Mari was lost in her thoughts: She felt a bit calmer and safer again. This elf was strange and unfamiliar, but not dangerous anymore for her. She looked at him secretly from the side: Yes, the aggression had been mildered, but she was not sure if it could rise again, like with wild animals she had encountered, calm in one moment then exploding in the next. She decided to remain cautious and wary, letting her gift of Soul Sending to decide.
Silent observers could figure out she was half asleep, but attentive ones would have noticed that her breath changed... Her soul fingers cautiously reached out for Elendirill and silently crept into his heart, resting in the outher spheres. She knew, fast intrusion could overflood her, it was vital for her not to let him know about her gift. "Hmhm, he is calmer now... Let's see, what is going to happen if I delve a bit deeper?" Her "fingers" groped carefully for an open gap - there, there was one. Mari felt excited, pushing the thought of danger away, she opened this gap and "peered" in... "Goodness, what a mess," she shrank back: His emotional energy was a whirl of colours, an utter chaos of red (anger), black (hatred), zigzags of yellow(wrath) and nearly lost in between a thin thread of light gold (love and hope). "This must be what he feels about Feraila, his wife," she thought and was moved. Mari had never done this before but her gift led a life of its own: She felt the need to strengthen the light golden forlorn thread. "Both need my help," she decided, "I'm not going to allow that all his anger, hatred, wrath and a somewhat distorted sense for honour is going to destroy this."
Waiting patiently for a change she suddenly felt the colour blue coming out of nowhere and slowly flooding through her fingers. "Yah, this is it," she frolicked silently, "he needs protection, this will calm him down and help him to find a way to free her without getting killed." The blue mist searched its way silently through the gap, soothing, giving him hope and clearing his head.
Mari was satisfied with her work: Red, black and yellow had stopped to swirl, were put into order and gave way to the light golden thread, letting it grow and shine. Slowly she took back her soul fingers and looked at Erendirill. Yes, there was the faint shadow of a smile in his eyes. He was prepared to free his wife.
"Erendirill, I'm hungry, what about something between my teeth?" she gruffly asked and turned her head in his direction - suddenly something caught her eye - her jaws dropped and her eyes were wide apart...

Dulartus stared into the woods, "Erendirill, I'm hungry, what about something between my teeth?" Huh? It talks?. Dulartus got confused...
He figured it was propably a female elf, wich is no immidiat threat, unless there here male counterpart is near. The creature, is it an elven pet. Like my Barfus my dog I had as A child. It'll better to ignore all this, it only slows down my quest. Dulartus leaped out the tree and started running again, still a bit confused by the wierd creature he sah he ran the wrong direction.

Elendirill said with what resembled a smile, and a twinkle in his eyes betrayed his fondness of the little creature. Sleeping as it was it looked rather odd, like his legs shouldn't be as they were ... Elendirill wondered how this creature would look like when it was full grown. But that's an irrelevant thought for what was going on right now. Judging from the look in her eyes Elendirill suddenly remembered he said that in elvish, so he gathered all his knowledge of the human language, and made his mouth say those barbaric sounds.

"Not eat him"

That didn't exactly sound right, so he concentrated a bit more for the following things he was going to say.

"Listen human girl, I need to tell you I'm ... you can't just ..."

By that time Elendirill's stomach reminded him of the fact he had not eaten anything since the previous morning. Not like food mattered, but he needed to be strong and fully capable to do anything for saving his wife.

"I'll just go and try to find something to eat."

Elendiril stood up and ran away. He know it would be hard to find something descent around here with a large camp around. But with some luck he could find some of the animals secret places. And if there were enough of them, he could just take the oldest and weakest, so nature's circle of life wouldn't be broken ...

