Closed Run Run as Fast as You Can

[Taylani]

Time Stamp 77 Fall 23rd Bell.

The night song of the camp is muffled within Fallan's familial pavilion. The nicker of horses, the lingering chirp of bugs and other insects muted in the darkened tent. Where most lay quiet in slumber, one at least lay in fitful awakeness waiting, waiting. Tonight was going to be the night, she could not hold out any longer for the excitement and fear building within the pit of her stomach threatened to tear her apart from within. Taylani lay very still beside Fallan, one arm thrown over her still-flat stomach in an unconscious gesture of protection.

The thought of bringing a child into this camp, and leaving that child to be reared by Drykas, now that she has had time see the life within the city was unfathomable. Now that she has finally acknowledged that the children Fallan required of her would be hers, she could not leave a girl child behind to be sold into marriage unwillingly, or a boy child to be raised to do such things. Oh Waisana had tried to assure her that her children would some how be special, but Taylani saw it as simply a young girl revealing too much to a slave and trying to make up for it. No, not after Rue Nightsong's story of her own father wanting to sell her off, then Waisana..she could not believe that any girl child would be safe within these ..well not really walls.

Though fear threatened to choke her, she moved softly rolling out from beneath Fallan's arm. She has done this many times when she could not sleep, but tonight was different and she froze before ensuring that he would not stir. She knew that she would likely die out there, more likely to die then to find anyone who would help her. But there was the chance that there might be someone out there, that she might get lucky. Better to die, along with the child in her womb, then to subject an infant to this..this place. She dressed quickly, her stomach knotting but she did not know if it was because of the morning sickness that has been light but real or fear, but it did not help when she looked down at the man who had planted the baby within her belly.

His figure, so peacefully asleep was familiar and now Taylani did not deny that the sight of him sleeping gave her some pleasure. He was not really a bad man, just reared in a culture that taught him evil things. This re-ignited her fire to flee, her son would be a truly good man, not a good man taught evil doing.

And so Taylani slips out into the night. Already the humidity level has risen, and those who were used to the life on the plains might recognize this as a pre-cursor to a storm, but Taylani did not. Instead she crept with her pack on her back along the outer pavilions, slipping into the seas of grass. At first she walked, but once the tent city was out of view her fear grew rapidly. Soon she found herself running, running, then walking when her breath no longer held, but only long enough catch her breath before she was running again.
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Several Bells later

At some point she found that she had to stop, her lungs burned and her legs were wobbly from exertion. Sitting, she pulled the pack off her back and placed it between her crossed legs opening it. Inside she found her supply of dried apples, and dried raisins. As far as food, it was plain fare, but when she had visited the merchants once more she could not buy all that she could want. Meats were avoided to try and keep down her scent to carnivores. She did not know much about wilderness survival but that seemed logical, and she could not carry heavy items. So it was dried fruit, and plenty of it. A pound of apples, and a pound of raisins. She wouldn't be full, but she wouldn't starve for a while yet.

Having no sleep since the night before, Taylani found that weariness mingled with fear was an excellent sleep aid as she tossed back a few slices of dried apple. Her stomach clenched but received the meal with protest though she was able to force her body to keep the small rations down. Looking around, there was nothing, only grass. She tried not to think that there could be predators in those grasses, tried not to remember how the baby lion had been so willing to stalk and pounce. Instead she lays down, hiding within the tall grass and drawing her pack tightly to her, curling around it. Her ears stayed wary for at least a moment or two before sleep finally stole over her even as her lips mouthed a prayer for protection.

OOC InfoBought Apples 1 gm lb, and Raisins 1 gm lb I am editing all my posts in this thread to change box codes, to ensure easier reading.

[Fallan Windchaser]

Fallan shifted in his sleep as Taylani left, aware on some level of her absence, but he drifted back off to sleep, secure in the knowledge that she had often done this and always come back.

Several bells passed before he stirred again, though this time it was because of the rising wind that thrummed against the tent ropes. He lay for a moment, sensing the change in the air that heralded weather coming in, but it took a while for his sleep befuddled mind to realise what else was wrong and it was only as he reached out to draw himself closer into the warmth of Tays body did he realise that where she should have been was cold.

He lay for a moment longer, unwilling to commit to wandering around in the dark attempting to find her. He lay a moment longer as his eyes adapted to the darkness and the shadows faded into patterns of grey before sitting up and scanning around him, searching for something out of place, a figure by the banked fireplace, anything that might explain her absence. Cold night air raised goosebumps across his chest and back, the hairs on his arms rising and questing upwards as the skin puckered. He muttered a curse and grabbed for his top and breeches, leaving his boots where they lay and dodging the sleeping bodies made his way out of the tent.

