[Refugee Encampment]

  A fork in the road stopped the caravan and B'Lin sighed before pointing his 
horse's nose to the left.

"We should go this way..." he said confidently as his horse took a few steps in 
that direction.

"No..." Ce'lot's voice called out to him.  "I think the directions that were
given to me stated that we go right..."

  Carlynee groaned softly as she realized that once again the two men 
were about to butt heads.  Why didn't they beat the crap out of each other 
like other men do?  It always seemed to resolve something in the male 
mind and often those who were the most against each other became good
friends afterwards.  It wasn't something she understood and she chalked it 
up to the excentricacies of being male.  

  But these two weren't following that custom ... it was almost as if 
something was holding them back.  She was half tempted to throw the first 
punch if it would start them on their road to friendship or at the very least a 
strained aquaintence.  

  "B'Lin!  B'Lin...I knew you would find us!"

  Carlynee controlled the start the voice gave her horse and looked over to 
Halyn to make certain her pony was staying where it should.  She shouldn't 
have worried, the pony stood solidly still, with just a flicking of it's ears and 
Halyn looked back at her with a question in her eyes.

   Shrugging in equal confusion, she looked down at B'lin where he held 
the girl with exquisite tenderness.  Her eyebrows raised at this 
uncharacteristic tendency from B'lin she had come to know a quick 
glance at Ce'lot's face showed he was as surprised as she.

  "Well, it looks as if the decision of where to go has been made for us." 
Carlynee murmured to no one in particular as B'lin mounted his horse and 
pulled his sister up to sit with him, his arms tight around her as if in fear 
she would fall off.

  She motioned for Halyn to fall in line behind Ce'lot, who had already 
started to follow B'lin, and she brought up the rear.  She heard what sounded 
like bird whistles coming from B'lin's vicinity and she saw a few 
heads pop out from behind trees and bushes.  

  Not a bad alarm system.  The "rescue group" would have passed them 
right by if it had not been for B'lin's sister.

  They came to an edge of a clearing a tied their horses loosely to some 
bushes or saplings.  Carlynee walked to Halyn who stood beside her pony 
as if trying to shield her view.

  "Halyn ... I'm going to go offer my help and my somewhat fresh rations 
that I packed on the extra horses.  Perhaps ... you should take a look 
around?  I can come with you if you want."  Carlynee looked on in 
sympathy to the obviously torn young woman.

  "No ... no, Carl ... you go help where you can.  I'll be okay."  Halyn 
smiled faintly, although it lacked the reassurance Carlynee was looking 
for.

  "Halyn, I'm going to tell them about the food in the saddlebags and I'll be 
right back, to be with you if you need me okay?"  Carlynee decided she 
absolutely would not abandon Halyn, not when it was obvious that the 
young girl needed her.  Halyn was there for her when she was vulnerable 
and by the first egg, she would return the favor.

                                  [tag Lisa]

                                      <-->

  The people were grateful for the extra bread and fruit that Carl packed 
along, even if some of it was bruised and flattened.  She found herself 
shaghaiied into kitchen duty, regardless of how subtley she tried  to get 
out of it.

  All the rumours swirling around camp about Ce'lot and his identity was 
enough to prick her curiousity time and again, but she decided against 
adding to what little she knew.  She was rather ignorant of the whole 
scenario and decided that she much prefered it that way, till she heard 
directly from the people involved.  

  While she was skinning the rabbits a few men had managed to snare, 
she thought once again of the watch these people had set up and she 
shuddered a little as to why they set it up.  This was something she didn't 
understand, the fighting over lands and property.  Why couldn't people 
share?  

  Ruefully she half grinned and grimaced as she realized that she was not 
cut out for politics.  Especially the blood thirsty politics inherent with this 
struggle of brother against brother.  She cut off the last rabbit's head with 
a little more force than she needed to and received a gash on the back 
of her heand for her efforts.

  Swearing silently under her breath, she pulled her hand in for a closer 
look.  Just in time to hear a lady named Aggie being called over.

  "Don't worry, it's just a scratch."  Carlynee was quick to hide her bloody 
hand behind her back.  This was not a good time to have her curse acting 
up.  Besides, with all the blood on her hands, she could not tell which was 
hers and which was the rabbit's.

  "Nonsense, let me see that.  Looky here, don't make me thwack your 
bottom."  the plump woman stood with her hands on her hips, looking 
sternly at Carlynee, before grabbing her arm and pulling the now meek 
looking artisan with her.

  "There is a stream just on the edge of the clearing, now come along, don't 
dawdle, we don't want to frighten any of the youngsters."  Aggie spoke 
with precise and even tones, although a thread of kindness weaved it's 
way through the lecturing tone.

  Carlynee's chaps protected her from any of the thorn bushes and Aggie 
seemed to know instinctively where they were and evaded the prickly 
vegetation as they came upon the stream. 

  Quickly she was pulled down to kneel by the stream and Aggie gently but 
thoroughly washed off her hand and wrist, giving a the thin girl a frown 
whenever Carlynee managed to pull her hand away (as if to inspect the 
wound).

  "Goodness girl, I swear I never had as much problems dressing a wound 
than yours.  From what I *can* see, you need to have stitches, but I can't 
do that here.  I can bind it up for you if you would just sit still dear."  the 
woman's voice dropped to a more gently tone, "I promise I shall be as 
gentle as possible."

  Carlynee sighed, "It's not the pain."  and held her now cleaned hand to be 
bound up.  

  Aggie seemed pretty impressed that as she poured the little bit of iodine 
she had on her, on the cut, that Carlynee didn't flinch.  Aggie seemed all 
the more confused as the young woman looked on in what seemed clinical 
interest at the gaping wound.

  Pulling some off-color bandages from underneath her cloak, the plump 
woman studied the now still girl.  Carlynee was deciding that the wound 
didn't feel serious enough to merit concern of whether it would incure 
a problem with her art.

  "These are some of the last bandages we have, so excuse the roughness, 
we had to ration a little of everything.  The name's Aggie, what would be 
yours?  Are you a dragonrider like N...Ce'lot?"  Aggie quickly and efficiently 
bandaged up Carlynee's wounded hand and frowned slightly as Carlynee bent 
her hand to test the bandages.

  Carlynee snorted at that last question, "I'm an artisan.  Name's Carlynee, 
came along as the horse keeper more than anything else-"

  Carlynee's voice cut off as she heard a branch snap about fifteen feet in 
front of her, her blood running cold as she could swear she saw the 
quarrel of a crossbow in the shadowy forrest ahead of her.


{NRPG:  Hey there!  I'm baaaaaaack!  Okay, this could be a group of 
Gerard's people combing the forrest or it (more probably) is only her 
own paranoid imagination.  I wasn't certain of where to put Carl or who to 
interact with.  *shrug*}

colorful regards, 
Cheryl / Carlynee
Xylian Warren