Constitution.txt

Myst, William, Guile, Kicker, Guide, Shake, Jan and Kirra see flash, feel nothing then flash fades and see only darkness.

The darknes lights in shades of sight from black and white to heat the pulses from the trees and arond the rim of the mountian.

A cold breeze blows. Twinkles of lights flicker across the sky.

Myst mind is stunned like a flash, and song is silent as the breeze.

They blink and rub eyes to rub away the fash. They look around with not thoughts. Then see...

All visions sees the sihloutte of trees and the mountain agains the night sky as they stand at the center of rock plateau.

Branches from a tree near break and snap. Grunt and groans flow the path breaking branchs to the ground below.

Minst heat and light body appears through the specturms of sight of the pack standing and looking around the plateau top.

Rise, Set, Wax and Wane is found.

Minst flies from Set to Rise.

And Spear falls to ground. Branch scratch, scrape and one stab. The stab forces growls and groan. His arms and legs grab and kick and slow the fall. His fall finds a flow and guides and he slows to stop in the middle of the tree.

Minst feels the release of Spear and rises flights to circle around. The stand flight becomes and head lead flight as the weave sews a plane for magic for Minst to fly like sliding over ice on stomach.

As Minst rises to loop and dive, the pack on plateau top sees Minst.

William steps and rises hands to mouth and inhales for a shout.

The shout becomes a wimper and a pout as Shake sees William's motion and in a flash reaches above and covers William's mouth.

,,Goblins,'' says Shake to the pack.

,,Distant,'' sasy Kirra. He sniffs and looks. ''A great run from here.''

Kirra step rise to the rock plateau's edge with William arrive to edge first with a run with Jan.

Jan stares and see through the cold of night the heat of Minst and Spear. ,,Minst and Spear,'' says Jan. 

,,Minst and Spear,'' says William with a voice that carries around the top of the rock plateau. William put hand in pack and finds the spectacles of Hern. ''Below. We need to get below.'' 

Kicker clomps from the center.

William smiles. ,,We all need to get below.'' 

From the center the pack stand except for Myst still feeling the mind loss from the flash. The she begins to talk and the talk begins a song in mind that is calm and quiet and warm agianst the cold of the night.

,,Myst, how do you feel?'' says William. He holds a pair of Hern's Spectacles to Minst.

,,I...'' She shivers. ''I feel cold.'' She sees William and the glasses and grabs the glasses then slides then on head.

Green, brown, gray, white lines highlight the edges of objects.

William sees the relief colors around Myst's face with shades of blue and purple giving hue to lips and nose. 

A humphf and branch break are. 

,,Spear,'' says William. 

They stare for a moment longer then William parts with a walk that becomes a jog, but before a run he reaches ledge. 

Trees, rockes and Spear are illumincated with green, brown and darkness. ,,A way down,'' says William loud, but not a shout. 

Guile walks the rim.

The rim's edge breaks, and Giules steps away from the falling ground. ,,Rim,'' says Guile.

Kirra walks to ledge Wane of William. 

The darkness and night sight deeped like night of daylight sight and form a rectangle.

 sees darkness and Kirra.

Kirra stands adjacent from William. ,,I have found a slope.'' Kirra steps down to a flat surface. Through her sight she sees.

Steps cover with rubble and with rounded corners spread like a peice of pie cut in half. Rubble, pebbles and holes filled with ice cover the chipped steps. 
,,Stairs,'' says Kirra loud.

..Where's Minst?'' says Guile.

,,Minst,'' says Myst.

Minst lays on the ground near the base of the stone plateau.

Spear sees Minst a lighter shade of gray through the night and the tree limbs. Tree lips bend and sway as he climb down tree from limb to limb to limb. 

Pine needles fall from tree limb to ground of snow.

Spear lands to ground and runs to Minst.

Minst lay on snow. His nose bleeds. Mouth lay open and breath steams from it. Body lay fetal. 

,,Minst,'' says Spear. Spear looks up. Hear hears William. He says with loud talk, ,,William.''

Spear hears only a gust of wind againts face. Snow dust stings and freezes. Spear looks through the forest.

Trees, rocks, mounds and brush spread over the land. 

Spear runs climpes the rock wall. 

William walks from the edge and the rock wall. He walks to Kirra, Jan, Myst, Guile, Kicker, Guide and Shake.

Kirra, Jan, Myst, Guile, Kicker, Guide, Shake and William spread over steps and piles of rubble slopped down to the snow covered ground.

A breeze blows and is the sound. For ears that hear far a very distant group goblin shout can be heard.

Spear and  Kirra and Jan hear. 

Spear climbs the rock face putting frozen fingers in cracks and pushed the muscles beyond numb to sharp pain. Then he hears the crunch of snow and pauses the slow ascent to the top. He hears low talk  and words of Kirra.

,,Around corner,'' says Kirra. Kirra leads a spread pack around the curve and the hill plateau. 

The rock cracked, chipped and worn. Rubble and boulders lay around the base between a wide open span between the rock plateau and the trees. 

,,This has been carved,'' says Kirra quiet. Her queit tone is only heard by Jan. 

Breathes, weezing, snow crunching, fatique, hunger, pain, confusion quiet all sound. The cold freezes everything else.

The cold freeze spears hands, but not the sound of the pack crunching snow and spread warning to all animals that surround.

Spear lowers and climbs then kicks off rock face to leap to ground and land on ground with a crouch near Minst. He stands and looks at Minst.

Minst breathes and lays still. He shivers and shakes. 

Spear pulls war hammar from hook loop and stands and peers through the forest then at the pack as it jogs around the curve of the rock.

Rock curves a circle arch. Boulders, rocks and pebble slides from holes and chips in the flat rock face bend and redirect the curve's path. 

The see Spear. standing in a cleaing of rock. Minst lay on the ground. 

Myst runs beyond the main pack to kneel by Myst. 

,,He lay there after I climbed from the treed. He breathes. I didn't want to move if broke.''

Jan steps with staff leading the path through the rocks after Myst.

Myst presses hands agains Myst's head and begins to say, ,,Reighn I sing to thee to all me to free on from sleep. Or be the one who guides this body of yours to heal.'' Then she thinks in mind. <Reighn will my friend be.> The hear mind opens to the void.

The song quiets and fades from Myst mind.

Jan steps, kneels and feels Minst arms and back and legs then leans to say to Minst. ,,You feel toes.''

Minst lays and breaths calm and steady.

Jan grabs a rock and taps Minst's knee. Knee jerks.

,,We need to move for a goblin horde will find our path,'' says William.

Myst opens eyes and sees William. ,,Reighn will not sing.''

,,Rieghn shines upon all, but can't shine bright for everyone all the time,'' says Shake.

The a keys of piano and strings of a harp. The stare of Reighn warms.

Myst looks to Shake. She stands.

Jan pulls packet from back and cracks it like a shell under Minst's nose. She says. ,,He lives. Legs and arm not broke. Knee moves. His mind is not with body. We need to drag. Frozen rope, branches ice bed.''

,,Throw him over the horse,'' says Guile. ''We can ride to the goblins horde.''

,,Jan,'' says William. ''How much time for the ice bed?''

,,What will we drink?'' says Guile.

,,The snow,'' says Myst.

,,Throw him over the horse,'' says Kirra.

,,No!'' says Myst.

William clenches a fist. ,,Jan, how long for the ice bed?''

Jan says, ,,Before the moon is above.''

,,Spear,'' says Jan, ''Did Minst fall or hit the wall and fall.''

Spear says, ,,I slipped from his legs and fell throug tree. Climbed down. Minst lay here.''

,,How close are the goblins?'' says Guile.

Kirra says, ,,Far enough not to hear, close enough to find us.'' Kirra putts four quivers of arrows on ground and puts arrows in two quivers.

,,Kicker,'' says William. He steps to Kicker. ''Can you carry Myst?''

Kicker blusters.

,,What if riding on Kicker hurts Minst?'' says Myst.

William steps past Myst and grabs Minst.

,,No,'' says Myst.

,,Goblins,'' says Willaim, ''Will hurt us.''

He lifts Minst and lays Minst over Kicker.

Kicker kicks and settles.

Guile steps from bucky.

,,Not too much,'' says Shake to Kicker.

Kicker shakes head and blusters.

Kirra pulls straps from two empty quivers and ties the strraps around Minst's

Spear and William set Minst on the wool sheet and lay his tose on Kicker's back with legs seated and arms around Kicker's neck.

Kirra tiess the straps from wrist to wrist around the neck and ankle to ankle around the stomach.

Myst grabs her star of Reighn, but the song of Reighn is silent in mind. ,,Reighn I sing silence when the song is to be song,'' she says.

Wiliam rubs between Kicker's hears and says, ,,Thank you, Kicker.'' He grabs a food ball from pack, says, ''Rise,'' before stepping and between rocks and over snow.

Kirra steps past William, says, ,,Line behind.''

,,The map?'' says Shake.

William hurries step to Kirra's quick stride around the rock formation. He opens map.

The map shows only paper with relief colors and a shade of brown over the surface of map.

,,I see nothing from the map,'' says William.

Shake looks through the night with eyes and not Hern's Glasses.

The map shows dim white shades like blurred text marks of goblinkin.

,,I see blurred words with no direction,'' says Shake.

,,Rise quiet. Wait for sun.'' Kirra strides fast.

Kirra, Spear, William, Shake, Guile, Kicker and Minst, Myst and Guide and Jan run a line Rise. Kirra leads a waving path between trees and brush bear of leaves  or full of pines. Snow and pines cones crush beneth foot and hoove. Spear follows and feels and peers through the night and into the shades of gray between the trees and the brush that create a wall. The snow white and spread over the brushes, trees and ground. William runs with pack bounching and scabbard hitting legs and body runs away the sore stain of body muscles and mind's sleeplessness. Shake sucks on Branching Armor sleeve, jerks, stumbles, walks, buzzes and bounces along the trail with thoughts of goblins, Reign music, Carlos, William, Waterdown jumbling and changing with every quick step. Guile sniffs and clears throat spitting snott to snow as he goes and goes over the snow walking wide and far trying to count the steps and find a thought beyond the freeze spread everywhere. Kicker kicks and steps as soft as her hooven legs can fast and silent trot through snow and trees. Minst bounces and flops. Myst jogs and watches Minst's body for life while letting the sound of the run pace with beat of her heart and step of foot. Guide follows the pack with the gentle curves leaving not trail of Guide's own. Jan runs behind with no trace of her left in the snow and against a pull of her body into the snow and the water, the roots, the worms, the under dirt streams and lakes.

They run until their muscles strain and pull and run to numb. They run until they drip sweat. They run until feet swell past the metal shims and heels. They run until boot leak, feet blister, packs sage on back, until Minst begins to feel the heart thump of Kicker and Guile's snott drips and pours from nose.  They run as cuts stink and swell and puss. They run until stabs spread and pull aprart muscles and seep blood. They run until bruises are lost with a full body pain. They run Rise.

Until Guile's lungs burn, breathes heave. His back throbs and spreads dull pain. Guile's lungs burst the snot and saliva and cold burn from lungs. Guiles slows to a stumble step.

Kicker slows stride and clomps to stop near Guile as Guile coughs loud and long and through the quiet, dark snow covered forest.