Mari blinked her eyes and shook her head several times violently to clear it, too much had happened at the same time: her eyes spied a little bundle, apparently something alive - then she saw a shadow rushing by - oh, it was the man, she had been following the previous day! And this elf had finally decided to get his arrogant ass up and fetch something to eat, good!
Suddenly a thought crossed her mind and she opened her mouth:" Wait, Erendirill, I don't eat flesh - just some fruit or brea...." Damn, he was too fast, hadn't heard her. "Sigh, and now what? I'll get sick if he comes back with an animal... Damnitdamnitdamnit... First he plays a statue, then he's up and away like the wind... Such a bother, can't men do ANYTHING right in the first place?...."
Grumbling mildly to herself she stood up, cocked her head curiously and made a long neck towards this little bundle. What was it? Cautiously she moved a few steps in its direction. Funny, all she could see under the leaves was something chubby with a grey-bluish skin, rolled up so tightly that top and bottom were not to be made out clearly. Mari got down on hands and knees, creeping slowly a bit nearer. Ah, she had never seen something like this before, "Resembles, hmmm ... a... lizard?" Ups, that bundle stirred, she froze, her heart beat wildly. "Phew, that was close.." The bundle had turned over and Mari saw the large round head, eyes were closed. "Aww, how sweet... Wait a sec, I've seen a picture in our library, this is... hm, can't be... they're supposed to be just a legend... No, this is definitely a... a... baby dragon???"
Mari froze again, a dragon? A baby dragon? How did it get here? Oh, and one of paws seemed to be wounded. She peered again closely: Yes, poor little thing, a large thorn or something like that had penetrated its chubby leg. The thorn had been obviously removed and treated, but the paw was still a bit swollen.
"Hmm, if I go closer, will it bite me, maybe spit fire and grill me?" She fought with herself, one side wanted to touch this fascinating creature, her other side - the responsible one, jumped up and down, holding the signpost for danger.
"Sigh, ok, I'll let it be, could be wiser; maybe Erendirill will fill me in with information." A last reluctant glance in the dragon's direction and Mari crept back silently to her former resting place, sat down and waited.

It didn't took long before Dulartus noticed he was going all wrong, yet again he was in a tree looking around, seconds later he was running again, now in the right direction, but a Human woman? Did he really sah a human woman? what on Earth does she do here, this is no place for her to be! Dulartus decided to ga back and investigate wether she needs help or not.

Trying to ignore her stomach's grumbling, Mari noticed the sound of coming footsteps. "Goody, the elf's returning," she thought and stood up to welcome him (or better his loot).
She saw a dim figure approaching her and stopped: This was not Erendirill - oh, no, it was that man she had followed the other day, the guy who had fought the campers!
What was he going to do to? What should she do?
"Little dragon, pleasepleaseplease, wake up and help me... This guy's going to be tough..." she muttered and looked hopefully towards the sleeping bundle behind her. No, not a stir. "Do dragons hibernate?" she thought, "Come on, Mari, concentrate yourself, danger is in FRONT of you!"
Her fingers fumbled desperately for her trusted dagger and thankfully found it. Holding it hidden underneath her cloak she ducked slightly and watched his approach suspiciously...

Hmmm she's alone, a woman alone in these woods thats no good. Then Dulartus noticed the creature sleeping some paces behind the woman, what on earth is that? That's one small dragon for sure, too small to be a dragon child! I seems to be sleeping it doesn't look like it could be any danger. Dulartus tought he had everything under control so he walked closer to the woman but suddenly ...

