"Oh, gee, that's productive! Let's just be all melodramatic shall we? You just don't want to have to do anything. I bet you're regretting everything you've done so far. I bet you're not even really Doom. He was meant to be brave."
"Ella, I'm sorry I said it like that. But it's true. There's no way to save them. How many people have you heard of coming back from the slavers?"
"That's beside the point!" Ella was standing right in front of him now.
"Ella, calm down. The taint won't protect them from hearing you."
Ella moved to the other side of the cave and sat down, facing away from Doom. She mimicked, 'the taint won't protect them from hearing you.'
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
15 years ago
Dreamweavers' Guildmistress
Dreamscape Artist
'I'm sorry Ella, but the slavers would have found them by now, unless they had left the place we left them. There's nothing I can do for them now.' Doom was watching her closely to see her reaction.
Ella sniffed and turned to face him once more. 'So where are we then? What forest is the one on the left?'
Doom continued watching her, thinking before he answered. 'We are in the White Valley,' he answered at last.
The White Valley. That meant they had travelled half a days walk or more. And where would the slavers be right now? They could be well past Rangorn by now, depending on how fast they were travelling, and what direction they were headed. What should she do now? Ella looked at Doom.
'Doom, do you know where they were heading?'
"It doesn't matter where they were heading. We're going to avoid them and then find you another gypsy troop to join. You'll need to find a new family now. I'm sorry."
"What?! You're just going to pass me off onto another gypsy troop, people I've never met?!"
"What else is there for you? You can't be a lone gypsy, you'd be captured by the slavers in no time at all."
"Well, maybe that'd be better than being stuck with strangers!"
Doom sighed. "Ella, don't say that, you don't know what it is- would be like."
"Why can't we go save my family?" Ella demanded.
"Look, I'm sorry to say it like this, but I didn't sign on to be a babysitting service and I'm not going to go running off on a foolhardy mission."
"I am not a baby!" Ella turned around and stormed back to the other side of the cave.
"Sure your not" mumbled Doom. Ella glared at him from the corner of the cave. Doom turned to her,
"im going to get some food. Stay here" he said.
"fine" muttered Ella as he left the cave.
She curled in to a ball and thought of her family. All of a sudden everything Doom had said hit home. Im never going to see my faimly again she thought. She pictured them still huddled in the cave, safe from the slavers. She could feel this image wasnt true. Tears welled up and fell from her eyes.
"Why" she sobbed. "why us?" she cried.
She heard footsteps out side the cave. She froze. It was to early for Doom to be back yet. She pushed herself back in to the shadows as someone ran in the cave.
15 years ago
Thu Sep 18 2008, 05:27pm
The runner was an older girl, or a younger woman, Ella couldn't tell. She ran into the cave, her bare feet making a slapping noise as they hit the rock. She had long, white-blonde hair hanging either side of her face and was wearing a loose, long green robe. And she was grinning, ear to ear.
"Heehee!" the newcomer laughed gleefully, spinning around then continuing on into the middle of Ella's hideaway.
And, Ella thought to herself in the shadows, she appeared quite insane.
As Ella thought this thought, the crazy blonde woman span around again, holding her arms out, and then let her shoulders drop, sighing a happy sigh and walking purposefully toward Ella's position.
"It's such wonderful news," the girl spoke, spoke directly to Ella.
Ella stayed quiet. What was going on? Where had this girl come from? Maybe if she didn't make a noise, a move, she would go away, thinking Ella was made of stone and not a real, runaway gypsy...
No such luck. The young woman crouched down, metres from Ella's spot. Both girls stared at one another, Ella in fear, and the newcomer, in apparent elation.
"Don't you want to hear it?" the girl asked, quietly, a smile playing on her lips.
Ella wished she could see the crazy blonde woman's eyes properly. They were shadowed, thanks to the semi-darkness of the cave. Her eyes could have told Ella whether this girl was making fun of her, or playing some nasty game with her.
Giving up hiding, since it was obvious she was no longer 'hid', Ella bit, clearing her throat. "What's so wonderful?"
"You're here of course!" The girl cried gleefully!
She reached out grabbing Ella's hands then pulled Ella out into the centre of the cave. Ella let out a little yell of surprise as she tumbled over on the floor, but quickly regained her feet, warily watching the girl.
It was then that she finally caught a glimpse of the girls eyes. What she saw made her bite her lower lip in confusion. There was absolutely nothing malicious in the look she was relieving, in fact the young woman looked completely innocent, her eyes sparkling with happiness and excitement.