Kirra hears the cough and slow stride to walk then says with a near silent voice to all, ,,Cover the cough.''

Guile causes with lips flapping and mouth opened wide. His lungs heave and explode.

The cough fades through the silent night.

Shake hears Guide and stops against the run and speed flow through the forest. A rage bursts from the buzz and vibrates Shake's rags. He swings hand to Guile's mouth and nose. His arm moved slow as the pack move like speed beings around Shake.

Spear steps and runs along the path past Kirra then slows to stop when their sound are but whispers. He peers into the night. He only sees the pack as living moving beings in a forest of tree and snow.

William steps to Guile then stops as he stares at Shake move slow and steady through a motion to grabs Guile and cover Guile's mouth.

Myst steps from silence to the sound of Guile coughing and breaths a burn from her lungs. Her arms and leg spread a dull pain forgotten and not felts as she looks at Shake's body move slow.

Guide slows steps and looks behind then walks past Jan, toward the Set.

Jan watches and leans on staff and watches her sweat drip, dry and freeze.

,,Rest,'' say Guile. Then he coughs and pukes. Then there is silence.

Spear hears only the wind after the Guile's cough stops. He feels his heart beat feel and pain through the body. The cuts and stabs sting and beat with heart. He peers at the pack.

The packs stands back in the dark of dark of the trees. Through the night all see some depth between.

Minst sits on the ground feeling no cold from the snow. ,,We've been running near a cycle of the sun.'' She looks at Minst. ''Don't even know if Minst is alive.'' She looks at Shake. ''Shake what are you doing.''

Shake hears the words of Minst like a mouse speaks. Shake grabs air as a blurr stretches from Guiles past to present position away from Shake.

William sees shake as blurred relief lines around the outline of Shake. ,,What do we do with Shake?''

Guile breaths. ,,Give him the Speed.''

,,No,'' says William. He breaths steady and near deep.

Guile looks at William, wipes bile from mouth, spits. ,,The mind and body are finding time.''

Jan walk to Shake and sniffs near his neck as Shake's body slowly moves past. ,,Poison.''

,,Give him Speed,'' says Kirra. He breath shallow and calm. Her body cool and calm. Her face stings. Her body aches. Her cuts burn.

Myst inhales and breaths slow. ,,A plea from Reighn we need rest.'' She slouches over. Her muscles too numb to feel the cold seep through robe and hide cloths and leather pants and shirt. Her silence mind hears only the cold breeze.

Guide feels the cold breeze, and the cold spreads pleasure through her body and mind. He feels to blow away then hear Kirra and Myst's words. ,,I see no goblins. I smell no goblins.''

,,Rest,'' says Myst.

Guile walks and leans against a tree. He raises sleeve and breathes through sleeve. ,,Rest.''

,,We rest to eat and drink.'' William takes a food paste ball. ''We wants food.''

Kirra says, ,,Food.'' Then catches the food ball tossed to her from William.

Guide walks deeper into the darkness and peers.

William throws a food past ball toward Spear.

The food paste ball flies oover Shake to Spear and sinks in snow.

Spear sees the food hit and sink into snow then grabs the ball and eats the plant leaf wrap and food paste.

William touch Minst face and lowers and hears breath. ,,Minst's skin feels like near ice.''

A shallow breathe flows from Minst colld mouth.

Myst steps and puts hand between Myst and Kicker to feel Minst's heart. ,,Reighn you shine through your light and warm with your song.'' She pushes William from Minst and touches Minst's face. ''Reighn you shine though your light and warm with your song.''

William stumbles from Minst and Myst and eats his food paste.

Some of the pack eat. Some of the pack drink. Some of the pack shit and piss. Some of the pack sniff snot. Some of the pack shiver. All feel the cold cool body and numb the cut, nicks and stabs over body. Only Shake moves slow through the cold like nearly froze.

The hearts slow and the muscles grow could.

Leafless trees and barkless trees surround. Small brush with thornes grow around tree base. Leaves, snow crust and rocks spread over the ground. 

,,We need to find a place to sleep if we are to remain,'' says William watching Shake move slow. He rubs wrist and feels the blunt bicep cut rub uncut Branching armor. 

Tiny holes sting the pack's skins. Everyone from hands to head to feet and on butts and back feel tiny pokes stink with sweat and stain. 

Shake looks with eyes starring at William. His mind screams to William saying in mental words. ,,SPEED. GIVE ME SPEED!''

Guild hears Shake's rage after a light focus upon Shakes minds. The rage pushes and seeps like an open tap once Guile taps Shake's mind.

,,He needs the speed,'' says Guile. Guile stands and shivers. He covers mouth and breathes.

Spear hears the talk and steps to stare at Shake. ,,WE need to move. Sleep during the day. Find cave. Trail to follow.''

,,No trails. No animal paths,'' says Kirra.

Guide hears Spear and Kirra talk and then walks from the distant dark to the near dark and stands at the edge of the pack. ,,No animals,'' says Guile with a low quiet voice that sounds like wind.

,,Dead, scarred,'' says Jan. ''Hypernating.''

William pulls tight his pack and secures sword and armor. ,,We need to move during the night.''

,,We need to sleep,'' says Guile. Guile steps and walks to Shake. He stares to a focus point the pushes the sight into the mind only to find the focaus spread to the cold wind, the itching snot drip and tree wall and brush shurbs Rise, Wane, Wax and Set. Guile coughs and coughs and covers his mouth.

The cough sets discourse thought the song sung in Myst's mind that is put a hum on Myst's lips. Her star of Reighn warms, but not harmoney flow to all. It feels blown away with a gust of wind and a shiver. ,,Minst is freezing.''

,,He will freeze,'' says Jan. ''If he does not wake or not warmed.'' Jan feels a force touch shoulder. He looks back and sees shades of blue cold through barkless trees.

,,We will freeze if we do not move,'' says William.

,,And Shake?'' shivers out Myst letting the song of Reighn fade.

William pulls vial from pocket with Guantly had and presses the top against Shake's hand.

Shake's hand slowly glenches had to a fist feeling a slow buzz set pace to body. His mind speeds and slow seeing only dark shapes mover through the night. Then a buzz spreads form his hand, body then syncs the mind with body. His fist clenches. His body moves. He stesp. ,,Quiet the cough, Guile,'' says Shake. He blinks. ''How long? What happened? The speed. The speed. Thanks. Feeling good. Feeling like the time will be. Cold.'' He rubs arms and breathes in hands, like a flash he looks at Minst and feels his head. Before a heat beats, Shake stands before William. ,,WhatWillWeDo?''

William hides the vial, says, ,,We go.''

,,THEMAP,'' says Shake.

Guile coughs sniffs.

William sighs and nods an unrolls the map.

Faint blurred test sees through the map.

,,Walk following stars,'' says Kirra.

Guile yawns then coughs and covers mouth. 

,,We need rest,'' says Myst.

Kirra, Spear, William, Shake, Guile, Kicker and Minst, Myst and Guide and Jan find the line Rise with the stares and the walk through the snow, between trees, against brush and over flat ground. Their quick step and walk. Their walk steady and slow and stopping for a cough or stumble.

The pack walks through the breeze and the night to the rise of the Sun. Kirra leads and walks in advance seaching for tracks and goblin clues, but finding only snow and cold. William walks with stare on Kirra until Kirra walk from sight and her foot prints are the only thing to follow. Shake walks next to Kicker and Minst and Guile looking from William, Giule, Kicker and Minst and feeling Minst's faces and poking Minst's face and feeling for his knife and peering at Guile as Guild coughs. Guile coughs and covers mouth with feet slide stepping through snow while arms bundle chest and rub arms beneath the cover of the Robe of Reighn while staring at Minst and Kicker as his feet looks feeling. Minst and Kicker bounce and lead Myst's walk and hum pack through the thornes. Guide follow Kirra's path and part from the direction of Spear's lead. Jan feels forces pull pack her shoulders. She turns with staff swooping to strike. head above. 

Jan swing through air and sees shadows and sunshine.

Sun shines shies through the leafless trees and pine needs cover limbs.

The snow thins to a hard crust that is broke and melted agains the dirt and dead grass ground.

The wind becomes a breeze as the sun rises through the forest.

The forest spreads and spans from thick threes to open spaces. Throned brush spreads between the trees and over the ground growing to heights above Spear while wrapping vines around tree trunks to tree tops and limb tips. Tree bark, needs, pine cones, thorne vines and mud cover forest ground.

The breeze blows out to windless cold spread through the shadows and sun.

The pack walk follow Kirra as she appears and disappears behind the spreading thorne bushes.

Kirra finds and follows a path through the thich brushs with bits of fur hanging from thornes, shallow hoove marks, and broking thorne
vines over the ground. 

Spear doesn't follow Kirra's path, but follows Kirra. 

The path before Spear a narrow hall of tall thorne bushes that pulls Kicke's fur  and scrapes Minst hand and stabs Guile's foot.

Guile jumps and moves and looks voer the ground at the floor of thorn vines over the ground. His shout of pain becomes a cough.

The cough adds sound to the feeling of pain in Minst's hand.

Shake stops and steps and looks and watches and leaps and steps to Guile's side and grabs Guile's shoulder.

Minst jerks and shakes from thorne scrapes against his blue skin. The scrape pulls mind from dark to the dawn light. Then the shiver begins and spreads through body a
nd sets tremors through Kicker.

Kicker stops and whinnies and jerks head at Minst.

,,Myst,'' says Minst.

,,Minst,'' says Myst. She pulls the rope the bow of the rope around the wrist.

Minst feels Myst's breath on lips. Checks, ears  and fingers tips feel like hollow shells of ice. Arms contract sore, stretched and  broken muscles. Hands slide between chest and Kicker's back. One hand slides and touches spine of book with tip of ice finger. ''Hat,'' says Minst. 

Kicker's body jolts and shivers as torn hall scraps stomach and over Minst's legs.

Minst fills no pain. 

Myst steps back with William, Guide and Jan behind Guide as they follow single fle behind Kicker and between the barkless and limpless tall trees with thorn vines wrappes around trunk to tree tip. 

The brown vines and black thorns twist into bushes over the rock and silt between barkless trees and dead moss growing near height of Spear. The sand ground filled with mud ice. Mud ice cracks under Guile's foot. 

William says with a soft voice. ,,Guile, try to step around the ice.'' William looks at Guile.

Guile quickly looks from the ground to William to the ground. 

William steps over a puddle and a twisted robe of thorned vines to the silt. ''Less the trail to follow will be.'' 

Spear leads to Kirra's path that is wider than Kicker. The thorns spaning over ground from tree to tree have smashed thorns.  

The brown and green thorns twist to barkless trees tips.

The white moss rises in hight to twice the height of Spear. 

Kirra looks back for Spear then stops and watches for Spear. 

Spear appears followed by Shake, Guile, Minster and Kicker, William, Myst, Jan and Guide. The step over frozeon puddles into silt. They look through the forest of thhorns and barkless trees. They visor eyes against sun raise. 

,,Slopes down,'' says Kirra. Kirra looks at Jan. 

Jan looks at the ground and a force now pushes her back like a giant blowing on a fire, slow and steady. Her strides step wide to find the force and speed of the energy push. Jan pushes back and stops her and feels the force cover her body like being blown upon from all directions.