The latrine area was empty and he spent the lesser part of a bell whilst the wind tugged at his hair wandering round in the dark, stumbling over tent ropes that a five year old could have avoided before he accepted the truth that this was not normal and he wasn't going to find her.

He ducked back into the tent to find that now he was not the only one awake. A small huddle were by the fire and voices pitched low and urgent reached him. He hurried across, the voices resolving as he reached them, but to his relief and disappointment they were not discussing his missing partner; for a moment he had a fear that she had been found injured.

His fathers head jerked upwards as Fallan arrived and met his eyes. "Father, forgive the interruption but I can't find Tay and I'm worried that she has got lost in the dark." He cringed inside that she might have been so careless after all this time in the camp, but the camp moved and with it the landmarks that might have guided her.

His father nodded and held up his hand in the sign for patience. There were a few more words and the group split up, even his mother too wrapped up in the moment to make any comment.

"Storms are coming," his father said, though he hardly needed to for even a baby could now have felt that. "We need to move the herd and pack what we can of the Pavilion and double rope the stays." Fallan nodded, aware that this was something that he should have been helping with, aware too that should the storm blow badly then so too would comments about the errant son who had returned but did not help the family when they needed it.

His father frowned as his eyes closed. "She is not in the camp." Fallans eyes widened and his breathing slowed, concern rising in case a predator had made it past the Watch and the Web to take an unwitting foreigner who wandered in the dark.

Silence reigned for a while before his father nodded and sighed. "She is alive and well but not close." Fallans teeth gritted as relief and rage warred in him. Had she been taken or had she run? His vision clouded and he grated out, "show me. Please." His words implored and like enough his father heard the pain for he nodded.

"Sit." The instruction was accompanied by hands on his shoulders that forced him down. "Breath." There was a pause, "Relax." This time the voice held a tinge of anger. "We do not have time to indulge you Fallan, nor make allowances for the stupidity of Taylani whom you should have trained better. This does not speak well of you and I have more important things that need doing."

"Relax!" This time the word brooked no contest and Fallan forced himself to repeat the exercises that he'd been taught so long ago. His fathers hand touched his forehead and the family web flared into existence in Fallans mind. For a moment he was overwhelmed by the presence of his father and then he reached out, his hands being led by his fathers past the presence of his brothers and the herd and out into the grass. Now he travelled past the familiar and into the larger webs.

Cairn by cairn, origin by origin his father showed him the way until a familiar spark came into view. [b]"Remember." His fathers voice showed him once more the pattern of the web. "I cannot spare anyone to help you for the storm is coming in hard." Fallan nodded, the connection with the web partially severed as his fathers presence lifted, and he was glad of the gloom to cover his chargin, knowing even as he became aware of it that his father could feel it in the web all the same.

There was a pressure on his shoulder, the grip of fingers and a whispered blessing, "Zulrav guide you." Then his father was gone and Fallan hurried to get his Yavas and pad, heading off into the fading night that was still darker than it ought to have been in search of Stormchaser who this day would have to live up to her name.

[Taylani]

Taylani woke slowly, perhaps her prayer had been heard or perhaps her luck was in for nothing had found her sleeping in the tall grasses. Something was wrong though, even before she opened her eyes she could tell something was different. It took a second before she realized that her face was being scratched by the grass as it blew in the wind. Taylani pushed herself up, noticing that the sky was lighter, but the dark clouds boiled ominously overhead. She had endured storms of course before, but before there were stone walls sheltering her.

Standing, the wind whipping her hair around her head tangling it mercilessly, Taylani hesitates and almost turns back the way she came. Yet one hand dropped to press itself against her belly, and a hardened expression crossed her face before she turned back away from the camp and scanned the distance ahead. Her hands rose to to capture her hair, to keep her vision free from the red strands, though this allowed her skirts to be picked up at will but she didn't pay them any mind. If someone was close enough to see the glimpses of legs this afforded, then she was already in trouble for it could be no one this close to the city still that were not Drykas.