The sparkle faded a little as Ella continued to stare.
"Aren't you happy to see me?" She asked, a note of worry in her voice.
Ella forced herself to speak, "Who are you? Do you know Doom?"
The sparkle returned, "Of course I know Doom, he's my brother! Didn't he tell you about me? That would be right! He's such a silly brother really, he never tells anyone anything! He's always...."
As the girl continued to babel, her speech flitting from one subject to another, Ella just stood and stared. This girl was Doom's sister? That didn't fit in with the stories she had heard about him... though she knew little of those really.
Ella was brought back to reality when the girl grabbed her arm. "You mustn't tell Doom I was here! He'll be furious with me, but when i saw you coming with him I knew I just had to meet you!"
"Why can't I tell Doom you were here?" Ella asked, her voice full of suspicion.
The girl did frown then, "He doesn't like it when i leave the house, he says I always get myself into trouble, but I don't really, that time when i fell in the water was an accident! How was I supposed to know the rock was loose." She cut herself off, and glanced back at the entrance to the cave. "I was never here!" she hissed her eyes wide with excitement.
Without a backwards glance she skipped out of the cave leaving Ella standing in a bewildered daze.
A little while later Doom reappeared. Ella was torn in herself as to whether or not to tell him about the girl.
"Just tell me." Doom interrupted Ella's thoughts.
"Wh-what? What do you mean?"
"It's tainted here, so I can't read your thoughts very well and besides, I usually try to avoid doing that but it's difficult when you don't shield your thoughts, but even if I couldn't do all of that just looking at you tells me there's something wrong. So tell me."
"B- Uh- It's- it's nothing."
"It's not nothing, Ella. Tell me."
"There- there was a girl. She said she was your sister, but she didn't want me to tell you she was here because she said you'd be angry with her." Ella stared hard at the ground during her speech, only daring to glance up at Doom at the end.
"Alice. What on earth is she doing here, she's meant to be a half day's travel away!" Ella continued staring at the ground. "I have to go find her. If she comes back, keep her here." Doom quickly left the cave again, leaving Ella alone.
15 years ago
Thu Sep 25 2008, 11:38pm
Ella stood in the darkness, staring at the spot where Doom had disappeared. After a moment she sat down against the cave wall and crossed her arms sullenly.
While she waited here, useless, her family was in danger. Why wasn't she doing something! And how could Doom talk of family as if it were so... replaceable. Unimportant. He seemed to have no understanding of what true family was.
Ella thought of Doom's sister, Alice. Obviously she was Defective in some way, but she had seemed a sweet and innocent girl, and Ella found to her surprise that she liked her.
Again, she thought what a ridiculous situation she was in. She knew almost nothing about Doom, but she had let him lead her away from her troupe. And now she was staying in this cave at his orders. What was she thinking?! There was just something about Doom that made her trust him...
Making a decision, Ella sprang to her feet and edged to the cave entrance. Seeing no sign of movement, she crept out and began walking in the direction she thought the Slavers must be heading. Some sensible part of her mind was telling herself that this was foolish. She had no idea where the slavers were, she had no way of rescuing her family by herself, and apparently her powers somehow revealedher prescence. She stamped on these misgivings firmly and continued on in the darkness.
Suddenly she heard a rustling next to her, and she spun around.
Wide eyes stared at her out of the darkness.
"Who are you funaga?" A strange, unhuman voice mindsent to her.
She recoiled in fear. Those eyes gleamed in the dark. The rest of the creature was hidden in shadow. But she sensed that she was not alone with it. There were others surrounding her: silent vigilants.
She spoke aloud, "Who-who are you?"
Laughter echoed in her mind, sibilant. "You are on our territory Funaga-li. We are hungry and you look so tasty."
Ella gasped in terror. She knew who they were - wolves! Why had she left the cave? Now she would fall prey to these animals and no one would be left to save her family.
She stumbled back, trembling in fear. The wolves seemed to sense her anxiety, and they flattened their ears, baring their teeth in a predatory grin.
Ella paused, trying to calm herself. There was somethinf very odd about this. Then it hit her. She was talking to the wolves! She had never spoken to animals before... Maybe she could reason with them?
"I didnot know I was in your territory. I will go, if you let me. I am small and skinny - not nearly enough to feed all of you. It will be more trouble to catch me than I am worth."
The wolves took no notice of her words. One of the stronger-looking ones began to prowl around her, its eyes gleaming.