She stops, and Kirra watches Jan. He squints at Jan.

Jan stares at Kirra. 

All stop and look at Jan.

The force blows. The force softens and dispates. 

Jan stands. ,,A force feels to be pulling aways. A force feels to push. I do not know if they be the same force.''

,,Another druid,'' says Kirra.

,,Druids,'' says Jan.

They stand starring at Jan. Jan stands. Jan feels. Jan sees...

The greena and brown vines with black thorns span through the forest Wait up the trees around the white moss and over the ground to white trees and white moss and whit vines with white thorns.

White trees lay fallen against brown trees and tan trees. White thorns and vines crunble under step of food like clods of silt.

The silt spreads and squishes.

Feet sink near large frozen puddles.

Trees spread the span of space between trees widens. Tree shadows reach long along the ground and trees. White trees wrapped with white vine surround and white moss covers.

The white moss rises three Spear's tall.

Spear steps with Kirra. Face and fingers feel pleasure of cold. He holds hammer and says low. ,,Death.''

Kirra sees over shadows and beams of morning sun. She visors had against ice. 

Ice cleams around bones. 

Kirra leads Spear silent between white barkless trees and fallen white barkless trees laying in pieces and squishing beneath feel like spunge and spreads through the sand like ash. 

,,Croc Drake,'' says Kirra. 

,,Only bone,'' says Spear.

Before Kirra and Spear is slope of silt as wide as a lake without trees. And like a lake the slope climbs slow to a shore of white and brown trees with bark.

The distant white and brown trees with bark caste long morning shadows.

Blue sky glows with morning fire.

William, Shake, Guile, Kicker and Minst, Myst and Guide and Jan.

Jan feels no force fondle or push. Jan reaches for a path to follow through voids and space of life and sorrow. The cold is proof of life as feelings of death numb Jan's senses to dim and fade, simmer then freeze.

Guide walk withouth leave path of sound, of sight or of touch. He feels the cold like a comfort blanket wrapped tight around a baby. The droplets of snow small kisses of the mother around. His bare feet find stone and spread weight to walk over thin ice without fracturing the surface.

Myst blows into hands cupped around face and brushes top of drum rubbing a circle with her hum as a circular beat. She feels the cold like a pain glove and pain mask that can only be soothed with blowin hands. She blows in hands, rubs drum top and steps on silt, ice and white chick of trees. No song from Reighn sing to her, but her song gives warm to her and Minst.

Minst pushes hand through elven mail mess to spell book shirt and sking. He feel cold like a vice is spliting finger with red hot iron. He grips spell book and squeees fists around it spine and edge as his head lifts and bangs against Kicker's main. An echo and ring of pain vibrates from his brain.  

Kicker feels not pain of cold, but the pain of needle poks and cut along his rumb under the sanddle bags. The bags lays soft and tight, but rub after day and night of gallops, walks, strides, stomps and clomps. She feel a hunger more than the cold.

Guile feels hunger hollow and a stomach cramp that shakes dull paing to back with each step. He feels heat beneath the thick robe wrapped over body and draggin voer the ground. A small tunnel hole like a cone shines in and shows Shake and trees.

Shake peers, stares, looks, glances through the thorns and trees and grains of sand spread over flakes of snow. He holds dagger and the top of the new sack that slips from shoulder. He feels the cold like a calm buzz the heat sooths with his rapid beats. His tense and twitching mucsles warm to sweat.

William sweats  He feels the cold like a battle that slows the body in mind. He moves arms and flexes musles and finds placement and tie tension to cover his body and armor. He moves head and walks to continue the fight to warm and be fast and aware until he stands at attention by Spear.

All stand with Kirra and Spear.

,,Do we walk the clear?'' says Spear.

Kirra stares over the open silt and pond sized sheet of ice. ,,Walk near edge in the trees.''

William visors hand against forehead and peers into the shadows and sun rays. ,,We will reach the distance before the sun rises from behind the Great Mountains.''

Bone legs and rib cages lay scattered over the silt to the pond size sheets of ice. A thin snow cover the far sand shore the continues for a long run to leafless trees. 

Between the dark shadows as seen from a far nothing is heard. 

The smell of decay and rot wiff past with a cold calm of nothing. 

William raises hammer and points with guantlet along the tree line. ,,The treeline.

,,Sleep,'' mumbles Minst.

,,What,'' says William.

Kicker lets out a near silent bluster then nods head.

Myst twists neck and lays side of face on Kicker mane. The cold covers and he resists the teeth chatter and says, ,,Sleep. Eat.''

,,Rest,'' say Guile. Guile sit on ground and hunches over hiding in the Robe of Reighn. He covers mouth and coughs and coughs.

Guide steps and stands near Spear and peers through the trees and sun beams. 

Myst rests her hand on drum then covers hand with robe sleeves. ,,Sleep. Rest. Even it be in this cold and no songs of Reighn to sooth us to sleep.''

,,Sleep to feel the land and find where these force pull pleases,'' says Jan.

Shake drops sack of goblins treasure to ground.

The gound clash soft, and leads to Shake's voice.

,,Rest. We could have rest. I could use a bit of a break to see what riches we have found. Where will we sleep? Don't see any goblins. Are those bones? Bones? Wow. What was this. This..this...'' Shake leans and looks at a white vine with white thornes the twist around a brown barkless tree. ''This, this, this...'' talks to a mubmble.

The silences spreads like cold. Billows of warm breath blow clouds that blow away.

William looks at the pack. ,,Then we rest.'' He looks to each. ''We have ran like warriors for more than a rotation of the sky.''

,,We've ran more than warriors.'' Spear lets shoulders slump. He steps toward the Set.

Kirra points Rise. ,,The thorne forest.'' Then she steps through the trees and leads the pack to the thick forest of brown trees wrapped with brown and green vines covered with black thorns.

Feet, arms and rumps are poke and scrapped and the step slow through thorns.

Kicker's cold feels no more as scrape after scrape is born over her sink. She whinnies soft and near silent.

Shake pulls rambling thoughts from all to say, ,,I promise you food and Jan's paste when we camp my friend.''

A small space in a thicket of trees and thorne bush  opens. Thin beams of light shine between trees and thornes twist and wrap to trees. Thornes span over the ground and between the space of silt. Sunlight shines thin beams tin to the space inside the thicket.

,,No fire,'' says Kirra.

Shake tip toes between vines and vine ropes covered with thornes. ,,And we can lay the blankets to be let these thorne massage our backs while we sleep.''

Spear graps hooks and loops hammar the pulls out swork. ,,We chop.''

William pulls out his sword.

Jan presses the bottom of staff into the silt. Her mind draws lines then pushes those lines to form a circle.

The vines slide and slither to the edges of the cove. Paw and hoove prinst are scattered over ground. Tufts of fur hand from thornes around the three space wide enough to let a humanoid or hourse pass. 

The vines wrap and twist around trees and parameter of space. The small roont hanging from Jan's staff dig and slide into the silt.

Jan feels the threes came and her energy drain from her. Jan focuses upon her body and open her mind for the energy to return from vines.

The vines whip from the edige of the clean and wrap around jan. Vines whipes and wraps around her legs. Vines wrap around her chest  and neck.

Kirra pulls sword and slices vines. Spear spins an arch to cut two vines. William spins and slices fourn.

Jan falls to the ground and pulls the vines from neck with bleeding hands.

A force pulls at the end of the vines around the throat thought the vines cut free from the brush and vine.

Jan pulls the vines from throat.

,,We need to find some place else to sleep.'' Shake steps from the cleaning. ''This place is not safe. This is not safe. We don't want this to be. I won't sleep. Here not with vines. These vines wrapping around.''

,,Shake,'' say William like a father.

,,What,'' says Shake. ''I can talk. I'm a member of this pack. I'm equal. I'm.''

Wiliam clenches fist and peers at Shake, ,,Quiet or no more Speed.''

Shake closes mouth, bites bottom lip  and stares.

Kirr unwraps vine from Jan's neck.

Blood ring circles Jan's necke. Blood drops drip from hands.

,,Druids,'' says Jan.

,,What druids?'' says Kirra.

Jan sits as Spear and William stand around Jan watching the vines hang, wrap and settle still.

,,Me,'' says Jan. ''Another. Another more powerful and conntected to the land.'' Jan stands as her algea robe covers her neck and hands. Her body slouches and mind goes light. She sits.

,,Your staff,'' says Kirra.

,,Yes,'' says Jan. She sits and looks at Shake. ''Sleep here. YOu'll be safe.''

Shake tip toes between the throned vines and treee. ,,Safe, safe. This place isn't safe. Flying thorne vines going there and there.'' His arms riase and twist. ''Not safe. Flying thorns are not safe. They are no where safe. We can be safe without thorne vines fliying around necks. My next.'' He steps.

,,Shake!'' says William.

Shake looks at Willia, steps on thorns. feels the pain and shout, runs a blurr from the thovines over ground.

William reaches to grab Shake, but Shake spins away leaving only an image to grasp. 

Jan lays on ground and sleeps. 

,,Jan,'' says Myst. She kneels.

Kirra stands. She lets her pack fall to the ground. Then sets quivers and bow to the ground. 

Spear looks around the four directions then looks at William.

William shrugs and loosens pack straps, and pack falls. ,,We sleep here.''

Kicker blusters, and Minst slides from Kicker's back and stumbles to the ground.

Guile sits and lays on side hiding in Reighn's Robe. 

,,What are we doing? WE need to leave. We, we, we need to get out. We need to leave, leave, leave.'' Shake clenches jaw.

Spear grabs Shake and covers his mouth. ,,Be still.''

Shake squirms.

Kirra sits on the ground with Myst. ,,There's no bones. Tracks and marks of fur.''

,,What if, what if...What if...'' says Shake.

Kicker blusters, nods head to rump and saddle packs.

William pulls saddle packs and wool sheet from back of Kicker. ,,We sleep here,'' says William.

Kicker lays, and Shake falls to the ground. 

Guile, Minst, Jan and Kicker sleep

Kirra, William, Guide and Spear eat and watch. Then they sleep.

And Shake sits in the center of the clearing watching the trees and thorne vines and the sun.

The sun rises. The shadows shift. The sun lowers.

Shake stares at the trees, pisses in pants and looks through his new pack. He cleans  three copper, a silver, three fake cold goins, a gold necklace, a balanced dagger. He puts on hands a pair of wool gloves then put on Minst's hands a pair of wool glove. He hits flint and still making a spark the smells the oil, tobacco and pack full of dried meat. He tips back and forth slow and fast through the sun shine and shadows then he tips to the ground as the world around slows and stops and speeds.

Shake sits and stares at thornes. He watches the pack sleep and bundle and shiver and sleep.

Shake slows, and the buzz becomes a humm and the humm becomes a shiver.

The shiver slows and pauses then release time wheel.

The world around Shake spins then stops.

Shake falls to side then reachs and pulls to a crawl to William. He crawls slow then fast then slow. His heart beats tell the change of pace of time. The heat beats normal time as fast as huming birds. He kneels before William finding a flow between the fast and slow of time, the buzz, the heart. He sees with sun beams shinning through trees the fibers of Blue's Armor.

William lays on back.

