Ashlee started awake at Tierra's question, grabbed her pack and rushed towards the group. She shoved Andreas unceremoniously out of the way as she went to kneel next to the injured bird. The eagle cried weakly as Ash opened its wings. She mumured something in Elvish and the eagle responded. Ashlee called runes to her fingertips and knotted them in glowing strings around the arrow wound in the eagle's wing. It cried again, and Ash took it into her arms and cradled it. Ashlee willed the magnificent bird to sleep. She smiled on it in a motherly fashion as it rested in her arms. Tierra was watching Ash's every move. Suddenly. Ashlee rose from her kneeling position in the grass and handed the eagle to Tierra. "He said he liked you over the others. Protect him and care for him and he will serve you well. Eagles are the most majestic birds and they make the most loyal friends. Better than any human or elf." Ash spat the words 'human' and 'elf' bitterly, as if recollecting some unwanted memory. Tierra grinned and cradled the bird. "Thank you. I will look after him but he needs a name. Anyone got a suggestion?" Nervote wondered and then spoke, "Olwë, it means lucky in elvish, which this little one is defiently."
"Thats perfect! Olwë it is." Tierra nuzzled the bird. Then whispered to herself. "My first true friend." She stressed the true. She pulled a large woolen bag out of her pack and sat Olwë on it. Ashlee smiled indulgently on the eagle and chirruped strangely. Olwë answered with apparently meaningless yips, but Ash nodded in comphrension, the rare smile playing at her lips.
"We should be moving," said Nervote re-adjusting the buckle of his quiver, "the seals will not find themsleves." Faust looked up, "yes, onwards!" Ashlee seemed suddenly disheartened. She absent-mindedly readjusted the packs on Dragonwave's saddle as he eased himself off the floor. She swung herself into the saddle and asked in a tired voice: "Where exactly are we heading?"
Every one looks at her. "We have said, we're heading to Saruna. Do keep up dear."
Ash steered Dragonwave to a bush and spat in it. The horse snorted in disgust. "Well, I'm sorry I didn't register it," she said, not meaning a word of her apology. She looked up from the floor. "Hmm, Saruna... I haven't been there for..." She frowned, trying to remember a time span or date, then shook her head. Suddenly, she jumped Dragonwave over the river and cantered down the road.
The rest of the group (Faust, Nervote, Andreas, Jeffery, Tierra & Orion) got onto the cart and followed.
The journey contiuned quite quietly till the fith day when they arrived at Forest of Kelewan and the foot of the Mountains of Nan-Surinen...
Stumble!
AO - 13 
