Small Path

As he heard that the man before him wasn't a figure of his imagination then the glowing in the orb dimmed. "Oh thank god." he said in relief. "I think I need to stop eating whatever those girls at the village are feeding me." he said with a goofy smile and chuckle. "I'm Valandil Calaelen, a Forest Elf, and the best summoner the school has ever had (from what I'm told anyway). What's your name?" he asked, holding out a hand for a hand shake.

Reibai saw the orb dim as he let go of his staff. "That may be a wise thing to do." he remarked with a gentle smile. He brushed his hair out of his left green eye a spiral could be seen for a pupil. "I am Reibai, a summoner as well. I did not go to any school though. It was passed down to me." he commented as he shook his hand softly.

Valandil chuckled. "It might. But it tastes, good, so I guess I can't really complain." he said with a shrug. He smiled as his hand was shook and he heard Reibai's name. "Well met!" he said. He looked around again. "Gah, I knew I forgot something at home..." he muttered as he now opened his bag and started digging through it. After a few seconds he blinked, frowning, then his eyebrows perked up, "Wait..." his eyebrows fell again. "Nope." he sighed and shook his head. "I knew I forgot my glasses and that book of basics." he said.

He then looked towards Reibai with a small smile. "So, what brings you out here? I'm on a journey, a right of passage you could say." he explained.

Reibai shook his head, "Even if it tastes good you never know what could be in it." he explained to him. He watched him rummage around in his bag. "Forgot your glasses?" he asked with a tilt of his head and a blink of his mismatched eyes. "I would rather keep that to myself." he said as he crossed his arms a bit. "I am not one to usually keep secrets but for this one I shall."

He shrugged. "I suppose you're right." he said. "Yea, can't really see too well without them." he said. "Secret? What, the glasses or the right of passage? because where I'm from everyone knows I'm doing this, and everyone knows that I can't see worth ...." he paused, the word escaping him. "Oh well you get the point." he said with a small dismissive wave.

He then turned to his head to the left and tilted it slightly. "What is that...humming noise?" he asked. "If you don't hear it then either I'm going crazy or you don't have the hearing of an elf..Oh wait...You're human....." he paused.

He then turned the other way, an annoyed look on his face. "Shut up Gregory!" he barked. There was the faint sound of laughter in the forest to the side of the path, loud enough for even Reibai to hear.

Reibai shook his head about to correct him on that he meant what he was doing here was a secret, but decided not to. "Well if you need glasses one would assume your eye sight was worse than the norm." he commented. "I may not have the hearing or sight of an elf but that doesn't mean much." he explained as he heard the faint sound of laughter turning to it a hand on his staff.

"Damn little cricket thingamabob." he muttered as he turned back to Reibai. "Yea, sorry about that." he said, "My eyes weren't always like this. This happened about...fifty years ago when I tried to summon a troll. The spell backfired...in my face." he said, only to roll his eyes at the laughter coming from the forest again. He nodded at what he said. "You may not be an elf, but you are a summoner, so I suppose you can still hear or sense some things that normal folk can't." he said with a shrug.

Then he moved to another subject. "So, where are you from? What were you doing here?" He opened his mouth to ask another question, but decided that two in rapid succession would suffice for now.

Reibai nodded, "Use fire against Trolls, that usually works. Ice only to a certain extent to hold them in place." he explained to him ignoring the laughter. "Indeed I can hear and see things some normal people can not." he offered him. "I am from a small village away from here." he told him, not answering the second question as he took off his staff checking it for anymore more nicks, it wasn't a weapon after all, though he had sometimes been forced to use it as such.

The elf nodded. "Yes I learned that when I was learning how to deal with a troll with my summonings, but summoning one is a different story. The spell backfired and created Gregory, who is our little laughing friend, enemy, bully, cricket thingamabob." he said scratching the top his head. "I can never seem to catch him." he said. "Even with my fastest summonings."

He looked around. "There's that humming again. I swear if that's Gregory flying around my head I'm gonna kill'em when I manage to get my hands on him." he said, looking around.

Reibai nodded, "Tomes is how I learned it. I do not summon trolls." he said as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. He only had two summons right now, Shiva Queen of Ice, and Ixion beast of Lightning. "If it is then ignore it, he is only doing it to get a reaction out of you after all." he explained to him.

"Oh come now, you must hear it!" he said. "Or at least see it. Gregory's like...the size of my foot." he said. He soon stopped and pointed off the path. "The noise is coming from that direction, or at least I feel attracted to that way in particular." he said.

Reibai looked at him, "I may hear it and I may see it, I choose to ignore it." he explained seeing him point off the path. "Well then that way you must go if you feel attracted to it." he stated simply.

Valandil stood there, hardly moving at all, and hardly making a sound. "You're right. I'm gonna go see what that is, and hopefully not die." he said, starting to walk towards it. He then stopped and turned, facing Reibai. "If you a cricket the size of a chicken, be sure to kill it for me would ya? Thanks!!"

He then left the path and disappeared within the forest within a very short amount of time.

Reibai frowned, "I am a pacifist I do not kill things unless I am forced too." he called back as the man disappeared within the forest. "What an odd summoner..." he muttered to himself with a slight shake of his head.

