A little man in a big world. (All welcome!)

[Kendaar Furryfoot]

Third cycle of Optia, Summer Era XII

Gazing out at the night sky, Kendaar could recall few visions as moving as that which he witnessed this evening. A single, shimmering tear had briefly streamed across the heavens, and for a moment, he felt as though Kalendryas herself favored his journey. Nestled deep inside his fur cloak, the Halfling could feel his eyes growing steadily heavier as the heavens made their slow journey through the night sky. Unable to resist the sirens call of sleep any longer, Kendaar drifted into the realm of dreams, even as the tiniest hint of light began to appear on the eastern horizon.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kendaar awoke abruptly to the feeling of a clawed hand dragging hesitantly across his brow. Throwing his eyes wide, the Halfling screamed as a pair of enormous black eyes stared back into his own. Twisting violently in terror, the Halfling slipped from his moss covered log, and hurtled downwards towards the forest floor. For one fleeting instant, Kendaar caught sight of his would-be attacker, and if not for the fact that he was now bouncing with wild abandon down the hillside, the young Halfling would have been quite amused. The sparrow, having lost his perch upon the once sleeping Halfing, now watched with curiosity as the strange creature proceeded to roll straight into a prickler bush, producing another loud cry from the creature. Carefully extracting himself from the painful plant, Kendaar nevertheless looked more the monster than man, as he was now covered head to toe in tiny brown burrs that clung to anything they touched.

After several pain-filled minutes of burr extracting, Kendaar breathed a sigh of relief, his unpleasant ordeal now over. Trudging up the steep forest hillside, the Halfling began to realize why his morning trip downhill had been so tumultuous. Up ahead, the Halfing spotted his staff and pack, still tucked in the crawlspace underneath the felled tree, which had served as his bedding last evening. At last reaching his belongings, Kendaar began to rummage through his pack, in hopes of finding something edible. He didn't have to look far, as his cousin had apparently found the time to stow away a decent portion of the uneaten leftovers from the feast. Grabbing an apple from his pack, the young Halfling took a large bite from it, before diving once again into his bag for a change of clothes. For he had discovered, that while his ceremonial garb was great for festivities, it's use in a more rugged setting left a lot to be desired. Thankfully he found a worn set of clothes at the bottom of the bag, unfortunately it reeked of wine, undoubtedly the stopper had come loose from the wine flask and spilled it's contents over the garments. First assuring himself that the area was free from any prying eyes, the Halfling quickly changed his garments, before scooping up his pack and walking stick, and heading West, down the hillside.

[EilevarBanniurdenn]

Eilevar was walking home early that morning when she spotted a young man. She quickly jumped into a bush when he started to stir. She chuckled when a sparrow landed on the boys head and he awoke, only to see him fall down the hill. She gasped and was about to warn him about the bush when he landed on it with a yelp.
*oops! That's gotta be painful* she thought. Then he walked up the hill and searched through his pack. When he pulled out an apple and took a huge bite before rumaging again. This time he pulled out a pair of worn clothes and his face wrinkled a bit from the strong smell of wine.
*I guess wine must have spilt over it.* Then he looked around franticly and changed. Eilevar gave him privacy by shuting her eyes as tight as she could. When she opened them, she saw him start down the road. She jumped out and ran after him.
"Sir, please wait!" She ran after him. She was a bit lonely after 16 years away from her family without a single friend.

[Kendaar Furryfoot]

The young Halfling was about to resume his long journey downhill when he heard the voice of a woman call out behind him. Turning suddenly, Kendaar found himself face to face with a young Elven woman, garbed completely in black. Drawing himself up in what he considered his most impressive pose, the young Halfling spoke in a quiet, yet friendly voice.

Serale, my lady. Are you in need of some assistance?

Waiting silently for her response, Kendaar noticed that the figure before him bore several weapons about her bodice, most noticeably the longsword she carried at her waist, and the fact that she seemed to carry them all with ease. Hoping that the young lady was not some thief that meant only to rob him of his possessions, the Halfling nevertheless kept his guard up, despite his cheery disposition.

[EilevarBanniurdenn]

She saw that he noticed her weapons and kept his gaurd up.
"Do not fear." She said in a musical voice. "I am just looking for someone to befriend. I've been very lonely for 16 years of my life, wandering, looking for work. Well, then I became a mercenary, but that's beside the point. Do you think I could travel with you for a bit?" She really had her hopes up.
'I hope my hand on the hilt of my long sword isn't what keeps him uptight.' She thought.