The wool, cotton, hair and fur fibers knots thought dark shades of green, brown, black, blue. The fiber knots spread and contract around William's arms and legs and boies. The finbers knots spread like spider webs around the edge of William's arm.

Guile coughs and coughs.

Shake holds.

The coughs sounds brightens the sin light shinning from above. The cough feels to open the hidden area from the eyes and force watching. 

<|Where's that druid?> thinks Shake. Shake peers at the fiber. He says, ,,Pocket, pocket, pocket, pocket...'' until this is a breathe and, <Pocket, pocket. pocket...> He peers over the fabric and presses pumps and creases around the hims and thighs as the, <|Pocket, pocket, pocket,> is, <|Vial, vial, vial...> He presses a a roll along the hip armor piece.

William's gauntlet covered hand grabs Shakes hand. They stare.. ,,Sleep. Shake.'' The guantlet hand squeezes Shake's hand. 

Pain near a break bust Shake to say and try to pull away, ,,William!'' He crawls away from William and huddles. near thrones and trees. Then he looks at the thornes and vines and crawls and huddle snear Kicker. 

Shake pushes into Kicker's back and nestles against from the cold and the slow and fast, the fast and slow the sleep.

They sleep...And they sleep...And they sleep...

Guile coughs and wakes. Then bundles Robe of Reighn around body. Snot drips and drips...

Sun beams warm.

William's cut on bicep and the scrapes and dart pokes over Spear, Kirra's swollen face with sliver cuts and a dart hole, dark pokes along Shake's back, the burn under along Kicker's rumb under the saddle back rubs, stings, swells. 

The pack slaps and rubs pocks and slashes. 

They sleep.

Then they wake.

Kirra smells the rot sweat smell of goblins piss and sweat. She wakes with a breeze blowing through vines, thornes and trees. Her face stings and forearm throbs pains. 

The thornes and vines cover the space between the trees like grass basket woven. Thin beams of sun shine from at angle from the rise.

She sniffs.

Oil smoke flows with breeze.

A branch snaps from a distant epicenter.

Spear grabs hammer hilt and flexes muscles. He lays still as he look around.

Guile coughs and coughs.

Kirr and Spear look at each other.

They hear feet breaking ice. 

They stare and look around.

The thorns are twisted near the hips of the trees that surround like a fish net.

Goblins click and clack clacks and clicks. 

Guile coughs and the clacks an clicks stop clacking and clicking.

Shake crawls by William and Jan and puts arms around Guile's head then finds the mouth and puts lips near the Guile's mouth. ''Goblins.''

Guile pushes away Spear and coughs into hand and robe.

Kirra crouch-steps toward Jan and touches her shoulder.

Jan doesn't move.

The movementless Jan only pauses Kirra's reach into Jan's pack for the mustard and mint. Kirra tosses the packet ot Spear. Then she kneels by Jan and looks around at
the vines and thrones netting them in the trees.

Spear catches pack and gives to Guile. ,,Breathe.''

Guile's hand pokes from robe and grabs the packet.

Spear steps a stride and kneels near William. He touches William's shoulder. 

The gountlet fist swings at Spear. 

Spear hits aside forearm and guantlet then stares with William. ,,Goblins.''

Myst hears Spear and wakes.

A high pitched shout then words. ,,We know you are.''

The pack wake freeze their motion and hold. The pack asleep wake expect Shake and Jan.

Minst shivers and rubs his hands and shoves burning, aching, breaking hands between arm pits. Kicker raise head  and looks at Shake. Guide wakes and lays still and stares through the thornes.

The sound of foot cracking ice and the sword waking vines wack and crack closer and closer.

Torche light flickers from Wax. Shadows and sun beams caste from Set.

Clicks and clacks and long pitched mumbles speak near.

Guile sniffs and holds lungs convultions from bursting from mouth.

Spear looks at Guile then points to the thornes wrapped around clearing.

Kirra looks to Spear and then Jan.

Jan lays still. Her heart beats, but body is cold.

A grumbling low voice says, ,,We know you near.'' The voice a loud shout.

Flames caste light from the rise. Flame smoke floats past.

,,The mother felt you,'' says another voice. ''We hear you.''

Swords wack vines and trees and limbs. Ice cracks and vines shake.

Beams of light caste around shadows through the thicket of vines.

''Come out. You live,'' says a mumbling voice that ends talk with clicks.

The many feet. The sword hacking stops as viens rustle and settle to the ground.

The pack looks from pack to pack to pack. Sweat drips. Minds wake from dreams. Heart begin to beat and hit.

Guile holds cough pushing to explade. The tickle spreads burn.

Minst's fingers stick and stab hands. He squints against the pain. He peers through the holes between the vines.

Shadows and images of goblins and hobgoblins walk and claw past the thicket.

The goblins whack and thwak vines. Hobgoblins step past leaning and peering between the grabs of vines. The  squint and look then step.

Smoke spreads and tickles Guile's throat.

Guile holds lungs with pressed eyelids and clenched jaws and burning lungs. Then snot drips to throat, a tickles spread. The lung burn deepens. He stares from a small hole of his hood and sees the goblins' feet step through a thick wall of vines.

The sun beams dim. The breeze shifts and swirls. Oil and fat smoke spreads and blows away.

Guile's slowly exhales calm the burn and pain.

And the goblins walk past.

A voice says from a stones throw distance Rise. ''We know you are.''

They pack stares and looks around.

A few feet step past crunching ice and smashing silt.

The pack listens and tries to see through the dark.

The light through the thorns dims to dusk.

A distand shout, ,,We know you are,'' is heard as loud as a whipers.

Guile's lungs burst. He presses hands over mouth. The cough blows hands away.

Spear lungs and lands on Guile and muffles the sounds.

Guile coughs and coughs and coughs then pushes and hist Spear.

,,Quiet,'' says Spear quiet.

Quiet spreads and settles until a wind blows from Set to Rise through the thornes, vines and trees.

They shiver and hold and lay and sit until darkness of night. 

,,Jan,'' whispers Myst.

,,Mind not with body,'' whispers Kirra.

Guide says, ,,In vines.''

William stands with a groan.

,,Druids,'' says Guile as he uncoverd and sniffes then sneers at Spear as he fusses to a sit. In a normal tone, he says, ''Now what.''

Myst crawls to Minst. She says, ,,How are you, Minst?'' as Spear stands and stretches then looks and grabs and pulls on vines and thornes.

Minst says, ,,Cold,'' the Minst as William grabs a guantlet fist full of vines and pulls.

The vine pull and snag, snaps, slip through then snag. 

Small thornes fall and poke skin and stick to cloths.

,,Stop,'' says Myst swatting thorns from face.

Willia release the vines of thornes.

Thorns spread over fur and hair.

Kicker blusters and stands with clomps and steps in circles swatting thornes from hide and tail.

The pack pull and pluck thornes as the talk.

,,Can we talk nornmal?'' says Myst. ''Are the goblins gone?''

,,Hear no goblins. See no goblins. Smell no goblins,'' says Kirra.

Spear lowers hands and looks through the vines and the dim shades of gray seen from mind. ,,I feel no goblins.'' Then he pulls thorns from skin.

,,How did they find us? What is this place?'' chatters Minst. 

Kirra stands. ,,A swamp with no water.''

,,Where's the water?'' says Minst. ''Drained. Used for some goblin machine.'' His jaw shakes too much to talk.

,,Unnatural thing,'' says Kirra. Minst and Kirra stare through the dark.

Minst shivers.

,,We need to move,'' says William. He walks to the saddle bags and pulls out three food balls. He tosses two to kicker and open another hten grabs the saddle back. ''Food.'' All look. William tosses the saddle bags. ''Eat.''

Minst stands, shivers and looks around. ,,I need to empty water.'' 

Kirra peers through the thorns. ,,Through the thorns. Watch the puddle.'' She picks thorns and nudges Jan. ''Jan.''

Spear tosses saddle bags and eats paste and feels the cold calm and comfort.

Guile crawls to food then leaps to a stand when thorne in hand presses against solid silt. A yelp is hand then a half muffles cough. Then stumble to the saddle bags. He grabs food eats and picks thorns mummbling and huffing with stuff mouth.

The huffing and mummbling is blown away with a gust then cold wind.

All eat the food and pick thorne and stare through the vines for a short time then Minst shivers to ask, ,,How will we get out?''

Spear chews, says, ,,Cut.''

,,We wait for Jan,'' says Kirra with a stare even william blind in the night sees.

Jan's body lays while energy flows through the vines and trees surround the pack. He mind spans and spread through the swamp. She slides and seeps into roots of trees and vines, grass and moss and feels the energy from the sun.

As the sun shines, Jan looses and become vines and trees. 

As the sun falls, her energy stops its flow from the vine and tree covered space to the edges of the swamp then begin to contract pouring from the roots toward her body.

Her body become again. Her energy collects and thoughts trapped and left in trees and vines collects and grows to Jan.

The sun lowers below the moutains, and the last rays of light shine away from the land. 

And Jan's energy and mind flows into Jan's body. Then Jan feels the sting of darts pokes and beat of wollen shoulder.

The pack eats.

William rubs his shoulder. The body heat warming the numbing cold.

Minst shivers. ,,I need to move to...To...To...Keep warm...This.'' A wind blows the talk to silence. And steps. And pressure body. ''Need to...'' He looks around.

Shake wakes, but lies still. His heart beats steady.

,,Cold.'' say Minst. 

,,Not cold enough for pain,'' says William.

,,Cold,'' smile Spear. He spreads arms. ''Embrase it.'' Spear feels one with the cold. 

Minst stands and stomps and pulls and eats and pulls and brushes out thornes. ,,Cold, cold, cold,'' says Minst to a mumble. 

,,Quiet,'' says Shake. ''Piss in the vines. Piss in the middle. Piss on me. Take the wool sheet. Take the pack with out treasure. Just be quiet.'' Shake grabs his head to press against a push of preasure.

William swallows food, says soft. ,,Shake.'' 

A wind gusts. 

Minst holds jaw looks at Shake. ,,It's cold.'' He creates thorn scrape on writes.

Kirra peers through the vines and between trees through the night for focus on heat and movement of heat patterns between the light blue shades of trees and vines and small seedling of grass sprouting through silt. Kirra set pack on ground the quivers and blows. She pulls laces on boots and pulls through the  bows then loosesn boots.

,,Live with the cold,'' says Shake. He feels as if skin is ice. He smiles.

Kirra pulls off boots. Her bare food steps on vine thornes. 

Thorne tips 

Kirra unfassens belt and lowers scabbbard to ground. She unfastens and unties and loosens the strings links along the hip and between breasts, arms and legs of black studded leather armor. She pulls arms from studded leather armor and pushes down the studdd

Kirra takes of garments. She tosses her garment to Minst. ,,Wear. Be quiet.''

Myst stands and throws the garmet back at Kirra. ,,Be nice!''

Kirra stands naked with in night and catches both garmets with one hand.

Kirra and Myst peer at each other and stand still.

Food chewing stops. Thorn picking stalls. Guile sniffs.

Jan feels the tension from Kirra then feels cold then her body. ,,Kirra,'' she says.

Shake says, ,,William, could I have some Hern's Spectacles.''

Wind gusts freeze.

Kirra feels it as a breeze. She steps back. She sqwats and pees. She stares at Myst's. She steps to stands then dresses. 

