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This is the first part of a hopefully epic story that I am working on. The characters that I will use in my story are all real and all ingame. Most of them are mine, though. Please enjoy the story so far, and criticize as you see fit.
Returning Times
"Kitten, come." A stately white-haired woman commanded as she stood in the doorway of her small house, the dropping sun casting a golden sheen over her pinkish-lilac skin. A design flowed across her face, making her look exotic and interesting.
"Yes, Mother." A tall, yet still small, girl jumped up from where she played with an assortment of leaves, all unique and different in coloring and shape. She loped - for that was what it was - towards her mother, long sky blue hair flowing behind her. "What is it?" She inquired meekly, looking up at her regal parent, wondering. She usually allowed her to stay out longer...so that her father could play with her...
"Your father will be late this even. Therefore, come inside and amuse yourself. The nightly nourishment is yet unprepared, so you may go up to the attic and play, child." She placed a thin, graceful hand on the girl's hair while she spoke, tousling it lovingly. "If it happens you become dust-covered, please wash before you come to dine."
"Yes, ma'am!"
As the child skipped inside, her mother closed the door behind them. Looking out at the sky, she muttered to herself, "These skies bode unwell...And if Cler is late for the reason I believe he is, then we are all in trouble." She finished closing the door, reaching for a spring unused for a long time. A moment later, the click of a rusty lock could be heard.
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I skipped up the stairs, happy. Mother hardly ever says that I can play in the attic, because of how dusty it tends to get. Mother is a very tidy person, but the attic is mostly unused, so she doesn't clean it. "Dal'drei, myameta...nare, hie taro..." I hummed under my breath. Opening the door that led to our attic, I closed it behind myself before carefully picking my way up the dusty, winding stairwell. I suppose to the people like dwarves and gnomes, our stairwells would seem odd, cause we don't have any 'stairs' like they do.
Bursting into the dusty room, I grinned widely, inhaling the scent of aged, precious things. There was also mixed in the scent of lovely flowers, peacebloom and mageroyal and all other sorts. Mother loves plants, which is probably why she's an herbalist. Maybe she loves them because she's an herbalist.
Still grinning, (like a funny creature called an o-poss-um, Mother says) I looked about, trying to decide what to do. My eyes settled upon a plethora of dusty trunks at the back of the room. Nodding, I decided that that would be where I ventured. Scuttling across the dusty floor, I sat in front of the chests, debating which to open first. Finally making up my mind, I reached for one decorated with flowers that had been painted on with dye. Opening it, I found a wild assortment of bottles and plants. On one side of the trunk, bottles of all different shapes and sizes, filled with glinting, colorful liquids were stacked precariously, teetering slightly. On the other side, delicious-smelling herbs were piled up. I could pick out some peacebloom and silverleaf, and some others. There was a pile of tiny, purple flowers, two different kinds, that stank of death and sorrow, polluting the air.
Shuddering, I shut the chest. Pushing it aside, I reached for another one. This one was filled with tiny clothes, clothes that I knew couldn't have fit anybody.
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Pushing the last chest away, I wiped my forehead. There had been several chests, all full of interesting things. One was full of candles and books and wound bandages, another what must have been my swaddling clothes. Standing, I stretched, looking out the window into the darkened twilight. Here amongst the peaceful boughs of the Teldrassil, it was always a twilight. But now, I knew that the night had come by the dark, starry sky.
Half-turning, I caught sight of something in the shadows. Curious, I scurried towards the door, where Mother kept a candle-end, along with a flint and tinder. Striking a spark above the burnt wick and lighting it, I carefully balanced it on the back of my hand as Mother showed me. Once again amongst the plethora of chests, my eyes rounded. Pushed back into a carefully carved nook, were two chests. They were rather small compared to the rest, -still large though- ornately engraved and made of fine wood, with jewels inset in them.
More than interested, I curled my body near to the ground, setting the candle on one of the lower chests. Reaching forward, I grasped one of the chests and pulled it out of the nook, doing the same to the other before I marveled at them.
One was embellished with precisely, lovingly carved flowers, odd symbols I knew were meant for priestesses, each inset with a tiny, glinting jewel. The chest was made out of fine, beautiful smelling wood that looked expensive, even. The other was more roughly hewn, but still carefully decorated. It was covered in swords and shields, angry, flaming skulls, and other odd things.
Choosing to open the more ornately carved one, I pushed the other away. Pulling the flowery box closer to me, I pressed the lid upwards. Scent wafted upwards, a scent of holy magic and darkness, the same scent Mother has. Inside lay clothes, carefully sewn and inlaid with powerful things...
"Kat? Kat, are you still in here?" Sound permeated my consciousness as I touched the material.
"Yes, Mother!" I called. I could hear the tapping of her feet on the floor as she came closer to me. She came to stand behind me. Silence for a moment...and then she drew a sharp breath.
"Oh my, I had nearly forgotten about these." She collapsed to her knees next to me as I scooted over, eyes wide. She reached for the cloth, pulling it out and holding it before her briefly. "Oh my..." She lost herself in reverie before I spoke.
"Mother, what are these?" I cocked my head to one side, staring at her a bit.
"These, my dear daughter, these are the garments of a true priestess." She smiled oddly, still lost in her thoughts.
"Sai? Kat? You up here girls?" My father's voice bellowed up the stairs.
"Yes Father!" I heard his heavy footsteps come up the stairs and towards us. My father is by no means ungraceful, he is very smart, and fast on his feet (Mother calls it agile). He's not fat either, like a lot of humans are. According to him, humans become at ease too easily. "Well, well. What do you know? You found my old gear, you little nosy Kat, you." He boomed, chuckling and messing my hair.