"You will not be hard to catch, funaga-li. And we havenot had sport for some time/many-miles. We are hungry." And the other wolves growled in agreement.
Ella backed herslef up against a tree, staring desperately. Suddenly something grabbed her by the arm and yanked her into the tree. She screamed, fighting desperately, but a large hand came to clamp over her mouth. She bit it.
"Ow!" a voice said in annoyance. "Ella, stop it! Calm down! It's me." The hands grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly.
Ella looked up to see Doom staring down at her, a small frown upon his face. His hand was bleeding.
"Oh," she said faintly. "I thought you'd left me..."
His frown deepened, and he opened his mouth to reply, but someone interrupted him.
"Hello! Are you glad to see me again? I thought you would be!" Alice's wide eyes gazed at her. "You know, I was going to wait until Doom left and then come and speak to you again. Doom never lets me do anything." She gazed at Doom reprovingly for a moment, then switched her gaze back to Ella. "We had such fun talking together, didn't we? And I didn't get into trouble at all! But Doom caught me." She giggled. "I was talking to the wolves, and he caught me and pulled me up here! Hee hee. This is fun, isn't it?"
Ella looked questioningly at Alice. "You can speak to the wolves too?" she asked in a strangled whisper.
Alice nodded emphatically, grinning broadly. "They are so friendly! At first they wanted to eat me, but then once I started singing songs to them and dancing they decided that they didn't want to!" she giggled a bit more.
However Doom had caught on and his frown deepened. "You were talking to the animals Ella? They are dangerous creatures and shouldn't be trifled with, by either of you! You could have been killed! What were you thinking leaving the cave like that?"
Ella stared "Is it normal to talk to animals? I've never done it before...that was the first time I'd ever heard an animal voice in my head."
Doom sighed, "It appears that there's more to you than meets the eye, young lass. So far, I have only known Alice to hold this Talent, but doubtless there are others out there who also Beastspeak."
Suddenly Ella asked "What does funaga-li mean? They kept calling me that."
Alice giggled. "It's a term animals use to refer to human beings. Did you know that I spoke to a giant red bird yesterday? I thought I was speaking to a human until I realised it was actually a bird." She pointed at Ella's arm. "It looked the same as those birds painted on your arm!"
Ella replied with wide eyes, "You saw a Guanette Bird? We regard them very highly in our culture. Perhaps if I speak to one it could tell me where my family is! What did it say to you Alice?"
Alice was quiet for a moment.
"I didnt say anything at first, its voice held a deep meaningful tone" she said, seeming to go into a trance, her voice became suddenly deeper.
"I warn you Ella of gypsy birth all is not as it seems, you must save them for your fate rest with them." Alice said. She blinked and began to hum a silly tune.
"Alice what happened next?" Ella asked. Alice looked at her in confusion.
"Just leave her Ella" Doom said, slipping from the tree. The wolves had left with out a sound. Ella slipped down from the tree after him.
"What did the bird mean? I should go find them shouldnt I?" I said, Doom looked at me.
"It seems that our fates are detirmined on it" he said.
Ella shivered at the ominous tone of his statement. "But what about my family?" she asked. "I can't just abandon them."
He fixed a penatrating gaze on her and she shifted uncomfortably. Then he sighed in resignation. "First we will find the birds, and then we will look for your family."
Ella opened her mouth to protest. By now her family could be boarding a ship for some unknown land! They could end up anywhere if she didn't find them quickly. But Doom interrupted her.
"These mysterious birds may know where your family is. And besides, don't you want to know how they knew your name, and who you are meant to save?"
Ella paused, then asked cautiously; "You will come with me, then? You won't leave me again?"
"I never left you, Ella. I didn't go far, and I would have come back."
Ella was still regarding him mistrustfully, and he sighed again. "I promise I won't leave you while you still need me."
Ella didn't want to admit that she needed him, but she did. She couldn't do this alone. "I'll hold you to that." Then she turned quickly and began walking through the woods.
Alice had stayed unusually silent during this conversation, but now her face brightened and she bagan to hum merrily, skipping along to catch up to Ella.
Doom stayed where he was. "Where are you going?" he asked.
Ella looked over her shoulder and smiled. "To find these birds, of course. Are you coming?"
"No, I mean how do you know where to find them? You could be going in completely the wrong direction."
"Oh." Ella stopped in her tracks. "Yes, I suppose you're right."
Alice's face split into a wide grin, and she twirled around Ella gracefully, tugging at her sleeve. "I know! I know where to find them!"