Myst stares aways and blows head ways at taps drum a little too loud. 

Kirra glances at Myst as the drum echoes. She ties ropes and fassens hooks of black studded leather armor and the laces of knee high books. 

Minst steps past Myst with burning fingers between arm pits and steps to Kirra. He bends and grabs the garments and walks past Myst and to Kicker.

Kirra peers with Spear through the trees. 

Spear says, ,,Jan.''

Jan's cloak spread from face, hands and feet and hangs like a cloth robe from Jan. 

The vines around the trees slide and scratach around the tree twists and loops between. The vines open a path from the space toward the Rise. A few thornes fall to ground. 

,,We must leave the swamp,'' says Jan. She stands and grabs her pack and staff and stands ready to sojourn.


,,I ne, ne, need. I need to wear. I need to stream water,'' says Minst. walking and stressing in place.

,,Pee in the corner,'' says Guile.

Minst sneers cold at Guile. ,,There is no corner.''

William pulls and shifts breast plate and Branching Armor. ,,We go.'' He looks at Minst. ''We will wait form Minst beyond this clearing. Then we walk Rise.''

,,I lead,'' says Kirra. She ties and pulls boot again then pulls on pack strabs. ''Quiet. Less talk.''

Guile clears throat and swallows snot.

Spear steps with war hammer in hand an steps through the vine and thorne tunnel to a maze of thorne vines and trees. He steps into more darks shakes of gray to black. The deep black surround with the gray of vines sway with wind. 

The cold wind blows around Kirra. The wind softly blows cold through the black leather giving a shiver. Small pumps spread over Kirra's body giving pleasure to her smile as she steps from the thorne tunnel and walks past Spear between the trees and in the wind Rise.

The wind shifts and whips. Bits of thorns fall and blow down upon upon Shake.

His neck itches. He wipes and quickly picks the wool sheet free of thornes then he lays wool sheet over Kicker's pack. Shake's mind spreads the itch over body then time slow and hastens as Shake feels the wind force slow and haste. The wind cools near a freeze the sweat seeping from Shake's sleeves. Shake walks behind Kirra and holds pack to back and sack of goblins treasure in hand. Shake sucks on end of sleeve tasting no buzz and feeling no buzz and a sting of dart pokes.

William throws the saddle pack over Kicker. 

Kicker lowers head and follows Shake through the thorne vine hall.

Jan walks after Kicker with a feeling from her body like a rope forces tugs her body to the spot where she lay. Every musles twitchs and yanks, but then with a step into the tunnel from the clearing the force feels to snap.

Guide feels the force snap from Jan, and he feels the trees dies. His bare feet thick with skin don't feel the tiny thornes sticking into to feet. 

Jan and Guide stand by William and Shake. 

Jan and Guide is followed by Guile as he groans to a stand and huffs to a stance. He breathes through the mustard and mint cream he holds in one hand while other holds close the Robe of Reighn. The wind blows through the part of robe giving Guile a shiver as he walks over the silt to stand and watch Kirra walk Rise to the night.

They stand out while Myst and Minst stand in. 

,,I will wait...'' says Myst. She holds her Star of Reighn and listens to the wind as she turns to the night. She grabs the glasses of Hern and slides them over ears before she sees relief lines draw around trees and for vines. The lines glow shades of tree and the night. She hears Minst urine splash and puddle in siltn.

Minst unwrap and untie the Elven chain mail. Mist pees, quickly unmesses and pulls off cloths. His body shockes. Muscles tense. The shaking locks. He shivers and vibrates to movement. He hold spell book in his hand. He passes spellbook from hand to hand as he pulls the shirt garment over head the through arms. He hols the spell book in hand when he puts the garment pants over legs. 

Warmth spreads over Misnt skins from shin to forearm. 

Minst wraps and ties the Elven Chainmail and slides spell book into its folds.

The freeze of skin warms to cold. 

Minst feels calm as he straps on pack and pulls on knife scabbard then walks the hall into the wind that forces only the blow on Minst's body. He scratches his wrist.

Minst steps on a vine. 

A snap gives sound with the wind. It gives a string note in Myst's mind. It causes Kirra to pause and look back.

Kirra steps silent RiseWax through the thorn vines and trees to trees. 

Spear steps with Jan and Guide silent through three trees. 

Shake feels the silent trail and finds the path through the darkness seeing shadows and dark shades of night. 

The moon and stars light a dim path through the thornes and vines to bares trees and open silt.

The silt spreads around Kicker's hooves. Kicker's hoover spreads and smears the vine and thorns. She steps around rocks and ice puddles.

The silt becomes mire and muck as the ground slopes to rise.

Kirra slops through the muck up a slop to dirt, dead grass and trees roots hanging from bank. She stands in shadow tree and watch over the basin of swamp.

The swamp spreads slowly Rise and Set then Wane beyond hte sight thought night. Campfire flickers along hte bank of desert far to RiseWane. A group of torces are near the dark horizon over the falt silt basin of the swap.

The wind blows the only sounds. It whisltes and low moan with creek and tree gives sound where the silence of life spreads like a void. 

The smell of rot, decay and zing of goblins shit fill the void to spread the feeling through the sense. 

Jan feels the void in the lift of the swamp. The dead trees blow with the wind as the wing blows against the packs skin as they leave the basin of the swamp to the ground of the marsh. 

William slips and falls splat in much. Half his face wears mud mask, and body wears must caste.

Shake holds mouth and nose and hides smile. He looks away and toward Spear and Kirra.

Spear steps and helps William stand.

They steps and climb. Jan and Guide walk with ease and little trail. 

Spear holds William from slips and tips and helps push Kicker rump up the slop to the bank and graps. He casps.

William clasps roots and grass and pulls to shore and trees. 

Shake steps slow to the grass and up a tree root to a trunk then a thick limb.

He stands on limb and stares.

Kirra points to the campfires and torches. ,,Goblins.''

,,The map,'' says Minst.

,,Light,'' say William with sigh. ''Sun light for the map.''

Minst step and pulls spell book from armor folds and holds it to Kirra. ''My map.''

,,Light.'' Shake jumps, grabs tree limb, swings and flips. Mid flip to time flow slows then speeds. Shake's feet lead the tumble to ground.

Minst steps by Shake's head and walk Rise past Kirra. ,,Need some light, Shake?''

Kirra stops. ,,Move rise. Look at map rise.'' She looks back at the pack.

Wiliam steps and leads the pack after Kirra.

Kirra runs through the trees.

The pack follows with Kirra, and Kirra leads silent and without trail or sound. Spear and Guile sees Kirra and leads the pack through the night. 

Trees with bark, no bark, pine needls and steel tough leaves span thick and thin around. Brush thin, thick, small and tall grow around tree bases, fallen trees, rocks and mounts of dirt and mud.

The marsh muds squishes and sucks then holds with a pop the food steps then becomes bumpy and hard as the feet and hooves run through the forest of swamp and makrs.

Bones of aminals and caracases of birds lay bare along their bath. 

The pack runs through the wind and night.

Campfire lights flicker through trees. Torchlights dot the distand horizon as the pack runs through an open field toward a forest.

The pack jogs for short span then runs then walks throug the night stopping for breath. They pack stops after jogging aross the clearing to the forest.

Patches of snow cover the forest flow. The snow crush crumbles under boot and hoove.

Kicker blusters a calm bluster while Guile falls to the through sweating and cough into arms.  

Each cough and Guile feels to pop his lungs from chest. Shake kneels and looks to Myst to heal. The night hides Shake's look to Myst from Myst.

Myst steps with deep and slow breaths to Minst. 

Minst bends to knees and breathes. His chest heaves and coughs then quivers and calms. He squeezes hand feel all put the tips of fingers. 

,,Slow and stready,'' say William as he wipes hand over brow.

Sweat drips and drips and drips.

Sweat drips from Spear. 

Spear open saddle pack and tosses two food bundles near Kicker's head then tosses them to each of the pack.

The bundle of Guile's lands by his knees.

Spear eats. 

The pack eats and breathes and sweats. 

After a swallow and between breathes, Minst says, ,,How much...How much more?'' 

William swallows. ,,Until the sun rises and a safe place is found.''

Minst leans gains tree adn breathes. He inhales then exhales slow. He clenches a first to try to squeeze and feel finger tips. ,,How long until sun rise?'' 

,,Sun rise,'' says Spear. 

Shake steps to Kicker. Like the run through the trees and with a pack, Shake feesl time slow and speed between beats of heart and breathe. He feel an ache burn through body from the arm and legs. His thoughts a process of focused movement until he stands by Kickcer and rubs Kicker under jaw.

Kicker shakes head from Shake's rub and tickle and eats the food on the ground. 

Guile coughs and coughs. His head feels like underwater and lung feel asif on fire. Throat feels roungh and sore. Sweat pores adn cough sounds soar through the night.

Kirra hears the coughs through the forest a long runf rom the pack. 

The cold spreads and contracts around Kirra sppreading through leather and boots. She kneels. She breatehs to slow breath. She listens, watches, smells and feels the forest with the cold.

Guile coughs against then goes silent as the coughs sound to choke Guile. He inhals the mustard mint. Mint cools the lungs and clear the snot, but doen't scratch the throat itch like a coarse cough that coughs and coughs and spread through the night no matter how hoard Gulie presses agianst mouth.

,,We need to move,'' say Spear.

,,Why?'' says Minst. He looks from fists to hands to Spear and peers and nearly sneers.

,,We have beacon for the goblins.'' Spear stretches. Spear lifts arms. A stab of pain spreads then fades from his side and ribs.

Guile coughs.

William clenches guantlet. He snapes words, ,,Can Reighn sing this cough from the chior?''

Myst chews and swallows a gulp. Her throat tenses mouth to sing rage, but says with a near sigh. ,,There is no song being sung.''

,,Spells,'' says Shake as his world slows. He rubs his stinking dart pokes on shoulder. 

The pack stares as Shake and stares then return to heating, breathing and sweating.

The like statue coming to life Shake pops to movement. ''Minst, that disk. The floating on. cast it. Let Guile float. Rest. You sit on-'' The Shake stops.

Myst huffs a smile lost to the night.

,,I need rests,'' Minst stresses with tone and sweat of hands.

Kirra hears the talk and starts to walk with no care to sound. She steps on ice, snow and squishing dead grass.

The pack eats, breaths, drinks water. 

Kirra says, ,,Too much Nose. We move.''

Myst swallows. ,,Rest.''

KIrra looks at Myst. ,,Quiet.''

Then without talk or show, Kirra steps into the woods. Spear, Jan and Guide stand and follow. Kicker steps slow nudge Shake in the back then looking at Guile.

Guild sits on ground breathing without cough or snot.

Kicker walks to Guile and rubs wet nose to his forehead.

Myst swallows. Minst holds his hand, stands and steps after Kirra.

Myst walks close and hooks arm around Minst's forearm. ,,We will go together and have a duet if we are left behind.''

Kicker bluster and motions head to her back.

Guile nods, and Shake helps him on back.

Kicker walks side ways to Minst and jerks her head back.

Minst pets Kicker near the saddle pack. ,,I have been your burden already.''
He rubs wrist. He rubs butt soothing an itch.