"Father!" I scowled at him.
"I know, I know. Mother works hard on your hair. I like making your mother work."
"Cler, look. Remember when you made me this?" Mother held up a robe that shined and sparkled with the light of the moon, glimmering wonderfully in the candlelight.
"Aww hun, you still have that?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Mother stood, still clutching the robe to her, and turned, leaning into my father while they kissed. Kissing, ugh. Grownup stuff. Yuck!
"Mooootherrrr, I'm hungry!" I whined, stomping my foot.
"Hehe! Don't you want to hear about the time your father and I vanquished three furbolgs carrying dangerous things? Or the time we killed an elemental princess?" She laughed and smiled at me, still leaning against Father.
"Yesyesyes!" This was interesting stuff! I never knew Mother did stuff like that! Or Father!
Pacing the floor of the tiny washroom, I thought, towel wrapped around me tightly. Mother and Father had told me stories while we ate. Stories about how they had faced down monstrous dragons and firey elementals and the walking dead themselves!
Nodding, I made up my mind. Grinning ferociously, I pushed open the wide door and marched out. "All done washing up, hun?" My father asked from where he slumped, reading a scroll.
"Yes, sir!" Groaning, he stood up, stretching. He picked me up and set me on one of his shoulders. "Father?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to be an adventurer!" Blinking, Father chuckled.
"And why do you say that, little one?" He asked, rubbing the sides of my arms with the towel when he tried to tug it off.
"Because I want to kill stuff and help people and make the world right!" I yelled, waving my arms at him for what Mother calls 'dramatic effect'.
He burst into laughter, holding his stomach and hohoho-ing till he nearly cried. My face reddened in embarrassment and I started smacking him across the face and yelling. "Mooooother! Father's being mean!" I could hear her flitting across the floor and into the back rooms, where she stopped short and started giggling. "Mother...." I stopped beating Father and dropped my eyes to the floor, saddened greatly that Mother, even, would laugh at me.
"Aww, sweetie. I didn't mean to laugh at you..." Mother cooed. "You just looked so very funny, beating on your father like that." Taking me from Father's shoulders, she set me down and ran her fingers through my hair. "Now, what caused this great commotion?"
"I want to be an adventurer." I crossed my arms and nodded solemnly, looking Mother in the eyes. Mother had pretty eyes - they're this kind of clear shiny white - and when I looked her in the eyes, Mother always took me seriously.
She leaned her head to one side, looking me in the eyes. A soft smile cracked her face a moment later. "Sure honey, but first you have to grow up. You're still my baby, and I don't want you to go away." She made a pouty face and mimicked tears running down her face.
"Well of course I'll grow up first! Duh! If I tried now, everyone would make fun of me for being short!" I stuck my nose up and sniffed, like this haughty human lady I saw once. She looked like she smelled the outhouse all the time, especially when she saw the animals in the city. Actually, that time she looked like somebody shoved a whole bunch of it in her face.
"Well, first you have to get dressed, messy." Mother pulled on my hair, laughing quietly like she does a lot of the time. I could hear Father start chuckling again from where he had crouched down next to me.
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"My little girl's all grown up now..." Mother sniffed, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"Don't cry, Mother. After all, you're coming with me!"
"Yes, but we have to stay here for a little while, child. Your father has a very important job." She smiled, although it didn't look very real - I could see how it strained her.
Shouldering the bags and backpack Father had made for me - they were so pretty! - I waved from where I stood in our yard, my cat rubbing against my legs. "You're going with me to the diviner's, right?" I asked her, leaning my head to one side.
"Of course." She smiled again, a real one this time.
"Then let's go!" I yelped, skipping away quickly before stopping and waiting at the end of the path to our house. Mother loped after me a moment later, sitting atop her monstrous frostsaber.
"What are you waiting for, slowpoke?" She said, grinning devilishly before taking off, her mount flashing by me.
"Mooooother!" I squealed, running after her at top speed.
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"Has she any...aptitudes?" A tall male night elf asked, his hair pulled back in a taut braid.
"She's always been wonderful with animals - she can communicate with them even, it seems at times." Saiai disclosed, her expression a thoughtful one.
"Is she kind?"
"Yes. She has a horrible temper though - we both do." She looked apologetic, an expression of contrition crossing her face
"Kind, loves animals, doesn't do well with lots of people, bad temper...." The man mused, his eyes closed. "I have reason to believe your daughter should be a druid."
"A druid?"
"Yes. Druids, of course, must love animals and be kind, but it is good as well if they have a temper."
"Alright then. ....Can you take her out of the light now?" Saiai asked, staring pointedly at her daughter who stood immobile in a shaft of pure moonlight.
"She can come out anytime she wants."
"Kitten, come." The tall, stately woman called. The thin girl danced out of the moonlight, a serene smile spread across her face.
"Mother, I want to be a druid!" She declared, her expression solemn and joyous.
"Then it's unanimous." She looked away from the girl in front of her to the man. "Will you...?"
"Send her to the primary teacher? Yes."
"Then this is goodbye for a time, Kat." Saiai said, hugging her daughter tight and running her fingers through the lithe girl's hair. "I'll miss you, and I'll tell your father you love him."
"I love you too, Mother!" The fille cried, clinging to her mother. "Don't worry, I won't forget!"
"Come, young one. It is time." The dark man intoned, standing at a doorway on the other side of the cavern.
"Goodbye then, Mother..." Kat broke away from her mother and walked towards him, looking back but once.
Returning Times (T)
Linear Mode