A flash of light burnt on his eye membrane at the sudden sound of abrupt action somewhere not so far away, that woke him up and made him open his big black eyes at once. Many different hues of multiple colors, fluttering in his field of vision... It took some seconds to find his focus, but Elmo was immediately alarmed by the shaking ground and the constantly louder growing noises. A smell of someone he had smelled before, but he couldn't imagine a shape for it. Another smell of a totally unfamiliar creature. And, carried by the wind, a smell of something else, or maybe some things, growing stronger quickly.
The spots of colors became shapes. In front of him was the creature with the bit of familiar smell. Elmo only saw its back, but that was enough for him to know for sure he had never seen it before. The creature must have been around him while he was asleep.
In front of it was the other creature he had smelled. And both creatures stood still and didn't budge. They didn't make a sound. And they weren't the only silent creatures in the environs... The area seemed frightfully empty, but in the distance, Elmo knew for sure, something was coming closer at a very high rate.
Elmo felt a tension between the two creatures near him, but he realized they were not alarmed by the things he sensed - it seemed they were challenging eachother and that one of the two was about to be dominated in the next moments. Not that Elmo cared much about them, he only feared that once he'd move, they'd notice him and he'd become prey. Yet the trembling ground and the noises in the distance were becoming alarmingly strong. What could he do now? The little creature was about to panic when all of a sudden a new smell reached his nostrils - a very familiar smell. His companion was coming back! Elmo immediately stood up and carefully stepped back from the duo, strongly focussing on them and ready to react as soon as one of them would turn at him, but it seemed, at least at first, that both creatures only showed interest for eachother, and Elmo could easily sneak out without being noticed...

Whoooooooosh! The dagger soared through the air and found its goal a few inches before the fighter's feet, dug itself into the ground with a short "Twing".
"Hey, you, declare yourself! What do you want? And DON'T come any nearer, I've got more of that," Mari shouted in her deepest voice her throat could express, nodding slightly with her chin at the dagger before his feet. Surprise first then show determination - this was one of the rules her Archmage had taught her in one of her friendlier moments.
She focused on the fighter but a small part of her attention noticed, the little dragon was awake and apparently on his way out of the danger zone. "Hmph, so far to the help he could've been,".
Mari glared at the silent sturdy fighter, her eyes were like two icy blue daggers. "Now come on, are you deaf and dumb? Declare yourself!"
Suddenly she felt a slight tremble creeping up from the ground through her shoesoles, something was coming, something big...

You almost hit me, be carefull where you throw your dagger lady! said Dulartus with a mokking grin on his face. My name is Dulartus, and I'm not deaf nor dumb. I answered all your questions, now you'll answer mine. What are you dooing here, what's that (pointing at the animal behind her) and are you in any danger?

"My first name's Mari, my second one DANGER - And don't you dare to come one step closer, Dularwhatsoever. I won't be so careful the next time... I saw what you did to the campers yesterday - so, STAY BACK!"
She watched him closely: Ah, he seemed to respect her "wish", she calmed down a little bit.
"I'm looking for a way out of this wilderness, to the next village. And as for the animal? No clue, maybe you'll like to ask it itself?... LOOK OUT, there's something behi..."

Dulartus turned around and...

"AAHHHHHHHHWOOOOOOOOARGHHHHWWMPFFF" - Dreadful silence... Mari had been able to warn Dulartus but she was not fast enough to dodge herself. Something huge and large had kicked her several meters into the air, she hit the ground hard and felt a stabbing pain.
"I...can't... breathe..." she gasped, gurgling up bloody foam. She sensed her lungs were penetrated by a broken rib and blood filled them. It hurt, it really hurt... Trying to calm herself down she quickly checked her body from the inside and thankfully registered her right hand, though its wrist was broken. Moving slightly a bit to the side, she could place this hand on her body: between her heart and lung part - and her gift came back. Blue came out of nowhere, filled her body, surged through her limp hand into the lung. No, her gift was not meant to mend her broken bones or her destroyed lungs, but it melted the pain and soothed her panic.
Mari felt peace - she closed her eyes because her sight dimned, a black tunnel closed in on her... then she felt getting lighter and lighter.
"Like an autumn leaf, waiting for the wind to carry it away," she murmured. After some time she opened her eyes - she saw herself from above, looking at her lifeless body slumped down on the ground, useless.
A last short glance - and Mari was free.

