[Mkguild] First Steps (11/?)

[Nathan Pfaunmiller]

No real comment here.  It does step away from the storyline of the
last part for the time being, and is not nearly as intense.

-LurkingWolf

___________________

	Lucy received the message from Andwyn early in the morning, and she
wasted no time getting ready.  Before finally sleeping for the
evening, she had managed to find a way to bundle the light armor she
had purchased for the moondog Keeper so that it could fit within her
pack.  It made it a good deal heavier than she would have liked, but
it was better than the alternative of having to carry it in her arms
when she went to find him.  He wasn’t the only thing in those woods
after all, and other creatures would not be so kind as to give her
warning before appearing.

	The bat’s message was simple enough.  Lord Thomas had set a meeting
in another week’s time.  So soon after the wedding, there were still a
good number of dignitaries willing to brave the Curse for a few more
days.  They would take precautions to be certain that the moondog
Keeper would be able to enter without causing too much trouble as it
was, but no one wanted to have to deal with an indignant noble if they
caught a glimpse of Keepers working by such a creature of fear.
Opinions were fragile enough after the strange magical arc that had
somehow briefly affected the Curse a few evenings ago.  Bad publicity
would only complicate things.

	Lucy arrived at he trap where she had first met the moondog and began
the task of resetting it.  Her father had not come this way since her
hasty departure, and she had not been sound enough of mind to do it
properly.  She sighed; there were even tracks in the area.  Had the
trap been set correctly they would most likely have caught something.

	Retrospect was worthless for now, however, and so Lucy quickly made
certain that the same regrettable situation would not occur twice in
quick succession.  She quickly and efficiently took care of setting
the trap, finishing it in less than half the time it had taken her to
set it improperly under the influence of the moondog’s fear.

	Once that was done, she selected a wide tree that would cover her
back and settled in to wait for the moondog.  She had no way to call
him, nor did she know if he would even remember where they had met at
first.  Still, he seemed to be a competent scout.  He would likely
make quite certain to revisit this place at his first convenience.  He
might simply take longer if there was much to be done.

	Lucy could not help but feel sorry for the man.  She could not
comprehend what it had to be, locked into a form that literally drove
people away out of fear.  He might have once had friends with him, and
they would likely have run away upon seeing his change.  How horrible
it had to be to live alone in these woods!  And now he would have to
wait another week before the Duke would even meet with him.

	She shifted, sniffing a bit as she kept her eyes on the nearby
forest.  She didn’t want to be another person frightened away by his
aura of dread.  He needed somebody that wouldn’t run away from him,
even if that person had to fight with every fiber of her being to keep
from regressing mentally to a child and running away in abject terror.
 She had to let him know that there were people who would make the
effort to try to befriend him, regardless of the terror it caused.

	Even as she considered that terror, she began to feel the icy chill
of fear approaching.  She pulled her cloak closer to her, but it did
no good.  This cold was not physical.  Shivering, she stood and let
her pack drop to the ground in front of her, looking out into the
forest to try to see the man who was approaching her.  Several moments
passed, and the fear only grew even as she continued to find no
success in seeing the approaching man.  She shuddered for a moment
involuntarily; even now as she braced herself it seemed to do no good.
 Even though she knew what was approaching, she could not help but be
terrified of it.

	He finally appeared, his nearly-white fur blending reasonably well
with the snow as he loped through the undergrowth.  He saw her a few
moments after she saw him, and he waved to her as she acknowledged his
presence, turning to make a beeline for her.  He smiled as he stopped
before her, trying to put her at ease.  She still had to fight to keep
from shaking visibly.

	“Lord Thomas sends greetings,” she said quietly, trying to disguise
how unsteady her voice was.  He made a gesture of respect at the
mention of his sovereign’s name.  “He has agreed to meet with you, to
try to understand and accommodate the special nature of your Curse.
He asks that you attempt to meet with him one week from today.  I will
come here to escort you to the meeting site.  Is this satisfactory?”

	The moondog nodded, although he seemed a bit crestfallen at the
mention of the week that he would have to wait for the meeting.
Still, he managed to smile a bit, and he gave a small one-handed
gesture of thanks to her for her help.  Clearly, conversation as not
something he expected, as he turned to return the way he had come once
he had heard what he wanted.

	Lucy had to fight the urge to just let him walk away, but she finally
managed, calling out with a cracking voice.  “Wait, Julian!”

	The moondog turned slowly, looking at her with constantly-steely eyes
that nonetheless seemed to have softened a bit.  He seemed to be
reacting to the use of his given name.

	“Andwyn mentioned your name when I spoke to him.  I hope you don’t
mind me using it.”

	He shook his head vehemently, managing a small smile that was perhaps
the first thing about him that did not cause Lucy to shiver for one
reason or another.  He gave her another gesture of thanks and waited
while she mustered the courage to continue speaking.

	“I…  I noticed that your clothing has been torn badly from your time
in the field.”  He seemed to acknowledge this with no little bit of
embarrassment, even though the specific emotion was hard to pinpoint
on his changed face.  Lucy opened her pack and pulled out the armor
she had purchased, whispering hoarse words of frustration as it caught
several times on the sides of her pack.  By the time she successfully
extricated it, she was surprised that she had not gashed her pack in
the process.  She held the package up and presented it to Julian.
“Andwyn gave me some money to find a room for the evening last night.
He gave me more than I needed, so I thought that I would put the extra
money to good use.”  Lucy surprised herself by getting through her
last two sentences without becoming a stuttering mess.  It wasn’t
entirely true of course; she had put some of her own money into the
investment.  She just didn’t want him to feel indebted to her alone.

	Julian stood still before her for a few moments, as though he were
uncertain of how to react to what he was seeing.  After a few moments
he finally took the package, still looking straight at her with a
shocked expression.  He slowly thanked her at first, and then thanked
her several more times in quick succession.  He smiled, much wider
than before, and certainly just as genuine.  Lucy managed to return
the smile, even though his presence still made her panicky.

	He slowly backed away, still thanking her as he went, until he
finally turned and walked off into the woods.  Lucy watched him until
he was out of sight, and a few moments later felt the terror finally
lift from the area.  She sank to the ground, drawing on her magic to
calm herself.  It took a few moments, but she finally did manage to
calm down enough to collect her thoughts.  She took her pack and
closed it before slinging it over her shoulder.  She peered out into
the trees for a few more moments before leaving.  She would try to
return a few times in the next couple of days to see how he was doing,
but for now she needed to get back to her father before he sent out a
search party.