The seers have prophesied since the downfall of the Guardians and the escape of the demons, of one born of magic; their worlds only hope. A young woman fills that space but will she be able to unite the people or will her youth be their downfall? Wi...
The sun rose revealing another beautiful day. Derrel Draheim stretched as the sun crept over him removing the chill. This was the tallest tree in the entire forest and he loved it at the top. The tree grew near a marsh where the hunting was plentiful and the company was fair. The old man that lived there never overstepped the fragile line of friendship they had. Derrel liked the old man. Since the elves had left the old man had sort of taken their place for Derrel. Though the old man wasn't much of a hunting companion he made up for it with his presence. Often Derrel would sit in the trees watching him work. The old man left him alone despite the trouble he caused him. He thought it might be the old man was lonely. Derrel often caught him talking to no one.
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Derrel climbed down the tree when he was warm enough. The forest got bitterly cold at night and everything else was still frozen waiting for the sun, which meant breakfast couldn't run far or fast if it woke at all. That was also thanks to the old man. He had gotten tired of being chased around every night by the relks. So this side of the forest near the marsh he made freeze even in the summer. The relk didn't stalk this area at night anymore and most everything else simply lived through it and carried on- or died at Derrel's claws. Derrel didn't mind the cold. Neither did his friends. The desert they originated from froze at night as well so it was almost comforting. They were now living easily with the relk gone for the night. In the day the relk mostly slept so this half of the woods belonged to the ghost cats now.
He had no trouble catching a cold sleepy squirrel. It was a scrawny one though. And what Derrel found he really wanted was sausage and eggs. Maybe some toasted flat bread in butter as well. He didn't usually join the old man for breakfast and he was never invited but... The small one room cabin was dark when he arrived but the fire out front was bright and welcoming. So was the pan filled with sizzling sausages. He looked around trying to locate the old man. Upon not seeing him he left the brush silently not bothering to go invisible. It never fooled the old man anyway. He had a mystifying talent for being able to see him and his friends no matter how hard they tried.
He reached the fire. Still no old man. The smell of sausage was overpowering now and he stood on his hind legs to peer in and see the juicy meat. He knew the trap the moment he saw the empty pan. The ground exploded under him in that instant flipping him off his feet snarling into the air. He tore at the fabric and immediately fell through onto the ground. The airy laughter greeting his ears could only come from one place. He looked in the cabins direction finding the old man sitting on the water barrel by the door where he had probably been sitting motionless the whole time.
"Ha ha. Very funny." He said as he stood up, shifting, the striped goldenred fur retreating, the cat features pulling back. The old man watched with interest as he did every time Derrel Draheim changed from ghost cat back to human. He spread his legs slightly, folding his arms across his chest. "How did you know I was coming this morning, Redrick?"
The old man smiled showing his perfect teeth and dropped from the barrel. Redrick was short, a little over four feet made to look even shorter when standing next to Derrel. Derrel was very tall-a little over seven feet- as were all Tashians. He was lean but muscular. All adding to how frail and small Redrick seemed. Redrick was old however he was nowhere near frail. The lines on his face and the gray through his hair hid the strength of his body and the life in his eyes. When he spoke it wasn't an old man's croaking either. "I knew you would come today because today we are leaving the marshes." Now it was Derrel's turn to laugh.
"Have you finally lost it then? I thought one day you would crack, but do not think I am going to crack with you. I came for breakfast not a nature walk." He had spotted the plate of sausages on a chair near the end of the porch and sat down to start on them. Redrick opened the half-sized door and disappeared inside. Everything was miniature in there Derrel knew from his short stay years ago. So he knew he would be more comfortable waiting here then following him in. Redrick reappeared in a few seconds, an ivory box in his hands. He set it on the chair motioning Derrel to open it.
Like all Tashians Derrel didn't like magic whether it be person or thing and that thing was definitely one of Redrick's magical artifacts. But unlike most Tashians Derrel lived here not in Tash. Not to mention magic being the reason for it, which made his life unbearable around most people. So he opened the box. Inside were six figures, three women, three men. He recognized the men's green uniforms and he picked one of them up. He looked at the old man incredulously.
"You are going to look for these people? Why? And where are you going to start?" He tossed the figure in the box shutting the lid. "You will be footsore and wishing you were back in the solitude of this little cabin before you find any clue about these people." He went back to the sausages.
"Actually I already know where they are. And we have quite a few questions to ask of them." He picked up the box and went back inside.
"There's that WE again." He said it loudly popping the last sausage in his mouth and standing, forgetting the low awning. Redrick reappeared whilst he was rubbing his head, a small pack on his back, a cloak about his shoulders and a walking stick in his hand.
"Of course we. You can't stay here all alone. Who would you steal your meals from then?" He kicked dirt over the coals of his fire and set off into the trees. Derrel sighed loudly and started after him. No doubt that pack had not one scrap of food in it. It was full of the magic junk that Redrick refused to dump in the swamp. So he figured he'd better go along so the old man didn't starve.