Elendirill had heard the sound from afar, but he could only run as fast as his legs could carry him. The meat he was carrying didn't slow him down so trowing it away would just be a waste of another animal life. The human female seemed quite capable of handling herself, but Elendirill was still worried. He had seen more of the creatures he followed to the camp, in the camp itself and an entire hoard of them would be almost unstopable ... and would sound exactly like that. Recognizing more and more of his surroundings he started to slow down, running more silently. Aside from the sound, which was fading away now, there was a smell in the air ... not a pleasant smell, the smell of blood ...

An essence, in former life known as Mari, was floating in a Nowhere, the Unnamed - not thinking... not feeling... just being... total freedom ... peace ... calmness.
Tug ... tug ... tug ...
The essence woke up and felt a gentle tug from a silver thread that was attached to it and lead out of the vast Nowhere, to a Somewhere. It didn't bother at first, the tread was as thin as a spider's coweb, what harm or change in her present state could it do?
Tug ... tug ...
The essence felt itself being pulled through this vast Nowhere - gently, slowly, merciless.
A memory of former emotions known to the essence flared up in it: Anger and indignation. It tried to free itself of this thread, threatening to pull it out of the Nowhere, gently ... slowly ... merciless.
Tug ... tug .. tug . tugtug...
A further memory flashed up: words.
"Nooooo, let it be, I don't want to come back, I don't want to lea..."

Today; however, I was on a mission. I had seen her when she was brought into camp. She was beautiful. She couldn’t protect herself from Him, the master of the camp, and I could tell she was weakening. Besides, last night, I had dreamed …dreamed that I was her, yet not her… and hungry… and sad. If nothing else, I could get her food. The guards never really ‘see’ me, and if they do all I’ll get is a kick or a shove. Nothing new.

I knew they took her for a walk at noon and that would be the best time to give her the apple I had stolen. It wasn’t much, but it was something. I strolled into the camp area where they were holding her in the tent and as I expected no one even noticed. As they brought her out of the tent, I walked in front of one of her guards and let him “shove” me into her. I quickly slipped the apple into her hand, and she was as quick as I knew she would be, slipping it under her shirt without even blink. I yelled loudly “Hey, Watch where you’re walking you Stupid ….” I had to roll quickly out of the way as a huge arm swept towards me and quickly jumped to my feet and ran swiftly toward the forest. I couldn’t resist a last taunt as I picked up a rock and chunked it at the guard who had ‘pushed’ me, hitting him square in the arse with evidently enough sting to be felt.

In the meanwhile Elendirill was still looking at the girl. Just a few moments ago she was gone, the blood on her head revealed a small wound, but it didn't seem that bad, it was het chest which was terribly injured, appearently caused by something with great power. Elendirill was afraid this would happen ... it wasn't impossible that Mari's wounds were caused by a horde of those creatures that leaded him towards the camp ... if even more of them joined the kidnapper's army, their total attack power would increase drastically. All those thoughts flashed by in a second, only keeping Feraila in mind, but this girl reminded him about being an elf again, and not only the creature he had become, going on, just driven by rage ... He touched the tree, asking it for some of it's magick, and he started covering the wound with leaves. All he saw was that she was losing lots of blood, and if he could stop that, he might be able to bring life back to her ... The next few moments he did all he could, and now he just waited alongside her .. she showed some signs of life, her hand moved a bit ... It was only at this moment when Elendirill noticed the young man lying on the ground, not injured, but just dazled by what just had happened. He didn't seem to be a thread, and he couldn't have caused these massive injuries ... so he started to look around for Elmo ... The was no sign of him ... but some tracks were leading away from the place, so he could take care of his own, Elendirill thought with a smile in his eyes.
All he could do now was wait for this girl to be better ... so he started to think on a way to get her out. He hoped they would at least give her some food, so she might have some strenght to keep hoping ...

Elendirill leaned against the tree, thinking about possible ways to free his wife, thinking so deeply that he didn't even notice when he fell asleep ... for the first time in days ...
A leaf came falling down from the tree he had recently bounded with, performing his own dance on the way down, only to stop when it rested in Elendirill's lap ...

