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town west of the heroes village

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as they reached town shindra moaned inb pain. "ren where are you?"

"I'm here Shindra," Ren said softly, placing her hand on his. "Don't worry. You're safe"

shindra: " where we heading" *saying in a raspy voice as he passed out again*

Ren rolled her eyes before shifting so his head rested in her lap. "Just rest, Shin, just rest..."

Chamlane was walking around town, looking for a fruit stand.

Lotus sat quietly, not wanting to say anything.

Ren called to Chamlane. "You! I'm sorry, but where is the town healer?"

"Me? Oh, the town healer died last week," Chamlane responded.

Ren hissed through her teeth in annoyance, closing her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me..." she said through clenched teeth. Finally, she opened her eyes to look at him, somewhat calmer. "Is there no one that can help us then?"

Lotus looked over to whom Ren was conversing with. Her eyes looked him over.

spike: *apears out of nowhere as it dives from a roof top* " I see you have cuty dying in cart, want me heal him?"

Oi... "Spike, let the healer's apprenctice heal him!" Chamlane yelled.

spike: * as the four year old sounding person shrouded in a giant cloak, she said* "this no biggy" * spike pulled a few weird looking herbs from the left hand pocket and aplies it to the wound* "give him day or two" *kisses his forhead*

Ren's blood at this time felt like acid, ready to seep out and kill anybody who touched Shindra without her consent, and this.. person was no exception. She turned to Chamlane. "Where is the apprentice?"

spike: *smiles playfully and waves hand. "I'm the apprentice." *she giggles."

"Figures," Ren snapped. "Thank you, for the help. Now we have to get back to camp. Kindly get off this wagon so we can be on our way."

Lotus' eye twitched. She didn't like this girl. At all.

spike: *plops down next to Shindra and twittles thumbs, while humming a little tune* "Me no go no where."

"And why not?" Ren said evenly, her eyes glaring daggers.

spike: *Lies back against a bag and stuffs her hand inside it. She gags and pulls out a moldy turkey leg. Throws it at Voctan and giggles.* "So where we going?" *she mumbles.*

"WE are going back to our camp," Ren said, glaring icily at the girl. "You are not coming with us!"

spike: "Cool, I can't wait to see our camp!" *she giggles, while pulling a mint leaf from her pocket and placing it in her mouth.*

voctan: *hurls over the side of the cart as he launches the turkey leg at Ren*

shindra:" ren, chill lets just go back to camp, we need a healer in the party anyways" *lays his head back down*

Lotus sighed. "Why me? WHy today?" She mumbled putting her head in her lap.

Ren caught the turkey leg, unperturbed, and dropped it over the side of the cart. She calmed at the sound of Shindra's voice and nodded. "Ok. But rest, allright?" she told him, her voice gentle now.

shindra: "Ok." *He says, and passes out again.*

spike: *pokes Shindra and giggles as his tongue falls out of his mouth. Pulls his eyelids open and says,* "Ello? Anyone there?" *shrugs and lets his head fell back against the sack of laundry.*

Ren's countenence darkened and she slapped Spike for touching Shindra so hard it knocked her to the other side of the wagon, then her face softened as she looked back down at him.

spike: *Glares viciously and stands up.* "What is your problem woman?!" *She screams , slapping Ren upside the back of the head.* "Dont ever touch my again!" *She screams, nudging Shindra out of the way with her foot as she sits on the back of the wagon, her legs hanging over the edge.*

"Lotus, watch Shindra. Keep her off him," was all Ren said before jumping off the wagon and walking off into the woods.

spike: *shrugs and stares at the dirt, swings her legs back and forth, before looking back at everyone. She climbs down from the wagon and plays in the dirt, drawling little pictures with her short stubby fingers.*

Lotus nodded her head as she moved closer to Shindra. "Wonde rif he'll wake up.." She wondered aloud. She finally got a better look at him. She could snese something about him, though she didn't know what.

---

Using her senses to guide her, Ren stalked through the woods soundlessly, walking off her anger. HOW DARE THAT WRETCH TOUCH SHINDRA! If he hadn't wanted her in the group, I would have snapped her neck, slit her throat, crushed her trechea and many other things besides! She was glaring at nothing in particular as she walked, wanting nothing more than for Shindra to be conscious when she returned to camp and that annoying pest of an apprentice to not-be-touching him.

shrindra:* sits up holding his arm yelled out* " REN where are you"

Ren spun and darted emidiately in the direction of him. She cursed that she had strayed so far from him. Finally, she made it back to the wagon and jumped up on it, kneeling by him. "It's ok, Shindra, calm down, I'm here, right here," she said calmingly, watching him, placing a hand on his shoulder to show she really was there.

