Writewraiths in Middle Earth II: The Kingdom Rebuilt

[Lubyla]

"Faith? FAITH!!!! Girl!!!Grrrr"I scooped her up and placed her on her horse."Come on, we need to get back to your kingdom." I started to lead her horse away.

"Right" She raised an eyebrow, and led the horse away twards the kingdom.

[Fred Baggins]

ooc: if you can't tell Faith is now slipping in and out of consiousness(sp)...the following is a dream she has, unless in italics.

ic: One more breath Faith.
One more breath.
Keep breathing Faith.
One more...
Keep breathing...
Keep...

"Are you sure about this Calien? It's dangerous going into this world. Even I would not attempt such a thing. We can't risk losing you, the Kin are nothing without you. And what of your futer? Please Calien, don't go." Lintegwath watched his leader preparing for the journey ahead. More than leader, his half-sister.
"I Have to do this Mauluk." He...I flinched at the nickname she had given me, roughly meaning Snakesnout. This wasn't the first time she had given me this answer. "You will take care of the Kin?"
"Of course, I will. I still don't understand though Calein. Why me? The Kin obviously prefer Haebrethil, Hunter, over me. I shouldn't be the one to take over while you are gone."
"You're the one Mauluk. You are supposed to take care of them."
I sighed and nodded. "All right." I watched her getting ready to leave. "Calien I am your advisor and Kin, but I tell you this as your brother. Please Calien, be careful."
"Havn't I told you already, I will? I have to go Lintegwath. Thankyou." With that she turned around, leaving the room. I watched her not knowing what to do. I should try to stop her, what she is doing is dangerous for her, and the Kin.
Lintegwath put his head in his hands, sighing.

"Faith going to be ok?"
"...don;'t know what's wrong with her."
"...breathing getting slower."
...Keep...breathing...

Lintegwath picked up speed, running faster and faster. It wasn't fast enough. I wanted to fly, to jump in the sky and fly. Lintegwath loved.

One...more...bre-

"HOW dare she? Why would she?" Lintegwath turned to Haebrethil. I looked at my friend, the hurt and betrale clear on my face. I was surprised to feel hate, and despise in my heart. I could not let it be. Hate would kill me...kill me...

-ath

CURSES! She has returned to soon! My plan is not yet complete.
NO! Not my plan, Snakesnouts, you plan! I've nothing to do with it!
But I had planed so long, so hard and she returned to soon. Not enough time, she ruined it!
She has others with her, a wizard, Kin and an elemental. Together they are to powerful for you snakesnout. You must stop.
To powerful? Perhaps, but not yet. Not now. The Kin are under us Lintegwath. We will keep from telling her sho she is, for look, she has forgotten! The only problem is Haebrethil.
And the wizard, but Snkesnout, you cannot pull it off! you cannot fool destiny.
O but we can, and will Lintegwath. Starting with that wizard!

"Her heart has skipped a beat. She's not breathing!"

"I told him he couldn't fool destiny. I told Snakesnout so. Now she despises the marrow of my bones, and I am bound like a dog to the wizard. Will you ever understand my sister Calein?" I let the tear trickle down me cheek. "Lintegwath died when Snakesnout was born out of hatred. I am Mauluk now, for i have betrayed my leader and sister. Lintegwath is dead." The warg trotted to his new mistress, the wizard. He was willing to searve.

"...heart skipped a beat. She's not breathing!"
"She is dead?"
"Yes."
"It is a bitter moment. The kingdom has lost the sweet in it for the Countess has died."
BREATH! I felt my eyes open with the effort. Bittersweet is not dead.

[Fred Baggins]

"Bittersweet...is...not...dead. Lintegwath...lives..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upon entering the palace, the taste became slightly stronger, and I wipped at my mouth. "Gaa, that tastes horrible. Can I just talk with this Empress of yours' and get it over with?" The woman pointed out an elf to me, and I nodded. "Thanks." I went up to the woman, not bothering with formalitys. "I am Dawn Bluebane, and I demand to be allowed to go home NOW!"

[Silverstripe]

"Dawn Bluebane? Faith Lowe's ward?!" I asked in surprise. "But what are you doing HERE? Faith would not have sent you to me."

Even if the 'Countess' started to use spies, I didn't think she'd sent her own daughter. Nor would Faith send Dawn as a friend, though once she would have. Yet I had not known how much my old friend had grown to hate me, until I saw her hatred reflected on Dawn's face. Poor child, the conflict between my kingdom and Faith's wasn't her fault. I decided to give her my answer to her demand.

