[Kuruharan]

A mysterious noise of muted clucking and squawking began to disturb the company. At first they tried to ignore it, but it continued to grow louder.

'BUCK-AAAWWWWW!' *Thwack*

Suddenly, a shapeless white mass plopped itself squarely in front of them. Even more alarming, it immediately jumped up and started charging about the gazebo like a headless chicken.

"Ah-ha!" cried Halfullion. "A crazed beast of the enemy sent to slay me! Have at thee!"
He drew his sword with a dramatic flare and took a vicious swing at the peculiar assailant. Unfortunately, the result was a little unexpected. Due to some inexplicable idiosyncrasy of the wondrous blade, it had shrunk down to about two inches in length and all Lord Gormlessar accomplished with his mighty swing was losing his balance and ending up in a heap on the floor. "Momentary set-back!" he cried to reassure Merisuwyniel, who no doubt was beside herself in worry and consternation at seeing the plight of her fallen beau.

"Pawh-hawh-hawh-hawh!!" howled Merisuwyniel.

"Come back here varmint!" yelled Kuruharan, surging into the gazebo axe in hand, in pursuit of the unknown attacker.

Lord Roneld had leapt from his seat and had been trying to restore order by hopping about and flapping his arms like a deranged flamingo. However, the charging Kuruharan tripped over the arising Halfullion, went flying into Lord Roneld, and the two of them bounced out of the gazebo and crashed down on the ground.

"Time for the real hero to show his skill!" cried Earnur, hoping desperately that Merisuwyniel was watching. Out came the dread blade Wylkynsion. "Let me at 'em!" At 'em went Wylkynsion. Alas, the thing zigged when Earnur was anticipating a zag. The dread blade Wylkynsion ended up buried to the hilt in Lord Roneld's chair.

"Idiot!"

The rest of the company was so fascinated by the close passes that disaster was making at their heads that they could scarcely move, or maybe it was the violent spasms of laughter which held them immobilized.

It was good fortune that the thing made a tactical miscalculation in choosing Halfullion to be the next thing that it ran over.

"Got ya!" Halfullion cried in triumph. Surely Merisuwyniel would be impressed now. She certainly was.

"Ha-ha, ho-ho it seems to be...hee hee hee, some type of barnyard fowl!" she gasped.

"Humph! Could be that you are right," Halfullion snorted. "The reason why it was running about like a chicken with it's head cut off is, that it was a chicken with it's head cut off. Oh well, I still get hero points for catching the beast!"

"And if you'll hand it to me," said a slightly disheveled Kuruharan, "it can go join it's friends in the chicken fry that Chrysophylax is cooking up."

"Good idea!" cried Pimpi who instantly dashed off to where Chrysophylax sat exercising his culinary skills.

"But we just ate," objected Merisuwyniel.

"And after all that exercise we need to replenish our strength," replied Kuruharan.

"Hmm, yon dwarf may be right. My belly growls like an angry puma," said Halfullion.

"Ooof, oy, hup," grunted Earnur in his attempts to free his blade. "We can continue planning over fried chicken. Ah, there!" he said as Wylkynsion started to come free.

"'Bout time!"

Seeing that everyone save for her and her two gallants had already gone to eat (with the exception of Lord Roneld who was still flopped unconscious on the ground) she relented. "All right, but really we must get some business done!" she said in an adorably, pouty way as they moved off.

[ January 14, 2003: Message edited by: Kuruharan ]