Ezrael found himself drifting from place to place mostly without reason or purpose, with cloak drifting behind him. He felt lost, more on the matter of purpose than actual location. Could a mage ever truly be lost? He didn't believe so. And so with the sun slowly setting and the day starting to cool he found himself on the small path, ignoring the walls of Wing City he was so near as best he could. Damn that place. He would be happy to see it burn, if only he had the energy to do it himself.

But alas, there was no emotion or drive in him. He felt hollow. Charismatic, powerful, everything he had hoped, but hollow.

Oh there's that post.

An old 1945 Chevrolet pickup truck eased down the path, guided by patient hands and a steady throttle. The path was plenty wide enough for the old truck, and after travelling about a mile and a half down the path from the main road, the truck stopped, the engine was turned off, and the doors opened. Three sets of feet hit the ground. One clad in old, worn out boots, the soles of which were about ready to fall off, one four large paws, clad in beautiful white fur, and the other clad in knee-high, heeled combat boots, the slender legs beneath the leather a stark contrast to the broad muscle under the older boots.

Hands went to his hips and he took a few steps forward, taking a long, deep breath. "The air is pure here....the land is healthy...." his deep, soothing voice rang out to the woman at his side, the woman who had agreed to spend her life with him, sure there was no official document, nor even an official mating on his end, but it was a mutual understanding between them. They needed each other. He needed her to keep his own demons at bay, she needed him initially for his knowledge of how to survive in the city. Why she stuck around, well one could say it was a fondness, or a sense of belonging or for no reason entirely. Either way, she was with him to stay.

And he took solace in that.

"I'm thinking....ten acres... For a start. Two stories...Victorian house. Wrap-around porch, sturdy trees around...Cattle Ranch." he said, turning his tired, but predatory Emerald eyes towards the woman, Miray. "What do you think?" he asked. There was a bark of confirmation from his left side, Snow, his pet wolf liked that idea. She was twice as large as any normal dog, beautiful white fur and strong, dense muscle like her Master, but with the grace of her new Master as well.

James' leather-clad hand came to rest on Miray's shoulder, his eyes repeating the question he'd just asked, a small toothy grin on his face.

Miray stepped from the truck, her slender body took in everything, from the breeze to the to the grass, there was sounds of a creek or river nearby. everything smelled..... fresh.... greenery. She could feel it in her bones as she stood next to James as Snow pranced madly in the grass and rolled like a puppy in it at times, Clearly overjoyed to finally be on good old terra firma. Miray took a deep breath and felt everything, tasting the air so to speak.

She nodded. "The air tastes sweet, there is a river nearby." She turned towards the direction of sunset. "its beautiful." She was already seeing the house, the barns, cattle, a place for their kids, James she knew wanted children, she did too. But she couldnt bear children with him.... If her sister Asica was there. She'd probably think her crazy to live with a Wolf.

But it did not matter to Miray, no, what mattered was where she was. She was with James because they defended each other and helped each other. And now they sought their own place.

They had just found it. "How soon until it is built ?" She wondered aloud. Already seeing even an orchard of apple and peach trees along the driveway.

Then came a thought, tyhey might need an archery range, If Asica was indeed alive somewhere....

James chuckled. "Once I secure the loan for the land and procure the right resources, a month at most. Plumbing, Electricity, Solar, Internet, phone, everything. A month for sure." he said. He slid his arm around her shoulder then tapped her chin with his thumb gently, pointing into the grass. "There....a deer. Do you see it?" he asked. Snow was staring at it, a beautiful Doe and a baby as well, staring out at them and at Snow, who laid there quiet. James' eyes hadn't dulled it seemed, from his time in the city. If anything they'd gotten sharper, but either way he was happy.

Pulling Miray's slender body against his, he gently nuzzled her, his forehead and nose rubbing into the back of her head behind her ear before he kissed her neck. "And to the left, forty meters....in the fern. A rabbit. To the Right...." he took in a small breath, kissing her neck again softly, his free hand wrapping around her waist to hold her. "...twenty meters. Songbirds. Listen..." he said, his head tilting slightly.

After a while he opened his eyes and smiles, kissing her cheek gently before kissing her lips finally. "We'll have a great time here....adopt some kids...great time...." he smiled softly. "Come...let's go get that loan, shall we?" he patted her hip and opened the door to the truck. Since there was no center console, she could just get right in and he could follow. He whistled sharply and Snow came running, hopping into the back easily.

The Truck Started, and they started back towards the main road.

She saw it all, James hadnt dulled his senses living in that dinky apartment, living out in the open, she was reminded of her own family living on the massive farm, she and her seven siblings, her mother and father; a large farm, a good third of the land int heir city at the time so long ago.

A month; they could do that. She could wait a month

Then James pointed out the deer and its baby as they hugged close. For a werewolf James was gentle and kind, it was clear he only fought when he had dire need to do so And with her, there was no need.

Her eyes went to each place he spoke to her of. She saw and heard it all. When he went back to the truck and opened the door she slid through the driverseat to the passenger side as Snow hopped into the back with a happy bark, her tail thumping against the bed as the truck started up and they were off. They hada loan to get and construction to do..

A month, she could wait a month... yeah she could wait a month

Catherine Dumitrescu has arrived, coming from Twisted Path.

Catherine Dumitrescu has left the area, heading west into Small Path 2.