Day 17 Mid Afternoon
Kalena's Apartment

[snip]

Seeing no reaction in the woman's eyes at the mention of her sister and 
Breezy wondered if this was what Jasmine was babbling about when she
said she couldn't feel Kalena. Mentally calling to Coo, Breezy headed for 
the entrance without another word.

[End Snip]

She closed the door behind her softly, but the wooden door boomed like 
thunder across the ominous silence that filled the room.

The same silence that had filled it since K'tarr had come to the small 
woman's apartment.

For most of the evening, Kalena had retreated to her bedroom, leaving the 
painted hunter alone with his thoughts.

She eventually came out from her seclusion. But she could say nothing to him.

He could not move to her. He could not hold her. K'tarr knew she did not 
want to feel his touch or the touch of any man.

To make things worse, he had betrayed his own honor with the wholesale 
slaughter of Brona's Riders. He knew he greatly outmatched the misguided 
farmers and merchants that formed the fanatic's ranks. But he killed 
mercilessly nonetheless. He had tasted the madness that his half brother 
knew. He had drank from the chalice of bloodlust, and secretly wanted more.

And now the woman he loved, sat in a simple chair before him. So changed. 
Never to be the same. Neither of them would.

But K'tarr stayed with her all night. He remained in the darker corners of 
the room, seen but not wholly seen. Kalena barely looked at him, she could 
not see the many little wounds that covered his blue tinted skin. She could 
not smell the scent of death as it clung to his limbs and hands.

Then all of a sudden, the door cracked open and Breezy destroyed the nearly 
perfect silence.

The door closed and K'tarr stepped into the middle of the apartment. His 
bloodstained arms now visible to the woman, she looked questioningly and 
fearfully up at the hunter.

"They are all dead." He said with a hiss.

Kalena looked down into her hands and for a while, said nothing.

"Good." Her voice was filled with anguish and pain and a streak of 
satisfaction.

"You should go to your sister." He swallowed hard. "I must go see to the wing."

K'tarr turned, little flakes of blood dropping from his arms and clothes, 
and he left the darkened room.

***

Day 17
Morning
Kaymann

The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. Kaymann was buck naked and 
smiling.

He lay on Cat's bed with one hand propped up behind his head and the other 
holding a small burning cigarillo. A merchant he had rescued gave him a box 
in gratitude.

Cat was in the small bathroom of her apartment. Preening.

Kaymann smiled as he caught a glimpse of her naked form through the open door.

"Mmmm. It's a gorgeous day." He yawned.

"What?" Cat replied.

"I said, IT'S A GORGEOUS DAY!" Kaymann yelled. "I almost hate to have to 
get out of bed."

"Lazy. If your not careful you'll end up getting fat, too." Cat quipped.

"Oh thank you. I'll have you know that's no way to treat a hero!" Kaymann 
dragged on his cigarette to emphasize the point.

"Hero? Oh please." Cat stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a short robe.

"Mendel's words, my pet, not mine." He formed a perfect O with the smoke.

Cat sat down beside him and punched him in the arm. "Well clean yourself 
up, hero, cause we have a lot of people to help today."

"Fine." Kaymann threw the blankets off and walked into the bathroom. Cat 
slapped his naked ass as he walked by.

"Hey, you had your chance."

[Tag Carina]

***

Day 17
Early Morning
Selena

Selena had most of the guards resting. After the hard fighting the day 
before, they had earned it.

A skeleton crew of experienced guardsmen, a few new recruits and a couple 
of volunteers maintained watch. Just in case the Dark Riders or any 
remnants of Brona's Riders were mounting another attack. But everyone was 
fairly confident that it was an unnecessary precaution. The rumours of what 
had transpired during the battle had pretty much rounded themselves out to 
a fairly accurate depiction of the truth.

The Dark Riders recruited Brona's Riders to stage an attack on Norwall. 
Ka'Laren's men had tried to kindap the warrenlady, but were foiled. Selena 
reflected on how the details of exactly how they were foiled were never 
really explained. The specifics were hazy at best. She made a mental note 
to question the bard about it later.

Brona was slain by Link. Kalena was rescued by Jasmine, who was wounded by 
both Landon and Ka'Laren when she walked into the crossfire. Some were 
saying that the two men were fighting over Jasmine.

K'Tarr had returned to Brona's camp and single-handedly eliminated the 
fanatic group. But no one had seen him since his return to the warren. Upon 
his arrival he went to Kalena's quarters and had yet to surface.

Selena tapped the end of her pencil against the desktop.

She smiled and taking her coffee in hand, went to the window. Selena 
watched the people of the warren go by, busily repairing their home.

[Tag anyone]

***

Day 17
Evening
K'Tarr

After leaving Kalena's apartment, K'Tarr returned to his quarters and 
carefully washed and treated his wounds. He was fortunate that none of the 
injuries he had sustained were deep. His skin was split in dozens of 
places, but he wrapped his arms in bandages and tied his black gloves on 
over top.

He carefully placed the soft brown furs and leathers he once wore into a 
chest near the wall. Those clothes were no longer appropriate. He was no 
longer that man. He now wore a sleeveless black overcoat and matching black 
trousers. He strapped his silver shortswords in plain view across his back, 
as if daring someone to start something. And he added to his arsenal a wide 
double edged axe, which now hung from his belt.

With a grim determination, K'tarr swept from his quarters. Qualis waited on 
the ledge, his new black harness and rigging gleaming eerily.

The dragon and rider exchange a glance of mutual agreement and the rider 
leapt onto the new saddle. This was the way things needed to be.

They took to the air, and the dragon sent word to the Senior Wingleader 
that the two needed to meet.

[Tag Tree]

[nrpg: Hi! Sorry for the prolonged absence - bit of writers block, thrown 
in with RL. K'Tarr's not leaving, he just wants to set up the new wing 
assignments and make sure all the riders are alright.]

Submitted by WiL


 

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