"Dawn, I will send you home. I..."

And my eyes widened in shock as a word sprang unbidden to my mind, a name which had not been in my thoughts for many years.

Lin...teg...wath


Hunter and his group of Kin returned to the Empress's side, to find Calien speaking with Dawn Bluebane. When the child caught site of him, her eyes began to glow yellow, something he could sense that she resented.

[Fred Baggins]

I grimaced even worse, whipping my mouth. "Good, yes take me home! It's much better to have to deal with only one warg, than a whole group of them. Grr, I hate that taste, and this place reaks of it. And mother did NOT send send me, goodness knows the Countess wouldn't dare, she would be afraid you might kill me, or send a spy back with me. She still lives very much in her old world, and is afraid you might plant cameras in my skin." All lies, I knew it. I made it up from stories mum and Aunt Star had told me. Mother would never send me, but she still trusted the Empress...at least I think she did.

"Countess? Countess you live?!" I was the first to her side, out of those of us there. A few servants and the Lady Starlight, and Kathie.

"Lintegwath, Bittersweet." In the blink of an eye, the trot of the warg halted, and in place of the warg stood an elf. A handsome elf, with shocking blue eyes, and red hair that though startling seemed to fit with the elf all the same.

I was taken aback. I felt my whole attitude change, I felt as I hadn't before. And I felt pained. "Please, Countess, do not use a name that brings such pain. The sweet is gone, all that is in my is bitter." I felt the form change back to warg.

"Lintegwath, is your name. Are you all right? You should have felt the same thing I did."

I did Misstress. It happened to me. I was sstabbed by a servant of the new power. But mine was healed much easier.

I nodded. "Of course. Where are Star and Kathie?"

[Silverstripe]

"Taste? What 'taste'?" I asked, now truly confused.

Hunter was not as confused as the Empress was. He knew exactly what Dawn was talking about, and feared it even more than the child did. Almost all of the Kin could sense it, all but two ... oddly enough, the most powerful two. And one thing about those two had been frightening him more and more over the years.

Both Mauluk and Calien had always had a - a "feel" or a "taste" that was quite different from that of the rest of the Kin ... and remarkably similar to each other's.

[Fred Baggins]

"A taste that speaks of blood, or rather a lust for blood. The taste that lingers in the mouth of every warg. It's beyond nasty. Can I go home now?"

[Silverstripe]

"If I can find someone to take you home, you can go. I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to roam free, alone. It isn't safe."

'I know what the child means, about bloodlust, Calien. I can sense it. Actually, most of us can, but I don't think you or Sna -- you ever could,' said Hunter, for both Calien and Dawn to understand.

"Snakesnout and me, you meant." It was a statement, not a question.

'Yes.' Hunter paused for a moment, wondering whether to inform Calien of other similarities he sensed between her and Snakesnout. But, no, it served no useful purpose, and would only worry her. Yet he needed SOMEONE to talk to about this, because it did worry him. Perhaps the child could mind message, and would know what he was talking about.

<Can you hear me?>

[Fred Baggins]

I jumped a little, not used to hearing voices in my head. I growled. "I do not relish hearing you in my head. You're not going to shift through it like Res-like that elf are you?" I was new with MM, not used to it, or what it did.


"Where is Kathie? Star, are they here?"

[Silverstripe]

I knew that Hunter was mind messaging to Dawn Bluebane, although I could not tell what he was saying, unless I tried. I decided not to "eavesdrop." I trusted Hunter enough to know what he was doing, and respected his private conversation. He'd always been very good about telling me what I needed to know.

[Silverstripe]

Hunter smiled, glad the girl could hear him.

<No, I will not search your thoughts. I just want to ask you a question ... and the Empress doesn't need to know the question, or its answer. You say you can sense a bloodlust with the Kin. Is this taste ... different ... with Mauluk?>

[Fred Baggins]

<With the Countess' advisor? Not really... He tastes like any other warg. Maybe you don't understand me. When I am in a room with an animal, I feel and taste like them, and sometimes I'm told my eyes change colors. I don't feel, taste like one particular animal, just that species. Sometimes though, with the Countess' advisor, he smells odd...only sometimes though. More...gone than normal wargs.>

[Silverstripe]

<Thank you, Dawn Bluebane. Yes, you're right, I didn't understand you. I'm sorry. Apparently you and I sense things differently.>

Hunter turned away from Dawn, a little disappointed. Obviously the girl could not sense what the Kin could. He couldn't discuss his fears with her. He would have to talk to one of the others about it, like Rholden, perhaps. No, wait ... there were others who could sense what he did, and were not Kin. Hunter sometimes suspected that Swift could sense what he did, too.