She did not see any ready shelter that she could take, but she moved forward hoping to find a ditch perhaps, anything to get out of the wind. She didn't even notice the tiny cuts the grass blades made against her arms and legs when ever the wind blew especially hard to match the two or three scratches on her cheek that happened as she lay sleeping. However when she turned to look behind her she saw movement on the horizon coming from the way she had just came. Taylani froze for a good two or three heartbeats, her stomach roiling within her as fear of the storm but now fear of this new threat reared once more threatening to take her meager breakfast before her sleep from her. The movement was too far off for her to see, though she thought it looked like someone on horseback..that could mean but one thing, Drykas. Relief warred with her desire to run, relief because she had not anticipated this storm and she knew on some level this was a suicide run and there was still enough will to live within her to want rescue.

However the desire to see her child be free of this place, a mothers instinct that is so strong even this early in the stage of pregnancy caused her to turn and run. For a long moment she runs until she crests a rise, hoping that she is in time to fling herself down. Hiding in the tall grass, she tried to control her breathing, tried to make as little impression in the tall grass as possible, praying once more for the threat to pass over her. Fat droplets of water began to dot her cheeks, slowly for now, even as she crouched in the grass not daring to move.

[Fallan Windchaser]

The paddock area was a mass of people and half startled horses who could sense the approaching storm better than most. Fallan dodged a horse that was half saddled, his instincts to catch the rein warring with his own need long enough that the decision was past and the merchant would need to either catch the horse or come to terms with its loss.

A familiar dark horse appeared in the gloom, trotting up to him for reassurance. He spent a moment in communion then slipped on the Yvas and adjusted the straps as he added the pad and vaulted into the saddle.

Wind whipped his hair into his eyes and stung. He pulled it back and doubled up the thong to keep it back whilst his eyes watered. He clicked his tongue and shifted forwards heading out of the camp in the direction he remembered from the immersion in the web. Once out of the camp it was starting to get light enough to give Stormchaser her head and she paced quickly, he felt the acceleration as she drew on djed to pull away from the camp. How she knew what he wanted was never clear, but neither could he allow her to run wild for his connection with the web was tenuous at best.

He concentrated on the sensation that was Taylani from his memory, avoiding tapping into the web for he needed all of his awareness to stay on the horse in the dim and overcast dawn light. They rode at speed and the landscape blurred, he crouched low so that the wind did not rip him off the horse, concerned that she did not put a hoof in a hidden hole.

They navigated the cairns, one by one, until they reached the area that his father had shown him. Now it rained too, the first few drops that promised a downpour and still his concern battled with rage that she could have done this. They moved forward, pacing through the area, moving ever outwards and away from the camp whilst the weather got worse. Soon he would need to attempt the web once more; to travel on his own and see what could be found. He wiped rain from his eyes and thought that he got a glimpse of movement. He headed that way, shouting her name, his voice carried away by the wind.

Now he could not see her and guessed that it had been just a trick of his eye. He cantered on, choosing the uphill for the better views across the wind whipped grass, the rain now starting to come heavier and starting to sting very lightly. He called her name again, hoping against hope and knowing that next he would need to seek some shelter himself from the wind so that he could dismount and conduct the search a different way.

[Taylani]

The rain was steadily getting heavier, but Taylani knew if she was discovered that she would not get the chance to run again. The wet plastered her tangled hair against her skull, which helped because it didn't whip around as much snarled and wet. She didn't spare a thought to wonder how she was going to comb out the tangled mass later..if there was a later.

She couldn't hear anything over the roars of the wind, even the wildlife seemed to have gone to den thanks to this storm. She was too frightened to pop her head up over the grass to see if what she had seen in the distance was coming this way or not. It was so far out that it could have moved anyway, what was the likelihood that a Drykas would happen to come this way, the same way she had during a storm? Not likely at all, yet she still could not bring herself to lift up out of the grass to look. Creeping forward on hands and knees now, the ground soaked up the rain causing a muddy mess in places. Her clothing clung to her skin in places like a second skin, but she knew that it would only get worse the longer the storm blew on.

Whimpering softly, finding herself praying again this time to Zulrav, the only god that she could remember Fallan mentioning for protection, she continued forward but froze when she heard her name. It was faint, surely she just imagined it, surely that wasn't Fallan out there. How would he have found her all the way out here? How could he possibly have known which way she would have ran. She crawled faster away, her skirts tripping her up occasionally but still unwilling to pop her head up above the grass line. She notes that with each movement her hands crushed a tall reed of grass down, but she hoped that the wind swirling the -now painful- grasses around would hide her movements.