[Kendaar Furryfoot]

Stroking his chin thoughtfully, a ponderous look began to creep slowly across the Halfling's face, as he silently considered the Elf's proposal. Those that knew him better would recognize that look as one of cold calculation, used often when he was forced to deal with merchants of dubious character. The chief concern on his mind now was not whether or not the woman should be trusted, if the Elf intended to harm him, she could have done that easily enough without pretense. No, what preoccupied his thoughts for the moment was what he could gain by such an alliance. To her would be given the gift of friendship, a gift not cheaply bartered away in this day and age, let alone to one of the big people. But to him would be rewarded not only a companion who knew the surrounding terrain, but one who would be able to defend them, should that terrain prove hostile. Not that mercenaries as a rule were a particularly honorable bunch, far from it. But they could be counted on to do what they must, once they have enough gold in their hands. In addition, there was the added bonus that if they were ambushed by thieves, the brigands would seek to deal with the armed companion before turning their attention to him, which would give him valuable time to escape. Given the circumstances, Kendaar gradually realized that accepting the company of the young Elf was the logical conclusion. Beaming a merchants smile at the the woman, Kendaar slowly took her hand into his own and brought it to his lips. Kissing it gently, the Halfling spoke in a solemn voice.

My lady, it would be an honor to accompany one such as yourself in her travels. Tell me, wherefore are thou bound? To Natura, or to Mystique perhaps? Oh, but where are my manners! Forgive me my lady, I am called Kendaar, of the High Peak Furryfoot clan. And how may I address you on this day?

Kendaar knew that there were those in the world to whom his clan name inspired what he felt to be an unjustified anger, yet those who did so were mainly jealous merchants who could not match the quality nor the prices of the goods that his family often traded in. Seeing as how the Elf before him was no merchant, at least so she claimed, Kendaar felt it safe enough the announce his full name to her, yet her hand resting on her sword still gave him the tiniest sliver of doubt. Waiting quietly for her response, the Halfling still wore his most convincing smile upon his face, and tilted his head ever so slightly that the sun's light might catch his eye, and make him seem aglow with excitement. There were many tricks in the employ of the Furryfoot merchants, and Kendaar was well trained in them all. He had no doubt of the fact that in the end, he could win the faith of this Elf that stood before him.

[EilevarBanniurdenn]

"I am Eilevar Banniurdren. One peice of information, it means Azure flute, Holder's of the light. Anyways, I was on my way home, to Natura, when I saw you."

She took her hand off her hilt, "Sorry, a habit I've picked up.", and rested it at her side.

[Kendaar Furryfoot]

OOC: Sorry for the short post, I'll fix it later tonight.

IC: Well Eilevar, I am very pleased to meet you, and I would be more than willing to accompany you to your home in Natura. But tell me, how long have you been a mercenary? It must be a lonely life, always on the road. Have you no family to return to?

Looking to the sky, the Halfling used the location of the sun to try to determine in which direction East lie. In what he hoped was the direction of Natura, Kendaar adjusted his course proportionately.

[EilevarBanniurdenn]

"Well, to answer the first question, I have been a mercenary for 18 years. My family disowned me after the first 2 years. Said I could do better than a lowely mercenary. See, I have no idea if my family is still alive. I wish there was some way I could find them." She explained to her new friend.

'I wish I could talk to them. There's too much going on and even if there wasn't, I have on way to reach them.'

[Kendaar Furryfoot]

Well I can see no reason why we shouldn't be able to find them. We Furryfoots are a well traveled lot, in comparison to the others families of our kind, and I'd be happy to help you search for them. I had plans on traveling all of Alleria, discovering the rare and the beautiful that this world yet hides, and this may be my opportunity to do just that. Although I admit I have never heard of the name Banniurdenn, mayhaps the folk living in Natura have. From what I know of the Elves, they are not generally a race to do anything on a whim. Why, I wouldn't be surprised at all if there is someone in Natura who even knows where they might have gone.

The Halfling, who had almost been running to keep up with the strides of the long legged Elf, now stopped suddenly, a thought striking him mid-speech.

It just occurred to me, although I have only been awake a short while, it must be past lunch by now. Tell me, are you hungry? I've got some interesting food left from this past evening. Perhaps some roast pheasant or boiled leeks? I'm afraid I don't have very much of either, but you are welcome to them if you would like.

With nearly unintelligible rambling, the Halfling had removed his pack and had placed it on the damp forest floor. Not bothering to wait for a reply from the Elf, Kendaar was now chest deep inside his bag, with the last half of his speech being almost completely muffled by the heavy material. After a few seconds, the Halfling stopped his rummaging, having apparently located what it was he had crawled in his bag to find. Attempting to extract himself from his pack, Kendaar discovered to his great dismay that something had hooked onto his tunic and prevented his escape. Feeling panic rise within him, Kendaar resorted to what he assumed any logical, rational Halfling would do in his place. He screamed.

HELP! It's got me, somebody help! AAAAAAAAAAH!!!

Rolling about wildly, Kendaar unwittingly had hurled himself in the direction of Eilevar, who now had only seconds to react before being bowled into by the crazed Halfling.

[EilevarBanniurdenn]

"Kendaar? Wha-" She stopped mid-sentence because of the halfling who had rolled into her legs causeing her to fall over. When the two of them did manage to stop rolling, she held her head and looked up. She had rolled unto Kendaar, trapping him with her arms. She blushed a little and moved so he could get up.
"What was that?" She asked.