Myst squeezes Minst arm then steps and walk following Spear, Jan, William and Guide with Kirra joggin silent through the trees. The throbs, stings, itches, burns bounce away.

The pack jogs and runs. 

Kirra runs. Trees, rocks, brush, vines, dead grasss, snow patches, snow rush past snow, snow patches, dead drass, rocks, mounds, hills, vines, trees and small mounds of dirt. Kirra runs on rocks, dirt,  vines over snow patches, ice patches mud. 

Spear, Jan, William and Guide jog after Kirra following her steps and path. 

Shake, Kicker, Guile, Myst and Minst walk-jog on snow and ice patches and mud. Kicker's hooves only loud when the sound heard only with Shake's step. Guile's sniffing, breath and step break through the night. 

The packe jogs and runs throught forest, a clearing, around a hill through thick then thin trees. The pack runs and jog until Guile falls to the ground. 

Kirra hears Guile hit snow, branches and rock. She step looks through the forest. 

Trees and plants span until not sight is seen. The stars dim and clouds cover patches. 

She runs to Guile.

Guile's ankle pops then pumps pain from ankle to body. He clenches jaw. He holds lung cough with the whimper. A tear rolls down check and freezes.

Shake steps, pivots, is near the gound nearly as soon as Guile's head hits the ground. Then time slows and all that surrounds is motionless. Shake stares at the motionless head of Guile hitting rock... He sees. He watches. He stares. He feels nothing. He tries to peer and move eyes but life is motionless. His focus is upon the head of Guile.

Guile's head connects and bounces aganst rock. His head bounces.

Shake sees. Then all motion for Shake moves forward, and Shake grabs Guile's head says, ,,Guile.''

Kicker's quick walk stops and hooves step back. 

Myst and Minst walk forward, but look back. 

Minst slows, and Myst pushes forward. 

,,We need to move,'' say Myst as She and Minst look at Guile.

Spear, William and  Guide she Kirra turn then hear Guile file and stop. They stand and look through the night. Through shadows and darkness, shades of gray and seeing darkness as light they see trees and brush covered with patches of snow. They see Kirra run silent toward and past. She strides then steps to Guile.

Shake pauses between time. 

Kirra lifts Guile, says, ,,Kicker, we need your strength.'' 

Kicker blusters and nods head back. 

Kirra lays Guile over Kicker's back. Kirra lays the robe over his body. 

Shake remains kneeling and starring where Guile once lays as Minst and Myst step quick with Kicker. 

Kirra grabs Shake's Branching Armor and lifts.

Shake stands and stumbles and finds steps in time. 

Kirra runs to the lead and rune Rise through trees, brush, vines...

Jan stands watching the pack run Rise. Their energy a faded spark. Jan feels her body's side and shoulder throb with heart beat. Jan feel's the trees, brush and vines growing from the void. Their life feels to be growing from nothing. 

Her pain throb pumps into her staff. Her cloak of mold covers her body and staff. The staff grows roots. The robe and staff fall into the mold and rot over the forest floor covering the void of lifelessness.

Through the forest the plains the mold of dead grass spans under the feet of the pack as Jan flows from the mold then run behind Kirra. The mold robe spreads over face, staff, hands and feet. Her feet run silent with Kirra.

Kirra feels Jan and runs with Jan. 

Spear sees Jan appear from the ground. He feels the void beneath life of the planes.

The pack runs from trees to a plane of burnt stumps and ash the hills of grass ash mixed with mud and snow all froze.

The morning begins to shine a blue rim around the horizon of the Grand Mountain. 

The pack jogs and strides, stumbles, over the plane of ash to the flat land of snow and rock. 

William jogs and feels the bicep cut rub against pad that rubs against chainmail that rubs against platemail that is held tight to William by Blue's Armor. Blue's Armor holds William's armor tight and firm and silent with William's run-jogs over over plane then hills.

Minst jogs and drags leg. He scratches wrist and clenches fist to try to feel the tips of fingers. He touches spine  

Myst push a run against Minst. Small pokes of darts sting back. Sting stikes a single cord with the tempo of the jog with no voice or song to play. Sweat drips from the run as the pack on back rubs against stings of darts on shoulder.

Shake run fast and silent between the pauses of time. Stings of darts spread over body feel like tickles and itches spread over body as time begins again and he stumbles a run to Kicker. 

Kicker kicks a soft trot bouncing Guile a soft massage bounce over the cut and burn under. Kicker trots in pace with Shake with direction Kirra's trail.

Kirra feels no pain only a cold cooling her hot pumping body. She run to top of hill. 

A plane spreads from the slope with thousands of boulder sized mounds. 

Kirra peers through swollen socket along the thousands of mounds over the plane.

The flicker of fire flashes Wane between distant mounds along the thousands of mounds over the plane.

Kirra kneels.

Jan stands and feels death.

Spear, William and Guide run the side of the hill.

Between deep breaths Minst and Myst step up the hill.

Kicker steps past with only one loud clomb againt rock near the top of the hill.

Skake pause through time to kneel up the hill near the pack.

,,The map,'' says Kirra.

Wiliam fumbles and opens pack. He puseh arm in finding now map. Then he opens a side paocket and pulls out the map.

The map unfolds like rectangle.

Wiliam walks with elbows to the sun. William pulls the map and holds it to the blue line over the sky.

Jan, Kirra and Spear follow. Guide looks over the mounds.

The sun shines throug the map.

Lines and goblins text appear over the land spanning before.

Seven rows of goblins words hover.

William turns the map Wax.

Three more word words appear over the land while four other fade.

William move the map Wane.

One word overs over the land to the RiseWane.

,,WE have many paths.''

Jan reads the words aloud and poinst from Wax to Rise to Wane saying, ,,Frlk'thc'lane, road. Ji'kln'Op, river. Talak'lin, I know not.'' She points RiseWax. ''Cla, farm. Wick'chita'klan, A camp. A clan camp.'' She points Rise. ''Gry hit' ka' klan, Gry hit'ka camp. Hit'ck'lok klan.''

,,The Hit'ck'lok clan,'' says Kirra.

Jan poinst from Rise to Wane. ''Alk' klan. Tri' klan. Frlk'thc'lane. Tainn, town.'' Her finger ponits RiseWax.

,,Town,'' says William. It means town.''

,,City small,'' says Jan.

,,No name,'' says William.

Jan looks at William. ,,Town.''

Shake kneels and feels nothing between pause time then feels the stings and the cold wind. He says, ,,Minst has a map in-'' Then pauses between time. 

Minst and Myst step toward the bottom of the hill. 

,,Be still,'' says Willliam as he crouches then walks to Minst and Myst. ''The map. The map you drew of the releif.''

Minst stares at William and looks away. ,,The map.''

William nods. ,,The map.''

Minst looks at William. ,,The map.'' He grabs knife hilt, unscrews and pulls out parchment. Then screws the base of hilt to scabbard. He hold the parchment to William. ''The map.'' He forces a smile.

William winks and nods. ,,I thank Rieghn for your wisdom.'' He walks hill fumbling the parchment while Minst and Myst watch.

The parchment unfolds.

A detailed darwing with mountains, rivers, hills spans from one side the fades to lines on the other side.

William sits and turns the map for the arrow on map to point West.

,,Key,'' says Shake.

Wililam peers at the map. ,,Like the one read in tactical training. The dots and circles villages to cities. The waving lines a river. The thick lines roads. Swirls are ponds and shaning forest.'' William points to the top. ''That is the tower. Says Westmore.'' The dots at the top are the desert.''

,,He began drawling from the top. The place we go,'' says Spear.

William points to the x with a circle. ,,The city. The tower.''

,,And were are we?'' Spear leans close to William. ''He didn't finish.''

Jan says, ,,He had no time.''

Kirra looks at the map of Minst. She points Wax on the map. ,,Theres are road here. A river. Forest below. He points to a hollow circle and looks at William. ''A town or city.''

,,Town,'' says William. ''But there's no scale. WE could be.''

,,How many days travel was said?''

,,Thirty, forty cycles of the sun.''

,,We've travelled three.'' William poinst to the raod winding from Lyno toward the city near the dessert.

Kirra looks away and grabs William's map and looks through at the marks. ,,Town. We go to town.''

Spear chuckles.

William folds the map and lets out a sigh. ,,And what to find.''

,,Place to hide, plan. Rest,'' says Kirra. ''Scavange.''

Jan rolls on to chest and peers over the hill and to the mounds. ,,Is it still a town?''

The pack stares over the thousands of mounds over the plane to the horizon. The horizon glow a light blue. 

Dawn blindness gives shadow of the planes.

Kirra says, ,,We sleep on hill's bottom. Watch at top through the mound.''

William looks along the sihlouettes of mounds to the blue line horizon. ,,One person watch.''

The blue line horizon radiates to black. No stars twilight the sky.

Spear speers at the fire flicker over the horizon and between rows and columns of mounds. ,,The will scout the ridge.''

William says, ,,I'll have second watch.'' He stands. ''Kicker, you need rest and food and water.'' William steps down. ''Please come with me.''

Kicker follows William. 

Guile bumps on Kicker's back. 

Myst grips Minst's hand. ,,You deserve rest after the flight.''

Spear stands and slaps Minst's back. ,,You deserve rest for days.'' Spear grabs Minst's shoulders and jerks Minst to stare with him. ''I live because of you.''

They stare.

Spear pushes Minst down the hill.

Minst stumbles then walks with Minst while looking back at Spear. His clenched fists feel no tips. 

Myst grabs Minst's fist. 

Shake kneels and feels not pen pricks burn like needle itch. 

William clasps Shake's shoulder, and  Shake feels the needle itch and his heart beat with speed.

William says, ''Guide, sleep.'' He lifts Shake to a stand. ''You come come with me. We need to be rested. Spear.'' He looks at Spear. ''Third watch?''

Spear nods he steps to boulders in hills side. He lays pack on ground and bastard sword up hill as he lay in wedge between rock and hill slope up. 

''Kirra,'' says William. ''Wake me after dawn and before zenith. We all needs sleep.'' 

Kirra looks along the thin blue line. She lays bow and guiver at sides and lays on stomach with only head seeing over the rim.

Wane the hill peaks roll. Wax the hill top spans like a wall until the hill peak becomes a sihlouette of a shadow.

Jan lays head on hill top Wax Kirra. She lays staff on ground and gripped. She sleeps.

Spear sleeps. 

Guide finds a rock cropping between the bottom of the hill and top of the hill, and sits and sleeps.

William, Myst and Minst, Kicker and Guile, Shake walk past Guide to the bottom. 

William tosses food packes on ground and pulls water skins from Kicker's back. He pulls Guile and lay Guile on ground.

Guile clasps the mustard and mint ball and lays on ground. He hears, tastes, touches, smells and sees darkness, but only because his eyes are close from the vibration in skull.

William steps from Guile and takes cap of one and pour water for Kicker to drink until small ice cubs plug the water. He says while helping Kicker drink, ,,We eat. We drink. We sleep close.'' He pulls saddle packs and feels the cut rub against chain mail link spur. 

Saddle bags fall to ground, and Shake see the cut.

Shake reaches and peers at the cut along Kicker's rumb. ,,The. Saddle. Bags. Need. To. Ride. Lower.'' Shake moves slowmotion toward Guile.