However a loud clap of thunder turned her blood to ice in her veins, and she automatically screamed out in terror, her hands clapped to her ears and her body collapsing to the ground. She looked a mess, her hair clumped together in massive tangles that would take hours to sort out its red hidden in the black of wet, her dress soiled with mud and grass stains, and her blue eyes too-wide. Another sudden clap of thunder ended her bid to remain unseen, standing up Taylani turned back toward where she had came, looking and again the warring desire to be found clashing with the desire to flee, but self-preservation and the immediate preservation of her child overturned her desire to see her child safely birthed outside of Endrykas.

[Fallan Windchaser]

What he had feared now happened and the rain now came heavily, cold heavy drops that quickly drenched him. By themselves it wouldn't have been too bad but Fall was coming to an end and even here Winters bite could be felt in the wind which howled around him and chilled his wet clothing.

With the rain came the heavy clouds which had been building, pushing the dawn light away and making it doubly hard to see in through the rain. Now the tension that had been building started to dig deep into his stomach. He was not the Ankal to easily tap into the web to check for her position. Now his lack of interest in webbing as a youngster was starting to bite, the price for his laziness becoming clear. He had eventually taken some training, it had allowed him to be shown the path through the web, and on a good day he could probably have made the connection here and tracked her.

This however was not a good day and he could not imagine summoning up the concentration needed to connect to the web in this cold and wet. He doubted that even an experienced tracker would have been able to find any trace she might have left for the wind whipped the grass and the rain beat it down, washing away trace and soil alike. Even the ground betrayed him for this was no flat plain but rose and fell with water channels here and there.

He began to despair of finding her in this and the storm was well set in. What he could see of the sky was just dark cloud from one horizon to the other. His heart sank as he began to consider the possibility that he had missed her and would not be able to find her now that the weather had closed in. It galled him that he could be close enough to talk to her and yet miss her. If he turned back now he might have to wait out the storm and by the time he could be redirected out here she might be dead.

The possibility did not bear thinking about and now he was desperate enough to put aside the anger, at least until later. He dashed rain out of his eyes and shivered, shifting Stormchaser back into movement, determined to comb the area if he had to and knowing that his concerns aside he was no worse off than the rest of his family who would be out rounding up the herd to ensure that none got cut out or lost.

Thunder crashed loudly, the noise rolling across the grasslands and he jumped at the unexpected noise for he'd seen no lightning, his horse spooking slightly. He carried on, calling her name and the landscape lit up briefly followed by a louder bang. This time neither he nor the horse spooked as much as they were expecting it.

He called her name again, rain stinging his eyes as he looked around. Did he see movement in the distance? He couldn't be sure but he pushed Stormchaser towards it anyway.

[Taylani]

Now the word had become nothing but a sheet of rain, the howling wind and the noise of the storm blocking her ears to Taylani. Any moment she expected a fork of lightening to cleave her into, and the shivering that shook her body was only partly because of the cold. Yet she still moved on, she wasn't even sure of the direction she was heading, was it back toward Endrykas? Was it away from the City? She doesn't know, she only knows that the storm might be a blessing in disguise. If she can avoid being struck by lightening, avoid being blown into danger by the wind, avoid catching her death of cold then the storm might shelter her from the dangerous animals that prowl the plains, both human and animal variety.

It was only the fear that had made a permanent abode in her stomach that kept her going, kept her putting one foot in front of the other. As the rain stung her eyes, face and any exposed skin, as the cold caused her flesh to pebble into goosebumps, as her legs shook from weariness she pressed onward. Her arms crossing over her stomach and chest in a vain attempt at stopping the shivering she continues to mindlessly go forward. Without even knowing it every clap of thunder dragged a whimper from her throat, every flash of lightening was met with a sob, but she still moved. Movement meant life, if she stopped she was sure she would not get up again.

She does not know how long she fought against the wind, long enough so that her dress was soaked thoroughly and provided no more warmth as it hugged every curve of her body, clinging uncomfortably. Her feet stumbled but she caught herself, another reflex thanks to her dancing training, her ankle turned slightly but she didn't feel anything but cold numbness. She despaired that she would ever be warm again, but still she does not regret her decision to run. Really wandering around here in the cold stinging rain was no different then roaming around the Tent City, she was no less cold or alone there.

She stopped trying to see anything in front of her, keeping her head down she watched every rise and fall of her feet to keep her ankle from turning worse. Still she felt nothing but she saw some of the swelling over the top of her boot, and knew in some detached portion of her mind that there should have been some pain. That same detached portion wondered briefly why there was no pain.

