Looking for Unicorns

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan was shaking with rage as she started on the road that led out of the village. "That $@^&(* sotah!"

[Muffin Puffin]

Kayleigh stepped out of the Inn and stretched. She spotted the three angry people marchig along and she ran up to them. "Nelek! Lia! Brighid! Where are you off to?"

[Lazey Winde]

The girl looked familiar, but Liadan could not remember her name so she simply stomped right past her. She remembered how the unicorns liked to hang out behind Kegan's gardens and so planned to start there sand work her way into the forest.

[Muffin Puffin]

Aron acknowledged Kayleigh then said to Lia, "Where do you want to start?" Kayleigh walked alongside Brie finding out what was going on.

"I'd llike to help."

On Tue, Jul 22, 2008 at 7:41 PM, Lazey Winde <lazey...@gmail.com> wrote:

The girl looked familiar, but Liadan could not remember her name so she simply stomped right past her. She remembered how the unicorns liked to hang out behind Kegan's gardens and so planned to start there sand work her way into the forest.

--
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[Lazey Winde]

"From Kegan's gardens, then into the forest." Liadan said, trailing off. She frowned at Kayleigh.

[Muffin Puffin]

Kayleigh excused herself from Brighid and walked up to Lia. In her mind, she was puffed up. "Do you have a problem with my help, Lia?"

[Lazey Winde]

"Who are you?" Liadan demanded.

[Muffin Puffin]

"My mother used to live here, Aalyssa. Rhiannon and I were her twin daughters. Mama worked at the Inn for Mr. Buckley. I'm working there now," Kayleigh explained softly.

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan scowled. "Sotyli was an elf too."

[Muffin Puffin]

"He was an evil, hateful, murdering elf. He killed my father. Murdered him in front of us."

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan shrugged.

"Just don't get in the way or scare them off." She said and continued walking.

[Cindy]

"Oh as if," Kayleigh stated and went back to walk with Brighid.   Aron shook his head. "That wasn't very nice, Lia. She wants to help."

[Lazey Winde]

"I have better things to do than be nice." Liadan said moodily, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

[Muffin Puffin]

"You do realize she may be the only one of us that the unicorns will talk to if we find them. When we find them."

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan looked down wit hthe pretense of watching her footing. Her shoulders shook a little.

[Cindy]

Aron didn't buy it for a moment. "Are you all right? Maybe you should have stayed with Aislyn and Nelek,' he said, concerned.

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan shook her head.

"I gotta go. The unicorns were my friends, though it's going to be hard to face them after... everything. And if Galina's harmed any of them..." Liadan swore. "That sotah has already done so much  to us. I can't have her hurting the herd too."

[Muffin Puffin]

"I will kill her in her sleep before I allow it," Aron said with certainty. "I don't think the unicorns would hold what happened to you against you because of that," he said, "It's just...well...I don't think they will come easily to Brighid either."

[Lazey Winde]

"I wish I saw them a year ago." Liadan said. "They probably could've gotten some sense through to me."

[Muffin Puffin]

"If any one could have, they could have. But Lia, you know I understand why you ran."

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan gave a hiccuping sob and thunked her head into Aron's chest.

"I hate her." Liadan said in a gulpy voice against his tunic. "What she had those momzers do to me was bad enough, but this magic stuff. I think she was messing with my head, making me even crazier."

[Muffin Puffin]

"I think she was too. Another reason I grabbed the rag and wouldn't give it back." Aron wrapped his arms around Lia and held her close. "I hate her too. And somehow, some way, we will rid the village of her, if not the world."

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan shuddered. "She has to be stopped. I don't want anyone else going through what that sotah put me through."

[Muffin Puffin]

"She will be stopped. One way or another," Aron promised. Even if he died taking her down, he would.

"Who has to be stopped?" Brie asked.

[Lazey Winde]

"Galina." Liadan spat, raising her face from Aron's chest. "I'm going to kill her, first chance I get."

[Muffin Puffin]

"You should remain untouched from her destruction," Brighid said. "I've learned a few tricks. I will kill her. Her first strike was against me when she had me nearly killed and killed Kegan and Eden. She took away my life."

