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Soon enough, Arlen has packed everything Nior deems necessary, and Harin has secured his adventure kit/combat bindle. They are ready for adventure.
unmarred
Nior approaches the door and crouches down to examine the note.
"'Eternal Winter'. How appropriate."
"'Eternal Winter'. How appropriate."
first-and-final
"Are you feeling like we should get out of here? Because I'm feeling a lot like we should get out of here," says Mir.
don't-believe-in-fairies
"I'm not. I'm feeling like there's some people in this place who need killing, and we seem to be the only people willing to do anything about it."
first-and-final
"Granted, absolutely, but right here seems like a really bad place to be standing around discussing that, who knows what kinds of traps they've set up or when they'll come back for another look. Let's at least try to find ourselves a slightly more anonymous patch of forest."
unmarred
"Agreed," says Nior. "Also, that bird is staring at us."
That bird is a robin, perched on a tree branch. It waits until everyone is looking at it, then departs its perch and flies to another branch some distance away.
"Who wants to follow the bird?"
That bird is a robin, perched on a tree branch. It waits until everyone is looking at it, then departs its perch and flies to another branch some distance away.
"Who wants to follow the bird?"
don't-believe-in-fairies
"No? Mir, back me up on this, were we not just talking about obvious traps?"
sonofsnow
Arlen appears to have already followed the bird to its next branch, and awaits the others.
first-and-final
"Nior will protect you," Mir assures him, patting him on the back as he follows the bird.
don't-believe-in-fairies
"The hell he will. I'm the size of a grown man and I have a quarterstaff, I'll protect myself."
first-and-final
"Well, then, what are you worried about?"
The bird leads them quite a ways through the woods. It's cold. Caves are also often cold, though, so they're not dressed as badly as they could've been.
The bird leads them quite a ways through the woods. It's cold. Caves are also often cold, though, so they're not dressed as badly as they could've been.
don't-believe-in-fairies
"I'm worried for you fragile little bastards. So stay close to me, I have a stick."
first-and-final
"Happy to," snorts Mir.
As they proceed, though, it begins to seem more and more appropriate to shut up. He does that.
As they proceed, though, it begins to seem more and more appropriate to shut up. He does that.
unmarred
They end up in a medium-sized clearing, and then the robin darts away and doesn't stop to be followed.
Nior looks around. His eyes settle on a tree across the clearing.
Nior looks around. His eyes settle on a tree across the clearing.
After a pause, some beavers bustle into sight!
A beaver wearing an apron begins fretting. "Hello, hello, what's this? Human children? Come on, then, let's get you back to the dam, you'll catch your death of cold and then where'd we be, oh dear..."
A beaver wearing an apron begins fretting. "Hello, hello, what's this? Human children? Come on, then, let's get you back to the dam, you'll catch your death of cold and then where'd we be, oh dear..."
She bustles the children damwards. "Such a time for you to come, and all Sons of Adam that I can see, what a muddle, how awfully strange. But Aslan's will is his own, and he is on the move again, that much we know. Come on, come on."
(The other beaver, who appears to be her husband, is less talkative. He seems mostly to be along for moral support.)
(The other beaver, who appears to be her husband, is less talkative. He seems mostly to be along for moral support.)
first-and-final
Aslan. Who in any available world is Aslan? The name makes Miraen feel like... like someone just showed him the challenge of a lifetime and then clapped him on the back and told him to get to it. Energized. Alive. About to get things done.
don't-believe-in-fairies
Harin feels, for an instant, like the kind of person who deserves to be happy for what he does. A good person, someone who deserves to rest. After a moment it leaves him hollow, but in that moment he understands what it could be like to be happy.
unmarred
Nior feels two things at once. One is an echo, an understanding of Mir's reaction. The other is... complicated. Like a beautiful intricate puzzle, like staring into the cold embrace of death, like something that's perfectly right and perfectly wrong in a seamless, gratingly incongruous meld.
sonofsnow
Arlen feels full of energy and life. Like he could climb a mountain and crash into the shore again and do it all a thousand times more.
"Holy shit," he breathes. "Does that happen every time you say 'Aslan'? Why do you have other words?"
"Holy shit," he breathes. "Does that happen every time you say 'Aslan'? Why do you have other words?"