Minst and Myst stand. Minst kneels and land lays with hands under armor in body in fetal position. Myst lays pack on ground and lays mace behind Minst back. She kneels then lays behind Minst like a spoon holding milk. 

Small rocks poke sides but numb after lay warm and calm. 

Minst rubs his wrist.

Minst and Myst sleep. 

William and Kicker eats. The Kicker lays with head near Guile covering. Guilds legs and back. He lays rump and legs behind Myst blocking the wind for all.

William eats and drinks then sits against Kicker's back, facing the wind, the finding sleeping as he sits. His sword lay to his side.

The wind blows trails around the hills. Wind blows over the Kirra and the hill top that spane like a while Wax.

Kirra peers into the wind. Kirra shivers and presses body agains the top of the hill and its round, clear, dead grass and dirt ground.  The cold seeps through threads and chills and hold skin like a cold blanket.

Kirra stares. She eats. She watches.

The sun rises from the horizon.

A thin line of black draws along the horizon as the line of blue spans the sky and glows to a light blue then a dim yellow. The light castes the patch clouds above a light gray. The gray clouds float slow over during the morning until the sun shine begins to rise from the black line along the horizon.

Below the horizon the flicker fires fades as the smoke rises and clouds to the sky.

Shadows stretch cover the hill casting the valley in darkenss.

Kirra peers and stares. She eats slows.

Guile coughs below. His hack carries away with the blow of wind.

Kirra peers through the darkness as the cough fades.

The sun rises.

Kirra stands and walks low below the shadows and between the boulders and rocks spanning over wide spaces along the long hill.

The sun rises.

Kirra then lays and looks through the mounds.

The thousands of mounds become the color brown with the light shining upon their white reflecting tops.

Kirra looks along the slop down. It's rock free surface slopes to dirt and some snow. Kirra rolls on back and slips down. She grabs a pebble and tosses it down to William.

The pebble hits William leg.

Wiliam grabs swords and raises guantlet hand. He blinks. He squints. He stands.

His shoulder throbs then stings as he stands.

The pack lay sleeping in a huddle around Kicker.

The wind blows cold and soft.

William grabs swords and food ball. He grabs water skin and walks the hill.

Bright lights shine.

William kneels and crawls to lay near Kirra.

The peer over the hill.

Kirra crawls from hill top the walks to a rock crop and lays along hill against rocks sleeps with wind blow soft over face holding her like a blanket and the sun shining upon her face.

The sun light shifts and the shadows cast wax.

Guild coughs fits once, twice then three times during span of short time.

William watches the shadows between the mounds, the rocks, the hills and the smoke rising and speading through the wind. He looks at Minst map and tries to line the map with the words on his map. He stars and peers and finds no connection.

The wind blows, clouds move.

William stares long the hill tops and through the mounds. He stands and walks. He tries to shift armor to find room for the cut on shoulder. He pees. He poops. He watches. He stretches.

The sun lowers.

Spear wakes.

Shadows caste him in darkness. Clouds cover the sky. Gray spreads.

Bright shines from Set.

William stares over the mounds.

Spear rolls and grabs swords and walks to William. ,,Sleep.''

William stares. He nods and walks the mountain to the valley. He lays he sleeps sitting against Kicker back.

Night spreads and clouds cover the darkness. 

Spear watches a fire burn far off the distance a flicker like a spark. She lays and stomach, side then stands. He walks over to the only rock standing on top of the long hill. He stands against it and the wind.

The wind blows from gusts to a steady stream between the rockes and hills and dips of valleys. It blows over William then Kicker, Guide, Minst and Minster and Shake.

Kicker's tail whips sore on side then lays and tickles Myst's hear. 

Myst then hears from her sleep from silence to the wind like a flute near hear. Her inner voice she does hear as she huddle and holds Minst. The voice speak from her mouth as a whisper and the question, ,,Reighn for who do I sing?'' She feels the wind play her ear like a flute then the flute sing in her mind with the voice caste from a place between time. ''It is Myst of Reighn, your instrument to play the fates.'' She closes and holds to Minst and squeezes.

The squeeze pulls along Minst's wrist. 

Minst rubs wrist against the spine of spell book.

Kicker shifts again and knockes against Minst.

Minst wakes. He stares through the night feeling only the cold on face, feet. His hands burn and throb as the sweat and warm under elven chainmail. He taps finger tips against spellbook feeling points of pain. He rubs wrist and feels a burn spread from wrist. 

Myst arms tighten as he hers her mumble and humm.

Minst slide and fidgets spellbook from elven chain mail and open it before him. He grabs his components, lays on sides and reads the illuminating runes mumblings and songs that seep through the wind into Myst's mind and prayer.

Her prayer spreads from her body. Kicker's 

The prayer warms William, Kicker, Guile and Shake. William shoulders numbs then feels to fizzle and tickle through his dreams. Kicker's cut along rumb scabs and to skin. Shake sleeps and feels the pin pricks over body. Guile feels the throb in head soften to a slow pump, and lungs cool and calm.

Myst's song sings no further than the bundle of the pack. Guilde hears it with the win as he lay between meditation and awake. Spear hears Kirra snore then wake herself with the sound and roll to side. 

Spear watches through the night seing the dark shades of gray mounds and the grounds. He watches the distant flicker of fire light.'

Through the snight Spear watches until he hears Jan wake and roll to her side.

Two flickers of light appear between the dark gray mounds then disappear. One light moved Wax. One light moved Wane. Both flicker near the flickering.

Spear stares and peers and hears the wind. ,,Did you see?''

Jan looks through the night. ,,What?''

,,The light,'' says Spear he steps from the rock to the hill top.

Jan looks through the night, along the horizon. 

Flickers of light Wax and Wane moving Set.

Jan push stands and steps to Kirra to kneel and says, ,,Kirra. Flame light.''

Kirra wakes as Spear stares. 

The flickers of light appearing between the mounds for flashes become a group of lights.

Guide hears the feet of Jan, Kirra and Spear scrap rock. He wakes and slowly stand.

A shade appears behind Spear, and Spear raise war hammer to swing.

Guide appears. 

Spear peers and lowers hammers. He looks along the horizon.

They watch the fires flicker between the mound. The lights wax disppear to dots then darkness. The lights Wane blink to distant hill side in line with the hill side where half the pack stands. 

,,Night scouts,'' says Spear. ''What are they scouting?''

,,What are the mounds?'' says Kirra.

Spear steps down the mountain. ,,Wake William.''

,,Yes, shaman,'' says Guide as Guide runs down the mountain.

Spear stops step and stare.

Kirra and Jan looks at Spear.

Jan smiles that can almost be heard, ,,Shaman.''

Spear watches Guide until Guide wakes William then he looks with Jan and Kirra at the flames Wax and RiseWane flicker.  

William wakes. He feels warm and clam. His heart beats with calm humm from Myst's. 

Guide kneels and feels warmth and harmony through body, says, after a pause. ,,Shaman Spear wishes you awake to see the torch light shining Wax.''

William stands and says, ,,Shaman.'' He grabs swords looks at Guide. ''Shaman?'' He walks the hill to the top and says, ''Shaman.''

Myst hears William says, ,,Shaman.'' She opens eyes and looks at William stands and walk stoic up the hill.

The song's add lyric of Shaman feels to sing with the rough voice of Shake. Myst closes here eyes and lays he hear to the ground finding the power and guidiance of the Song of Reighn.

Wrapped in a Robe of Reighn, Guile wraps the rope tight around body, and he grabs a ball of food hidden in its pocket and eats. He feels Kicker's head shiver and flinch. 

Kicker feels a chill with the brisk wind. His tail flips and hits Minst.

Minst doesn't feel the tail, but reads his spell book. 

Shapes span from page and form dimensional relief to create the conduit and container from the thread from the magic weave. A caparet appears floats and twists and rolls to a circle then the circle spins a sphere the sphere expands and pops threads that trace squares. The squeares turn to blocks. The blocks shack and create a plane to fly above...

Above Minst's William steps to Spear and says, ,,Shaman.''

Jan smiles. ,,Shaman.''

The flame shines Wane

Spear points Wane, ,,Fire.''

William squints and sees the faint spark. ,,How far?''

,,The fields of Lyno,'' says Kirra.

William points RiseWane. ,,The town is that way.'' He looks to the dark mounds. ''What are the mounds?''

Kirrs steps down the hill. ,,Watch for fire.'' She was the hillside.

The dirt crumble beneth her feet. Flat rocks skip ver the surface of the hill. Dead grass lay near rot.

,,Shaman,'' says William.

,,Shaman,'' the lyric sings in Myst's mind. Her Star of Reighn she does find. Myst holds the Star and feels it vibration like a tuning fork time her song to be with Reighn. The song does sing for Myst to rise.

The hills span through the night. The edge of cold warms with the song. The wind blows. The smell of mustard and mint flows from Guile, Shake and Kicker. 

The stings of dart pokes and cuts of goblins claws sooth from the sting. 

The song blows away with the wind. It blows tail fethers over Minst's face. 

Minst feels a shiver then a chill over energy spread and cover his body. 

Square, triangles, circles spins to cubes, cones and spheres creating a comet the flows and spins the fades.

Minst turns that page of his spell book.

The shapes forming a commet expand with the symbols seen, the chant heard and the slow moving through over the air with Myst song.

Kicker's whinney gives perk to Guile and Guide who stands staring along the hills.

The canyons 

,,Did you say shaman, Guide?'' says Shake. He stands, stretches and yawns.

Jan and Spear hear the yawn, but follow Kirra as she steps to the bottom of the hill and near a mound.

The smell Kirra smells before hits her like wall to the senses. The wind blows, but the fumes of the rot stench hang.

Kirra steps toa mound of mounds.

The mound as high as her waise is twice as long and wide as her height. The mound's top is covered with a thing crust of white that thin to back muck around the base.

The mounds that surround are tall and short, narrow and wide. 

Kirra steps, and her feet sink into a mud.

Fumes push Kirra, burst lungs and gag throat. 

Hear fumes from an oz beneath a crust of ice near the bottom of the mound.

Kirra pulls an arrow from quiver and pokes the white crust of mount. The arrow tip breaks the white crust the pulls and spreads the crust from the mound.

Fumes rise. Heat vapors spread.        

Piles of carcasses spread thorugh the mound. Small and large goblin legs, arms, feet, ribcages, heads, spines. Bits of flesh hang and fall from a rib cage Kirra lifts. Muscle and flesh roll like sludge from bone.    

KIrra steps back. She breaths and runs the hill over its bare stiff ground. 

A light dot flickers wax. 

Kirra watches the light as Jan, Spear and William stare.

,,Moving to us,'' say Spear. 

Jan sees Kirra. ,,The mounds.''

Kirra says, ,,Dead goblins.''

William stares to the mounds through the night. 

The night, clouds, land hide with darkness the mounds.

,,My night sight sees not the distant, but the dot of light,'' says William. He grabs Hern's Glasses from pounch then puts Hern's Glasses into pouch.

Kirra steps. ,,They are near.'' Kirra runs over rocks and around and over boudler stuck in the hillside down the Guide, Kicker, Myst, Minst, Guide and Shake.

Guide sees the thought from Spear. >Danger near.< Guide says. ,,Shaman sees danger nearing.''