"I guess he doesn't trust us that much.." Lotus mumbled.

shindra:" where the hell are we" *sits up and listens to his stomach growl* "is their any food left"

"There was stew left...." Lotus mumbled, remembering how she had left some.

"Right, there's stew," Ren agreed quickly. "And we're headed back to camp from town. Just rest."

spike: *slips up onto the wagon unseen and watches from a distance, wondering if she should say a word, or remain silent. She wipes her hands on her cloak and sits with her knees to her chest, listening to the soft sound of her own rythmic breathing*

shindra:" lets get back to camp and by the way who are these people?"

"That's Lotus, a passerby, and that's Spike, the healer's apprentice you wanted with us." Ren indicated each as she said there name, then looked up at Voctan. "You heard him, hurry up.. please."

spike: "You wouldn't happen to have amnesia would you?" *She giggles, while raising an eyebrow at him.*

"It would be best to go..you never knwo what's out at this time of night.." Lotus mumbled.

out of nowhere eight bandits sarounded the cartt ready to kill everyone there.

Lotus took out her fans, and snapped them open. She wasn't going down without fighting.

Ren glared at each of them in turn. "You're kidding me, right?"

"We can take them all." Lotus said in a hushed tone.

spike: *slowly unstraps her crossbow from her back and readies it for the brewing battle, before letting out a soft sigh.*

They all simaltaniously lauch their kuni at the cart's personage without emossion.

Ren scowls and protects Shindra with her body, telling her companions to simply kill the bandits.

Lotus tossed her fans at the men, killing tow, her fans came back to her. Before they did, one came at her. She took a chopstick out, and impaled the man, though it didn't kill him.

*Spike draws back on her bow with a shaky hand and imbeds an arrow right in one of the bandit's hearts, causing him to drop to the ground and a pool of blood to form around him, as she readies her next blue feather tipped arrow.*

Ren herself uses one hand to pull out three shurikun and flicks her wrist, embedding them deep in the throats of three of the bandits, killing them instantly.

the bodies of the bandit's rose of the ground and began attacking the cart again.

shindra:* past out as his body began glowing light blue. a large wave of energy bursts from his body overwhelming the attackers freezing them in obscure posses*

Ren looks shockedly at the 'statues' before slowly turning to look at Shindra. "Shin?..."

shindra:*hits the cart from five feet up and makes a loud thud as he stops glowing*

"Shin?..." Ren, still shocked, took her friend into her arms slowly, holding him close. "You need to wake up now.. please..."

shindra lays unconcious againthough his wound was completely healed.

*Spike stands in utter shock, staring down at the ground, her mouth hanging agape. She blinks a couple times, before smiling.* "That was so amazing!" *she says, like an overly enthusiastic child.*

Ren continues looking at Shindra. Why don't you wake?...

shindra pear up at ren "what the hell just happened?"

Ren jumped at the unexpected wakefulness, but calmed a moment later. Mostly anyway. "You.. you, well you.. froze these bandits.. while unconscious... Your wound is healed though." She tried to say the last in a happy voice, as if to make the situation less weird.

*Spike smiles and watches the uncomfortablness, and latches her bow back to her back and goes over, tapping on one of the frozen bandits, hoping they can see her. She sits her tongue out and says,* "Nah nah, na boo boo"

as spike taunts the frozen bandit zombies; they explode into harmless icy shards.

Ren frowns as they explode. My shurikuns... She sighs and turns back to Shindra. "Are you ok?"

shindra looks up at ren actualy I'm quite well, shall we get back to camp?

"Tell Voctan, he's driving the wild cats." Ren nods her chin in Voctans direction before wrapping her arms around Shindra's shoulders and hugging him. "I'm glad your ok, Shin."

voctan sighs glad that the bandit's were gone as he strikes the bobcats into a full run. " kodo and poto shall be revived yay!!!"

Noticing it was a bit too long, Ren quickly release Shindra. "Kodo and Poto? Those are the names of your wolves?"

yes, they have been with me since age four. voctan keeps his eyes on the path grinning.

Ren wrinkles her nose at it, but shakes her head. Ignoring the new fact, she leaned on the edge of the wagon from where she sat, watching the scenery pass by.

