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"Do not mourn the deaths of friends and family." A lone voice rings out. "Do not grieve for they have gone to the world Beyond as all creatures do."

The group turns to see a lone figure, dressed in a once white tabbard, now stained with blood and soot, a broken shield strapped uselessly to his arm. As he stands there a murder of ravens land amongst the dead.

"Their spirits will be carried on for they have completed the journey all must take."

"But do not worry. For they shall soon be joined by a thousand thousand elves whose deaths will be slow and painful. A mercy I shall not give."

Esmerelda turns a wild eye to the newcomer, with almost a snarl of anger on her face.

"My brother, my twin, the other half of MY spirit has not moved on. Nor have many of the dead. This boy here can see them, and they have NOT moved on the peaceful place you claim. And I find it awfully convienent that one who showed up a scant moon ago and was mysteriously absent from the recent slaughter should feel it his place to offer his 'condolances' to those he betrayed by not being there to help. Or perhaps you were an agent of the elves all along?"

*Spot on both Zaire and the dog with a pack*

*Atrum hugs Teela and turns and hugs Eilonwy and then looks the seer in the eyes.*

Don't... Don't let it slip away, once it's gone it's gone forever... trust me on that. Don't let it be stolen from you this soon. Hold onto it like it was your lifeblood. Once lost, the world is a much grayer place. Believe me.

*His 22 year old face seems to hold many more years than it should*

*Atrum places a hand gently on Esmereldas shoulder*

Zaire, it is good to see that more people made it out alive. You of course understand the suspicion of those that weren't there to defend the town in it's most dire hour. I of course understand how these things may happen. Know that you are welcome to travel with us...for now. But also know that if I even have an inkling that you could have possibly worked with or still are working with the elves I will slit your throat without even pausing in my steps.

*Points his weapon at the dog with a pack without looking that way*
That last bit will go for you as well if you don't show your humanoid form now. I can't afford to have a spy run off and inform the elves we're in the area.

The dog-like creature stops it's approach at Atrum's hard voice. "Area?" She mutters, questioningly. She looks at her hands as if trying to remember something.

She instead dumps the sad contents of her satchel on the ground with a clatter which consists of a large wooden spoon, a small, worn and bent stick with a blue ribbon tied around it, some chicken bones, part of a piecrust, a few bird feathers and some small broken bottles that probably once held potions. There also appear to be cracked halves of bowls stained with paint and a bundle of fabrics.

"Badtake?" She picks up the half-burned wooden spoon and holds it out with a guilty face before setting it on the pile. After dumping the items, the jackal-faced dog creature steps back from the pile expectantly and sits.

She then looks over towards Eilonwy and Teela with a sort of recognition in her eyes and her tail wags slightly. "Iddywiys smell here. Come Iddywiys." She looks around again. "Rizmind?" She looks frustrated.

She pauses for a moment and tilts her head sideways, looking at Gol. She points at him. "Golsdog!" She makes what could pass for a smile if it wasn't for all the teeth and pats her hands together in a sort of dull clap. "Hah! Smart!"

"Allsee? Yousee?" She looks around as if really confirming the destruction. "Gone. Real?"

Esmerelda walks up to the dog and crouches down. "No, not bad take. I remember you. " She points to the stick with the ribbon. "Rosamund tied that on there for you. You've been gone for quite a while." Putting the dog's "treasures" back in the satchel, she turns to Atrum. "She's fine, I remember this dog. She came around when we had the first instance with the fire king. I don't know if you remember her or not. She stayed by Rosamund's side the entire day. And she was quite taken with Gol." Turning back to the dog, she asks "Are you hurt?"

"You hurt." The dog-creature sniffs at Esmerelda carefully and wags her tail, giving Atrum a cautious eye. "Milda. 'Member."

She gives another doggy smile when Esmerelda puts her treasures back in her satchel. "My?" She hugs the satchel and nods. "Nobad take."

"Smil-ouch." The dog holds out it's front arm that has a small wound across it that seals itself into a pale scar even as Esmerelda watches. "No-ouch."

"Gitpile. Night. Do." She makes a digging motion. "Lots. Same." She looks thoughtful. "Night. Loud. Hide. Hot-smell." She touches her head. "Ouch-dark. Smell Iddywiys. Come. Isnow."

She shakes her head. "Inside gone. Bad mijik come. Nostay." She points at herself. "Go." She points at Esmerelda. "Go." She takes a step towards the way the group came. "Go."

She goes still for a moment, her ears up in the air, sniffing warily.

There is another look of thanks to Gol after the healing and a wary look in the eyes as Zaire approaches.

The youth's rigid stance softens slightly during Atrum's hug though there is more rapid blinking to hold the tears at bay and a curt nod at his request. It is obvious that the teenager is doing the typical overcompensation of trying to be mature during this ordeal.

A small, weary smile appears as the dog creature comes with her talk of 'Iddywiys' and a gentle hand reaches out to ruffle an ear affectionately.

"Shall we move on as Mohdri and our furry friend wish?"

We should most certainly move, souonds like there is battle close. Let's move out.

*poke poke*
I know you guys are really really busy right now, but this sorta needs to be resolved before the one day.

(Funny, for some reason I was thinking I was waiting on you. Not sure why that is the case after rereading).

The trip to the minnig village is surprisingly uneventful, given the sounds of battle nearby and the great length of time that it seemed to take. Gol occasionally insists on a new direction, stating that their current path is filled with too much danger. Finally, everyone arrives.

Many of the makeshift buildings are still smoldering from the fire. People are scurrying, trying to take care of the wounded. Others, with blank stares filled with too much horror, routinely go about burying the dead...

*Atrum scans the crowd for any of the people that were in charge in town or for any of the Havenites, finally stopping anyone he recognizes*

What happened here? I never heard of any elven encampments near here nor of any gates near here?

The man stopped looks up and shakes his head, glossy eyes from weariness and from not being able to do enough. "I'm not sure, really. It was all so...it was like a nightmare. One of the fisherman came from the woods, seeking refuge or so we thought. He said something to Clamboreenee, who...went crazy, shouting "Blowerwinkle!" and setting the buildings on fire. Soon others joined in, shouting and setting fires. People were screaming in pain, many of the women and children refused to let the guards intervene...I don't know why. I still do not understand it. Eventually, despite the protests, the guards and eventually Robert got everything under control. Or at least as much control as possible."

Following Atrum's lead and scaning the outside of the town for any elves or combatants that may be there, Mohdri asks ...

"Does anyone happen to know where Robert is right now?"

Quickly leans over to Atrum and quietly asks, "Who's Robert?"

"I saw him not too long ago, near the north edge of town, directing the healers and guards, caring for the sick." The man looks down at his feet, clearly wondering if it is his place to say more. FInally he decides upon, "Robert is in charge of the guards. The leader. Without him, all here would have been lost."