Another flash of lightening, crack of thunder, another whimper and sob is given but then the dancer stops in her tracks. For in that flash she saw a rider on a horse, not who the rider was, but only that there he was. So surprised, Taylani stumbles and falls to the ground, her arms holding her up in a sitting position her blue eye wide, blinking only when rain was blown into them. She wasn't even aware that she was crying out the word "Help" over and over.

[Fallan Windchaser]

Fallan couldn't remember the last time that he had been out in a storm like this one, though that was probably because he usually had more sense. The thunder came more regularly now but though the rain was as heavy and the raindrops on his eyelids caused him to blink, slowly the sun was gaining power as it rose above the horizon.

He shook his head to clear the rain from his eyes and the hair that had come free from the loose gathering at the back of his head. He shivered now, regretting his lack of something properly waterproof, though nothing would have kept out this downpour. Stormchaser seemed unmoved by it, but then few grazing animals would have paid it much attention for they were accustomed to such things.

She moved then to the side, of her own accord, ears swivelling into the rain and he turned his attention that way. "Zulravs blessing," he breathed as lightening illuminated a distant figure and he shifted Stormchaser towards it, picking up speed as they went. As they came closer the detail resolved in the early morning gloom, details that were unmistakable to a man who had lived almost every moment with her.

Careless now he pushed Stormchaser faster, aiming off at the last moment as he slipped from the horses back and landed running, almost losing his balance as his still bare feet slipped on the wet grass. Her lips moved, but he did not hear what she said, instead he took the last few paces towards her at a running pace, his emotions warring inside. One part of him wanted to beat her for the stupidity of it, for running away from him. Another part of him was still frightened at the loss of her, and yet still angry that she could do it. Relief in the end did not outweigh the burst of anger at what she had done.

"What did you think that you were doing? He shouted at her in Pavi. "I could have lost you out here!" He still could he realised for now he had reached out to hold her shoulders, shoulders that were cold to the touch. Anger transmuted back into concern and he pulled her to her feet, sliding his hands under her arms and lifting her with a burst of anger fuelled energy.

[Taylani]

Taylani had never been so frightened in her life, even when she was kidnapped, sold, even when he laid out so plainly what he had planned for her she had had anger to temper the fear. She had had outrage to cushion the terror of what was to become of her. Out here there was no buffer for the unmitigated terror of the storm, the terror that robbed her of her pride, of her stubbornness that kept her sane. The terror for her life and that of the baby within.

So when horseback figure came into view again, Taylani did not try and hide. Instead she lifted her chin, too shocked at the violence of the storm to do more then continue to call out. But even the cries stopped when the figure slide off the horse and Taylani recognizes the figure. Fallan?! Fallan had come for her. Fallan had come out in this storm for her. One part of her mind refusing to ignore the glaring probability that it was simply a man retrieving his property, but another part -one that she had tried so long to fight down- found her heart leaping as he came closer. She did not even shrink away when he began to yell at her, she could not understand most of the words but she could gather that he was not happy.

Yet she did not fear him, so as his hands lifted her, she did not fight. Instead she let herself once more realize the strength in his body as he easily pulled her to her feet. It was not until she had righted that the throb of her ankle cut through the fog of fear and disorientation but it was simply an annoyance to be ignored, pushed back. Her blue eyes were as wide and skittish as a deer caught in the sight of a hunter, and her lips moved without sound at first before she could push enough air past to create words. Her hands braced themselves against his arms, noting his own degree of wetness, her weight held mostly by one leg. "Fallan?" She asks almost dazedly, her common broken only by the shivering, "Why did you come? How did you come?"

[Fallan Windchaser]

His eyes narrowed at the surprise in her voice. Who else did she think was going to be the one who came for her? Close on the heels of the thought was the memory that she didn't know about webbing and so why shouldn't she question him?

He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly, disdaining to answer for the moment, relief at having her back for the moment overcoming his anger, and as he did so, once more he became aware of how cold she was as well as an awareness that she was standing oddly no matter that she had not mentioned anything.

"Come because Tay need Fallan. Fallan need Tay." This was hardly the place for an argument and he could see this rapidly heading towards an irrational argument whilst the heavens crashed around them. He ended it abruptly, needing to get her back to the camp.

"Horse, ride now." He pointed at Stormchaser who stood by and eyed them oddly, that air of awareness common among Striders now clear in her eye. He pulled Tay close to the horse and then cupped his hands to give her a hand up. If necessary he would tie her and throw her across the horse, this was not the time for argument, but he did not expect to be disobeyed, not now. He itched to slap her, to release some of the anger that still bubbled close under the surface.