"Well that was fun and all, but i sure am pooped." *Spike yawns, leaning back and closing her eyes. She pulls her knees up to her chest and conceals herself in her robe.*

as they reach camp shindra unshieths his paint brushes preparing to remove the makes on kodo and poto.

Ren hops off the cart as well and thanks her new friends for watching camp in their absense, then, with a smile, she tends to the stew.

shindra watches the wolves stretch as the curse was removed.

Chamlane went on his way to find a fruit stand.

Lotus slowly opened her fan, then snapped it shut. She repeated this process, as if bored.

Where's Spike? It's not like her to be gone for this long...Maybe she went...AH CRAP! Chamlane found the wagon tracks and follows them.

"What are those made of exactly?" Ren asked Lotus from where she had been watching the girl, sitting, once again relaxed, by the fire, stoking it with a stick.

"Metal, light-weight paper, wood...the normal fan materials...except for the metal part." Lotus siad with a half-smile.

Chamlane found where they were camping out. "Spike! C'mon out!"

"Oh, well that's-" Ren began, then Chamlane had popped up. "Oh, that annoying apprentice?" she asked with an inticing smile. "She's over there." She pointed to where Spike was sleeping, then put the finger to her lips, still smiling. "But please be quiet, she is sleeping."

Lotus snapped her fan open, then shut, again. She took her chopsticks, and stuck them through her messy hair, to create a messy bun.

"Sorry," Chamlane whispered. "Do you mind if I stay?"

Ren smiled at him, turning on her charm. "Of course not," she said kindly, motioning to the area around the fire. "Please, sit, and be merry with us." She laughed at that.

"Merry?" Lotus asked, raising an eyebrow, as if being merry wasn't possible.

"I was being sarcastic," Ren told her, still smiling, her mood much brighter with Shindra up and about.

That smile....is creeping me out. Lotus thought as she rolled her eyes and laid back. Then swore under her breath as her chopsticks stuck her head.

Chamlane smiled back. He layed down and put his hands behind his head.

Ren raised an eyebrow at him, but shook her head and returned to stoking the fire.

Chamlane looked up to the starry sky and saw Orion and the planet Saturn.

shindra looks at the party woundering whats going on.

Kalkari was hidden just outside the camp. There was no way any of them would see her. It was simply impossible. She watched the group with interest.

Ren got up silently and walked over to Shindra, shoulder to shoulder but still facing each other so her back was to Kalkari. She lifted her hand and placed it on Shin's shoulder as she leaned over, her lips close to his ear and said so softly no one but him could hear. "We are being watched." She moved her eyes to look at where Kalkari was hiding.

Kalkari shrunk into the shadows, now truly invisible, but she knew they were aware of her presence. Hopefully they couldn't figure out how she was hiding.

Shindra sences kalkari and levitates her to him. "Hi, can I help you sneaky mc sneakard."

Kalkari shrugged. She knew in the end she would be discovered. "Sneaky mc Sneakard? That is one I haven't heard before," she mused.

Shindra's face melts into a stern look on his face " why do you sneak around our camp?"

"I am not sneaking," Kalkari objected. "Merely passing by. Your conversation caught my ear. I stopped for a moment, out of curiosity. I wasn't aware curiosity was a crime," she said with a hint of sarcasm.

"It's not a crime, but it can get you killed," Ren said seriously, standing next to Shindra with a deadly air about her.

Kalkari shrugged. "As you like. If it makes you feel better, I'm sorry."

Shindra releases Kalkari from his grip. "staight your case."
*keeps one hand on his paintbrush*

"I was camping nearby," she said simply. "I was exploring, and I heard you speaking."

Shindra snorts at the coment " and you didn't have the moral to anounce yourself?" * he then walks away to his tent hiding his left arm*

Ren gave Kalkari a dark look and kept her eye on the other girl as she went after Shindra. "Shin?" she called carefully and took her eyes off Kal only when she reach her friend. "What is it?" she asked, looking at his arm, trying to see the problem.

Shindra hides his arm a little better as he does the ice shoots out of his jacket wrapping around it. " I'm Fi... its nothing."

Ren's eyes widened. "That is not fine," she said pointing to it, then her eyes met his. "Why won't you tell me what's wrong, Shin?"

shindra blushes and says " I can't tell what I don't understand. the ice doesn't freeze me."

"It still isn't natural, Shin," Ren said, worry in her expression and voice. "We have to find you a healer or something. You could be cursed

" It don't feel like a curse, but it feels familiar." *shindra twinges as a memory shoots through him.