[Lazey Winde]

"If you can get to her before me, you can kill her." Liadan said grimly. "I've been through all sorts of hell this past year and I'm not the only one. And now it looks like she's used an ebony unicorn hair in her magic. She has done a lot of damning stuff but if she's hurt unicorns too..."

[Muffin Puffin]

Brie nodded. "I believe I shall go on a witch hunt later. I guess there's no chance it was a normal horse hair since that wouldn't bolster her magic. That.... She just won't be content until everyone is in chaos."

[Lazey Winde]

"She's probably the most hateful person in the world." Liadan said. "I'm gonna try to find the unicorns... then I'm gonna kill her."

[Cindy]

Brie nodded, "And I will be by your side. You will not have to face her on your own."

[Lazey Winde]

A ghost of a smile flickered across Liadan's face.

"C'mon, let's find the herd!"

[Muffin Puffin]

"Yes, let's find them." Finally they reached the edge of the overgrown gardens. Brie sighed. "I suppose I really should put the manor up for sale."

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan tried to imagine strangers as her nearest neighbors, and had trouble picturing it. She shrugged. The place had not been the same since Kegan and Eden were murdered.

[Muffin Puffin]

"Maybe Nelek and Aislyn would like it. They need a larger sprace with little ones on the way,"Brie added. "It's not like I need anything that large."

[Lazey Winde]

"We only have Yehudit." Liadan said, "I don't think we'll ever fill our own cottage."

[Muffin Puffin]

"More than I have," Brie said quietly. She cleared her throat, "You never know. More children could be in your future."

[Lazey Winde]

"I don't know." Liadan said. "But I doubt it. Aron and I have never..." Liadan trailed off and looked down. "Last year, those men forced me... I didn't know I was pregnant until sometime after I left the village."

[Cindy]

Brie's heart broke for Lia. Her words didn't surprise her, but no one  should have had to go through that...especially Lia. "There is always adoption....and children in need of love do sometimes turn up."

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan nodded as she wiped at her eyes. "Aron's a good man. He loves Yehudit as his own, and is patient."

[Muffin Puffin]

"He adores you. I would have expected nothing less of Aron then to take Yehudit to his heart. A child in need of love will come along, and neither of you will be able to turn your back on him or her. You and Aron deserve to be happy."

[Lazey Winde]

"We're trying to be happy." Liadan said. "But along with what happened to me Galina's been using black magic on me, messing with my head."

[Cindy]

"Aron has stopped that," Brie replied, "And we're going to take care of Miss Galina. She's been nothing but trouble since she stepped foot in the village."

[Lazey Winde]

"I'm gonna kill her." Liadan said, and pressed on to the trees.

[Muffin Puffin]

"We're going to kill her," Brie amended. "And then she'll never hurt anyone again."

On Wed, Jul 23, 2008 at 1:22 PM, Lazey Winde <lazey...@gmail.com> wrote:

"I'm gonna kill her." Liadan said, and pressed on to the trees.

--
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[Lazey Winde]

"Damn straight." Liadan muttered.

[Muffin Puffin]

Brie nodded, then glanced over her shoulder to make certain that Kayleigh was still following.

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan began to look for signs of any unicorns passing by, shining hairs or large cloven hoof prints. She also flared her nostrils, hoping to detect the scent of cinnamon.

[Muffin Puffin]

Brie peered through the trees, looking for the unicorns.

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan tripped on a fallen branch and fell face first into a thorn bush.

[Muffin Puffin]

Brie picked her back up wordlessly, setting her on her feet.

[Lazey Winde]

A few beads of blood appeared on Liadan's cheek where she was scratched by the thorns. Ahe ignored it and continued looking.

[Muffin Puffin]

Brie knew better than to fuss and she scanned the wooded area beside her for any sign of the unicorns

On Wed, Jul 23, 2008 at 9:40 PM, Lazey Winde <lazey...@gmail.com> wrote:

A few beads of blood appeared on Liadan's cheek where she was scratched by the thorns. Ahe ignored it and continued looking.

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan was conveniently forgetting the danger of being in these woods and smelling of blood. She slipped around a large oak tree.

[Muffin Puffin]

Kayleigh passed Brighid and followed Lia, on silent elf footsteps.