I had wandered off in search of someone to take Dawn home, but I'd been unable to find anyone, since Resta and Freddy were both gone. They were really the only ones who felt comfortable traveling between my kingdom and the Countess's.

After an hour of searching unsuccessfully, I returned to find Dawn still talking to Hunter, though they now spoke aloud.

"Lady Dawn," I said, "I regret to inform you that I wasn't able to find anyone to get you back to your home. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you won't be able to leave until Resta comes back."


'Perhaps it's just as well,' said Hunter. 'From everything you've told me, Dawn, I believe that someone may try to kill you if you return!'

[Fred Baggins]

"WHAT! I have to stay here?!That's NOT fair! I wanna go home!" I sat down in a huff, I am after all only six, I prefer to act it. But I don't normally cry. "I've never been out of the Wolves Fang before. I was born there, I've never been outside. I want my mum. And..." The waterworks stopped as it hit home. "Did you say someone would Kiil me!?"

[Silverstripe]

'Yes,' said Hunter gravely. 'I would not put it past Mauluk, although he may not be the one.'

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

I heard Faith ask about me, and walked toward her. "I'm here, Faith! Did you..." I was about to ask if they found Dawn, but the look on Faith's face told me everything. "You didn't find her. Oh, Faith, I'm so sorry."

[Fred Baggins]

I rubbed my sholder, trying to get up. "Kathie," I winced, but kept trying. "Kathie, would you say I've changed?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The Countess' advisor?! Impossible...are you the one he called, Haebrethil? He spoke of you once, when I forced it out of him. He spoke fondly, like you two used to be friends..."

[Silverstripe]

I frowned. "Of course, but people will change in five years, Faith." But she had meant more than that, and I knew it. "Look, this is the way I see it. If you don't like the way you've changed, you don't have to accept it... but if you DO like the ways you've changed, you don't have to change it again. Okay, Faith?"

"Yes," said Hunter. "Yes, we were friends. And in the part of his mind not poisoned by hate, he may still see us as friends. But Snakesnout would kill you if you got in his way, without remorse. Just as he would kill me, or Calien."

I smiled. I'd been trying to teach Hunter what I thought I knew of Mauluk, and it sounded like he'd understood much more than I thought he had. I sighed, wishing I could free poor Lintegwath from Snakesnout. But I wasn't certain that Lintegwath even still existed, and he definitely could never be freed.

[Fred Baggins]

I laughed out loud, by now I was sitting up fully, if not with pain. "Yes, I've changed. I neither love it nor hate it." With that, Lintegwath shuddered. "I tolerate it. I'm not me anymore, and I'm not Doncameil either. I'm in between, kinda like the in between worlds, which, I thankyou for helping me through."

"I...I don't understand...I guess. See, Mauluk is the Advisor, sworn to peace, on our kingdom. It couldn't be him, because when he caused harm and brock the oath taken with a wizards staff he to would die..." But then I AM rather ignorant, I'm only six

[Duddun]

Originally posted by Adrian Baggins
ic:Fastred," Elijah called, looking for my other son, Fastred had bright red hair with blond sectons as well as a sort of silverish white, his nickname was quick trick. "Comming," Fastred said, running over the hill towards Elijah and bumping into a person I didn't recognize. I ran up to the man, who was really a dwarf and pulled my son up. "Oh, I'm so sorry sir, you see, my son and my friend's son who is this child's Goduncle, were playing a game, he didn't mean to run into you. Terribly sorry, won't happen again," I say, rambling on and helping the dwarf up. Elijah walks up and grabs hold of Fastred. "Sir, I haven't seen you here before, what is your name, and I hope this incident does not make it so that my family cannot be your friend," I ask/tell the dwarf.

oocuddun, will you enter my character's knowledge here, it is totally set up.

ooc: Sorry, I haven't been on in a while. I don't understand what you mean by your character's knowledge.
ic: "Do not worry about it." He said, shaken up by the little kids bustling about. "I remember when I used to run around like that." He said in a dreamy voice. Coming out of it he said, "I am Will Bennet. I guess I am new here. People keep calling me a Writewraith or something."

[Lubyla]

ooc: Sorry haven't posted in a while, haven't been feeling well for the past few days.

I entered the room where Faith...er...Countess...er...um, well, I entered the room. Kathy was there. I turned to leave, she would want some time alone most likely. I had missed my meeting with Andodulin.For some reason, I was almost glad. Faith needed me more then him, and I could care less if he jummped off a cliff!