"Shin? Shin?? What is it?" Ren said, trying to look at his eyes, not wanting to touch him for fear of hurting him more.

* grins with a tear in his eye* "Its just the remind ever so much of him. his gifts were of ice but it never froze to the touch."

Ren frowned at him, slightly confused. "Who's gift?"

"the legandary dragon of ice."

"Oh Shin..." Ren frowned at him, as if he was forty and said he still believed in Santa. "Surely you don't believe this is connected to that story?"

"I don't know what to think, I have never witnessed this before." *shindra stuggles a little bit as the ice shifted*

"What are we gonna do?" Ren asked as she reach out and hesitantly stroked down the ice with one of her fingers.

" see nothing, not even a hint of cold, nor does it hurt." *shinra focuses and the ice completely consumes his arm up to his shoulder*

Ren jumped slightly as it did and looked at it with surprise. She reach out hesitantly and trailed up the ice, all the way to his shoulder where her hand slid from it to the skin of his neck. She looked into his eyes with a frown. "Shin... I don't know about this... Are you sure about not having it looked at?"

"it should be fine, I will train myself to conrol it. but for your pease of mind we will see the only one who would know anything about this." *cringes in fear at the thought*

She noticed his distaste for the person he spoke of. "And that is...?"

" we have to go back home, only dark priestess knows."

"No Shindra we can't!" Ren protested, eyes wide as her hand moved away from where it had been on his neck and her hands shifted into fists. "We said we wouldn't go back!"

"she is the only one who can tell us whats going on."

Ren's fists tightened and with a hard stare at Shindra, she turned on her heel, grabbed her bow, and walked off into the woods and out of sight.

* lays down and hopes she calms down*

Kalkari was about to reply when all this began. She just watched it all happen, a bit confused.

voctan walked over to kalkari and says don't wurry things will calm down. its best to get some sleep.

as the night passed nothing majorly eventful accured. Voctan and his animal companions stayed up all night as they normaly would. shindra slept uneased as his woundering mind dremt of the days conjurning.

Kalkari didn't even bother returning to her own camp. She just laid down on the bare ground and slept.

Shindra runs after ren hoping to calm her down (and figure out what to do).

Ren stalked through the woods, more silent than a breeze and jumped into a solid looking tree's branches. She sat and brooded.

Shindra starts calling out for ren not watching where he was going. Before he knew it he was 4 inches from a flame elemental with a startled look on his face.


The flaming bahemouth stood the eyeballing the small teen.

Shindra" I'm sorry I'm searching for someone have you seen a female with a bow?"

elemental " ROOOOG"

Shindra turns and runs screaming.

Ren looked up at the sound, frowning. "Shindra?" she said to herself and hopped from the tree, only to land right in front of him and be knocked over. "Argh! Shin! What is it?!"

Shindra yells "It's a Fire Elemental RUN"

Jumps back up and drags ren back to camping running as fast as he can.

Ren groaned, running from the beast. "What's it doing in the woods?" Realizing he wasn't keeping up, she suddenly heafted Shindra into her arms and ran faster than they had been before back to camp. "You just weren't made for running, magic boy."

As they reach camp they smell smoke. The entire camp is ablaze. Voctan and his wolves are no where to be found while everyone is runing around trying to put the fires out.

"Where's a water elemental when you need one?!" Ren cried agitatedly as she put Shindra on his own feet. "Do something!" she told him before running off, kicking dirt on the fire to put it out.

Shindra raised his hands. Just as he did the air got colder. Froven beams of energy bursts from his hands freezing the camp.

Ren stopped when everything froze and rubbed her arms, her breath coming in transparent white puffs. "I hate magic..." she muttered softly.

Shindra looked to ren and said "you said to do something." He looked around to try and understand the situation, but found no logic in it.

All of a sudden the fire elemental apeared behind Ren. "So the son of the ark is coming into his powers."

Shindra quickly turned to them, yelling, "How do you know about the Ark?"

Ren darted away from the elemental in an instant to stand by Shindra's side. She had an arrow at the ready with her bow, but knew it was no use against the creatures.

The elemental looked to the stammering boy and uttered. " I traveled before your times with the being that gave you that ark. I wouldn't be able to call him my friend if I didn't know his magic style."

Shindra shivered and Barked again " Who are you and why did you do this to our camp?"

Flame elemental " I am charian and I didn't do this to you and your fellow travelers camp. That would be the work of the dark god's minions."

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<--- Return to ark of the arctic traveler

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