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan heard a noise and spun in alarm- to see a small red squirrel.

[Muffin Puffin]

The squirrel ran up a branch and leapt gracefully onto Kayleigh's shoulder, where he cuddled against her neck.

[Lazey Winde]

"Fluffy tree rat" Liadan muttered.

[Muffin Puffin]

" A loving little creature," Kayleigh replied.

[Lazey Winde]

"For a creature that will pee on you." Liadan said.

[Muffin Puffin]

"All part of nature. They are so innocent that they don't know about privvies."

[Lazey Winde]

"Neither do elves." Liadan scowled.

[Muffin Puffin]

"That's true, we have actual rooms within our homes."

[Lazey Winde]

"That's disgusting!" Liadan exclaimed, conveniently forgetting about how humans, including herself, often resorted to relieving themselves in a pot when the weather was too foul for going to the privvy.

[Muffin Puffin]

"There is nothing disgusting about it," Kayleigh replied. "It is a separate room and the servants keep everything clean. No having to run outside regardless of weather. And really, you shouldn't make so much sound, you don't know what you might attract out here."

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan scowled at the elven girl. She didn't ask her to come.

[Muffin Puffin]

Kayleigh scowled back and headed deeper into the forest. It was like her home,seeing that she was a wood elf.

[Lazey Winde]

"Unicorns never pee on people or in houses." Liadan muttered, going her own way.

[Muffin Puffin]

Kayleigh snickered and continued on through the forest. She wished she had her bow.

On Wed, Jul 23, 2008 at 11:10 PM, Lazey Winde <lazey...@gmail.com> wrote:

"Unicorns never pee on people or in houses." Liadan muttered, going her own way.

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan was minding her own business, looking for the unicorns, when she suddenly found herself being glared at by a huge boar.

[Muffin Puffin]

Kayleigh glanced behind herself, finding a trail of rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels following her. And here she had thought Rhiannon had all of the animal talent

On Wed, Jul 23, 2008 at 11:20 PM, Lazey Winde <lazey...@gmail.com> wrote:

Liadan was minding her own business, looking for the unicorns, when she suddenly found herself being glared at by a huge boar.

[Lazey Winde]

Liaan decided that it was the biggest boar she had ever seen, maybe even bigger than that crazy boar the Greeks were always making a big deal of. She wondered if there were many boars a round Buckley village when she realized that the boar was snorting aggressively at her.

[Muffin Puffin]

Brie and Aron hung back, discussing what they needed to do and making plans for destroying Galina.

[Lazey Winde]

"Uh, Aron..." Liadan called in a weak voice, hoping that Aron was close.

[Muffin Puffin]

"Yes, Cupcake?" Aron called back, concerned with her tone of voice.

[Lazey Winde]

"There's a really big angry pig over here." Liadan said nervously.

[Muffin Puffin]

"A....wha...." Aron looked at Brie who was the only one who had come armed. Without a word, Brie ran to Lia's side. She raised her crossbow and nocked a bolt. Brie's gaze narrowed as she fired the bolt.

[Lazey Winde]

The boar squealed and blood flew everywhere.

"I Hate pigs." Liadan said and turned away to be sick.

[Muffin Puffin]

"I don't mind putting one in my stomach but facing one in the wild? I'm not to fond of it," Brie agreed, lowering her crossbow.

[Lazey Winde]

"I can't stomach pork." Liadan gagged.

[Muffin Puffin]

"No one said you had to."

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan threw up some more.

"I don't suppose anyone brought some water..."

[Muffin Puffin]

"We kind of ran out of the cottage without any supplies," Aron said, kneeling next to her to hold her hair out of her eyes."

[Lazey Winde]

"Oh." Liadan's stomach heaved a gain. "You never know what might happen when you drink the water out here."

[Muffin Puffin]

"Then I guess we'll have to live without it," Aron said softly.

[Lazey Winde]

Liadan stood up, holding Aron's arm. "If I can find Fawne she can clean up some water..."

[Muffin Puffin]

"Don't rush yourself. Make certain you are well enough to keep moving," Aron said, holding Lia up.

[Lazey Winde]

"I'm ok." Liadan said, "Just.." She shrugged, resting her head against Aron's chest so she could hear his heartbeat.