy beast bigger than a horse, with heavy blunted claws on
its feet, came into view at a shambling run. Blood trailed from
several deep wounds, some perilously close to its vital organs. One
of its eyes was missing, and she bellowed continuously, all her mind
was bent on escape. She had crushed one of the Bigclaws to the
ground, and it had not gotten up again; that had bought her some
time, but she knew she was not likely to make it to the thicket in
time. As she was leaving their sight, her hunters ran up quickly,
obviously fast enough to overtake the fleeing beast. These looked
akin to lizards, but ran on two legs like birds. And their feet held
aloft, one on each, a large claw; most of these dripped with blood,
as did the handclaws and mouths of the hunters. As they too ran out
of view, the leader leapt, presumably onto the back of their quarry.

It was some time before they dared come out of hiding, and when they
did, they moved on hurriedly. It was Acerd who was mumbling excitedly
this time.

"Hm? Oh, yes. I also have experienced what I never thought I would:
that was a huge sloth, a ground one, chased by atsamine, clawed ones,
in the common speech. I thought them long dead, with the others of
their kind, though some I have spoken to claimed this was untrue and
even to have seen them. It is said that when the Elves were young and
Men still younger, great scaly beasts such as those roamed all the
world."

"Are they *all* such fierce hunters?" Talla squeaked. She shuddered
at the thought of a world full of vicious lizard-birds.

Acerd laughed. "No, no. And not all are so large, either: some are
barely chicken-sized... but some are beyond our comprehension. Larger
than many houses of Men they are claimed to be, yet graze like cows
do upon grass and leaves. Now I see that not all have passed away...
that Corellan Larethian is pleased to have some of them in his
pocket, as it were. We may meet some more to your liking later,
though they may be larger than you deem necessary."

"Then I'm not sure any of them would be to my liking.... Even things
the size of horses tend to scare me.... and if these creatures are as
large as you say, I might just die of fright!"

"I certainly hope not," Kaely joked. "We're beginning to be rather
fond of you, little one."