Suddenly I heard a little noise; I couldn’t tell if it was a moan or a growl. I crept closer, peeking through the bushes and saw three beings – one was like the Lady, but male and the other two were different, with round ears… I had heard of them, humans or something like that. A male and a female, and she looked really hurt. I had some natural ability with healing, I might be able to help her but I was too afraid to go near.

I sat in indecision for what seemed hours but was really only a few minutes. I couldn’t seem to resist creeping closer to see how she was, and if I were honest with myself I felt closer to these three than I did to any of the beasts in camp. In all reality I looked more like them then I did the others in camp – at least from what I’d seen in the running water of the streams and brooks we camped near.

Creeping slowly forward I got close enough to see her wound; it was deep but had been tended. Not healed, it would take a deep healing trance to heal it and even then it was in the hands of the Gods. I slowly stretched out my hand and let it hover over her wound and closed my eyes…

Dulartus, came back into the contient world, immidiatly he grapped his head, it hurted like hell. He opend his eyes and sah a roof of leaves, quickly all memory came back, he remembered, a threath and he reached for his sword, ready to use it anytime. Dulartus decided to feign to be asleep, he heard 2 diferent breathings, one controlled the other was out of rithm. The first breath would be the elf, based on the little air he inhaled. The other would be the woman, sounded as she was freightened by the elf he geussed. Dulartus opend he's Eyes a very little bit and tried to see what was exactly happening, he sah the back of the elf and stood up making almost no noise, but the woman didn't deem to be breathing at all, the elf was busy helping the woman and didn't seem to notice Dulartus. Dulartus scanned the woods for whatever was breathing this infrequent, it couldn't be the foul beast of earier on, he sah some bushes moving, that moment the elf...

... that moment Elendirill gestured with his hand behind his back and said with a authorative voice:
I think you better put that sword away, or you should be thinking about using it on me ...
He continued on a more relaxed tone:
But you don't have to worry about that boy in the bushes, I've been watching him for awhile ... without looking directly at him ... he seems kind of shy, so don't you go shasing him away with your heroic intentions, he actually seems to do something to heal this girl ...

Oh, I was so tired! My eyes wouldn’t stay open; they felt like they had two dragons on them pulling me down into sleep. It must be the healing – I’d never tried to heal anyone so big before – only little animals, like birds and rabbits. “But I can’t sleep here!” I thought frantically and tried to force myself to back completely back into the bushes. I managed to crawl a couple of inches backward but I knew it wasn’t enough. The last thing I heard as I fell into sleep was the low murmur of a male voice….

He went to the 'prison' tent to inspect on the little obnocious, irritating elf that he had captured some days ago to get the information that he needed out of her. He would get this information at all cost, even if it meant keeping her barely alive. He couldn't kill her because then he'd never get the valuable information that he needed to complete his evil plan on which he had been thinking since he was a little boy and heard about that powerfull orb. The powers of it were immense and no one could imagine what he wanted to do with it, this was his plan, his alone.

Nobody will know what happened until after it has been done and he sent on gniffling evilly in himself.

He saw some men bringin her back to the tent after she had been given her daily walk in the 'nature' of the camp so she could regenerate a bit.

Tomorrow we'll be leaving for the city of Vordasto to camp there on the outskirts

So he first went to the captain.
"Prepare everything for departure tomorrow", he said to him and then went back to the tent next to the captain's... the prison tent, for his daily 'interrogation' of the prisoner.

That damn elf WILL answer my questions

"...ve.."
The essence felt itself being slowly pulled into the silver thread, assimilated - it was trapped. Making its way slowly within the thread more came back: the memory of colours, warmth. Silver slowly changed into gold, a faint shimmer, like a timid sunray peeping out behind a cloud...
Colours swirled, the essence swirled, growing into a gush of rainbow-coloured spirals, move and downward pull increased. The essence became aware of more and more - and it didn't like it: pain. It realised it was forcibly returned into its former mortal body, the body it had left, the body that couldn't breathe properly anymore... back to Mari.