Swan Wood - RPG

[maikafanawen]

Atop Taurawaa, Annanoldowen rode silently behind and to the left of Laurel. The air was motionless and the trees were still. An unspoken threat hung in the air of the ever-present feeling of anger, of war. The company members sat in their saddles, tense and ready: aware of every sound, movement, and smell. Every now and then a bird would call out for its mate, or a squirrel would scamper up a tree, an acorn clutched in its mouth. Annanoldowen watched everything from her place. She took in every tree, and detected every previous passing. Glancing ahead, she noticed a trio of riders, unconcealed in their travel. Lanaey had seen them as well and rode up beside Laurel.

"Lady, there are some riders in the distance." The voice of Lanaey the elf drew her back to herself. She motioned to the land in front of her "Are you expecting any more help from different quarters?"

"No, I'm not." Laurel looked out forward and strained to see. Squinting, she noticed something "You mean that little moving blur up there?" Lanaey nodded.

"Do you know what they are? Or who they are?" Laurel questioned the she-elf

"I do not. I only know that there are three of them and they aren't hiding their movements much." She gripped her concealed sword and motioned to the group “I shall ride out to meet them. If any blows be made, our shaper eyed friends shall see”

The company halted and watched as Laurel rode out to meet them. Annanoldowen followed her with her pale eyes protectively. An owl cried: a startling, cackle of a predator hunting and not the usual mournful hooting you would hear any other night. Wide-winged, the owl swooped out of a nearby pine, tail spread as it sailed low. To her left, Annanoldowen heard the sudden dash of something small through the fields, then a high, despairing scream. The owl rose, a rabbit caught in its talons, the animal swinging in the dead air. The sight caught Annanoldowen hard by the throat, and she shivered at the irony of the spectacle. Others behind her moved uneasily, and disturbed glances were exchanged.

Annanoldowen looked inconspicuously towards Lanaey. Her head was bowed and eyes focused on some invisible matter inside her mind. Feeling a tang of pity for the elf, Annanoldowen righted herself in her own saddle, displaying a sense of confidence she hoped to ripple through the air, and calm the straining tenseness of the company. A second owl screamed, its voice ripping through the air like a crack of lightening. Starting at the noise, Annanoldowen narrowed her eyes and waited for the return of Laurel.