Myst sings. Minst reads. Guile hears. Shake says, ,,Shaman?''

Shake hears rocks scrape and roll and he pulls dagger from hip sheath. Then sees Kirra.

Kirra looks at his dagger. ,,Patrol. Nearing. We go.''

,,Shaman Spear told Guile and Guile told us,'' says Shake. He grabs pack. 

The wind gust and frozen mist blows. 

Kicker lifts head, pushes Guile.

Guile pushes back and rolls. Food catches in through and he coughs and coughs. Then stands.

The cough is heard in Myst's song and to Spear, Jan and William's ears. 

Shake leaps over Kicker bending legs and covers Guile's mouth. ,,Quiet.''

Kicker stands. 

Shake throws saddle bags over Kicker's rumb, grabs the sack or goblin goods, nudge's Minst's leg with foot. ''Minst!''

Minst reads and sees a sphere expanding between him and book shifting colors as it spreads. Then sphere pops.

Kirra pulls throws Minst's spell book on ground. ,,Goblins near.''

Minst nods and slides spell book and stands with pack and ready.

The song of Reighn sings of no danger nor harm. The calm tempo with the lyric of Shaman sung with Shake's voice spreads mirth.

Myst smiles and sits lotus. Her hands rest on drum top. 

,,Myst, goblins,'' says Minst.

Shake pulls Guile up to a stand. ,,Where we go? Which way to the Rise. Where? Where we going?''

,,Where are we going?'' says Minst. 

Kirra steps and nudges Myst's shoulder. ,,Shaman say something about where?''

Myst shakes and hand taps drum. 

Drum tap echoes soft. 

,,Myst's drum?'' says William. He clenches jaw and fist. ''We need to move.''

Spear raises hammer head and points. ,,Between. RiseWane. To the town.''

,,To the town and through the void,'' says Jan. 

A void spans. with a mounds of bacteria, mold, maggots, rats, grow over void plain. 

Jan feels to float on dead grass ate away. ''Through the dead.''

They stands and watch the fire flicker dark light to stay light. 

,,We move RiseWane,'' says Spear.

,,Shaman Spear says we move Rise Wane,'' says Guide.

Shake smiles. 

Kicker steps and walk the hill around bolders. 

Minst kneels to Minst. He puts hand on her hand and drums. ,,We need to go. Goblins are near.''

The song of Reighn plays then sings a loud sole of Minst words being song with wind, string and a drum beat. 

Myst stand and steps and sees the night with sound. 

The rocks are a drum edge slap and blouders a center slap. The tempo increase with climb. Winds like fluts create the ground of sound. 

Myst hums and beatehs with wind.

Wind blows and gusts and spread dust. 

Myst leads Kicker, Minst, Guide, Guile and Shake after Kirra.

Kirra runs and strides to the hill top. She steps very near Spear.

Spear feels Kirra, says, ,,RiseWane.''

Williams guantlet grips and clenches. Willaim stares at the light. ,,Or attack.''

Spear smiles. ,,Fun before the run.''

,,No,'' says Kirra. ''Fire signal. Through the mounds.'' She pulls on sword hilt. pulls tight pack  and pulls the two quiver tight over shoulders. With bow in hands she peers. ''Her soon''

Through the rocks and hill side into the vally of valleys, blows the wind. A gust pushes Minst.

Minst stumbles over rock and steps then he walk.

Shake grabs him then climbs past with Guide.

Rocks slide. Hooves and feet slip and kicker and push to hill top. A cough from Guile leads them to the top.

Guile limbs and limbs and steps and glenches as pain strikes. He coughs.

The cough is a cough seen as a sphere ring form Guile in Myst's mind.

Myst feels the tempo beat steady and slow with heart beat.

The wind blows the song up from behind and down before. Low deep beats pulse around to flow over mound and circle to silence.

Guile coughs.

Kirra walks by Shake, grabs Shake's sack and rips a ring around the top then let the pack fall. She put hand into between the Robe of Reighn. ,,Cover mouth.'' She tosses the strip of bag top to Guile. 

Shake slaps Spear's  back. ,,Shaman.'' He smiles.

Spear peers and steps. ,,Walk RiseWane.''

,,Kicker, Guile, Minst, Myst, Shake follow Kirra,'' says William. ''Spear, Guide, Jan and myself will follow after down then stand at the edge of the mounds and wait so watch the flickering path.''

,,Where we going?'' says Minst.

William says with soft tone voice. ,,RiseWane to a town. A town not on Minst map but labeled with mine. We go to a town to find ruins, a way or a town of goblins.''

,,Why do we have to go first?'' says Myst standing next to Minst.

Shake picks-up his goblins sack of goods. ,,You're slow.''

Minst touches spine of spell book. ,,How close is the light?''

,,Close enough we need to manuver from the hill top and begin are journey,'' says William.

Minst says, ,,What are the mounds?''

Kirra setsp down the hills. ,,Dead goblins.'' Shake, Guile and Kicker follow Kirra. Minst walks. And Myst steps down the hill along the steady smooth sloop to the mouds.

The song of Reighn sings to the base of flutes to float down. The song plays around thousands of mounds short and tall, wide and skinny spread as the audience. The drum beats hits falt in the song's map as pack half follow Kirra to the mound.

A slight sent of rot seeps through the cold, but is blown away with the wind blowing. 

Bits of dust and minst sting faces.

The wind gust and blows through the mound and over the hill.

The light flickers and wipes from a far.

,,We go,'' says Spear.

Guide steps with Spear and Jan follows.

William stands and stares and clenches guantlet fist. 

Wind gusts and blows hair over face and a chill through his body. 

,,William,'' says Spear.

Guide steps and strides to William's side and puts a hand on William's shoulder. ,,Shaman Spear-''

William sluffs off Guide's hand and steps down the hill

At the bottom, William, Guide, Jan and Spear stand and watch while Kirra leads, Kicker and Guile, Minst, Myst and Shake walk and jog through the mounds of dead goblins.

At the top the light beomce lights. The lights become torches.

The flames flicker from ends of club illuminating the heads of hobgoblins, gobins. The groub of goblins follows a hobgoblin that stands errect and taller than spread with hand without clawed ends or boney knuckles. The large hobgoblins leads with cub with flaming tip held by one hand. And a long sword gleaming and shining held by the other hand. 

Two hobgoblins walk behind the leader with the shinning sword looking and peering at the ground. There necks bend and lower as hands grab rocks and dirt then sniffing, testing peering.

Goblins and hobgoblins snort, clanking and talking their clicks and clacks. A few goblins run frome the pack walking along the hill top then the hills side then pack to the pack. 

The group of goblins stop and stand above William, Guide, Jan and Spear.

The part pack stares.

As the other packe jogs and walks fast around the mounds following Kirra.

Kirra glances backward and forward from the lights a long the long hill top that spasn like the side of a ditch. Kirra looks to a star shinning through a small patch of clear and clouds open. She looks back and sees the lights stop their slow float over the hill top.

The torches stop and spread over the hilltop. Their light illuminate a group of goblins scooping and sniffing dirt while another group of goblins run from the light tward the Set and down the other side of the hill.

William grips guantlet and steps from the mounds.

Spear reaches and grabs Williams shoulder armor.

Willaim snaps head and peers at Spear. ,,They know.''

,,We go,'' says Spear.

William stands and feels the fist tension spread through body.

Spear pulls and grabs. ''William.'

The small pack of goblins running along the hill stop near the path where the pack walked down.

William's body tenses. Jaw clenches. A burn inside for rage hones sense. Then his name, ''William,'' is hear and mind spreads musles to relax. William's guantlet opens. He feet move.

They step between the mounds and mounds.

Bits of bone clutter moss, mold, rotten cloths, flesh, skin clutter between and over their trail. Each reach and step around piles of bones.

The wind blows and the stench flows deeps and shallow like a thick fog covering the nose.

Spear looks back and between the mounds.

The lights spread over the hills side like a circle. They lights cover the top then glow above the mounds.

Kirra sees the lights spreads then slows her stride to a walk to a stand.

Kicker slow to a trot then whips tail against saddle bags near her gash. Guile shifts and the wool sheet and looks back.

Minst and Myst jog, walk and stand. Their chest heaves and lungs bugs. Drips of saliva drip and hang from mouth.

Shake climbs on top of a mount. 

The ice crust breaks. Shit rot fumes flow and consume the shiver of cold. 

Minst's stomach convulsis. He pukes.

The smell stinks Myst's song and night sight through sound.      

Myst see the night and the torch like and hears only Minst puking. 

Kirra climbs the mound where Shake stands. 

Their feet slip and sink as rotted flash stretches and pulls. Bones crucnch.

The lights on the hills ide many mounds away. The lights span and disapear over the hills side around the spot where they once stood.

,,WE need to return to find William safe,'' says Shake.

Kirra stares the squints as the wind gusts. ,,No.'' She steps and slide from the mound. 

,,They need help.'' Shake jumps to the gound. ''They can't find us. They're not going to. They're, they're, they're...''

,,They're running,'' say Kirra. 
 
Jan leads Spear, Guide and William through the mounds. Jan feels through the mold, bacterial, maggots and bits of grass to the life that is Kirra. She feels through sense of the land a connection to the goblins.

The goblins span their ranks around the hill and down the hill. The stand around rocks the walk to the mounds. The groups of goblins run from the edge of the field while the hobgobins step between the mounds with flames near the base of the hill and mounds. 

The goblins run up the hill clicking and clacking loud enough for Spear, William, Jan and Guide to hear. 

Jan hears William speak.

,,How will we find?'' says William.

,,Kirra.''

The pack runs RiseWane between mounds of dead goblinskin. The smell blows past and numbs nose. 

The packs runs around mounds and over a goblins flesh and bone. Jan and Kirra lead the two halves of the pack. Jan leads the run to Kirra feeling, smeling and reading the way through the warm and life spread through the death and rot. The pack becomes on without talk with out looks at each other. The only look back.

Lungs burn. Muscles cramp. The night becomes light and the mounds span stench and rot. 

Kirra runs beyond the pack and climbs a mound of dead goblins crushing a skull when she steps to the top.

The pack run between the mounds hidding in the shadows of dawn and mounds. 

Faint flickers of distant torch light appear then dissappear moving toward the pack.

Dots of torch lights dot through the shadows of the mound and sihlouettes of the dawn. The dots merge and spread in waving line to the pack.

Spear leads the pack through the mounds as they pass Kirra. Spear whistls soft.

The whistle is spreads and spans to Kirra.

Kirra stars at the rushing lights then leaps from the flesh, musles and bones to the ground of mold.

The park runs thorugh the mounds and follow the sun RiseWane.

Mold spread spores with each step.

Hooves and feet crush thin freeze over the mold, the rot, the scabs and bones.

Kirra runs afor the park hearing and watching and reading the trail before. Sweat drips. Breath billows. One arm hold quivers and pack to back and the other hand holds short swords ready for striker around each mound.

Around each mound, Spear follows Kirra and leads the reast. He body running in rhythm and pace with the wind blowing and flowing around. He feels the death and the lifts and the gusts and the ebbs of the wind and live's flow.

The smell of rot smells of life and gives rush through Spear. The smell of musk and mold feels to be the hold between life and death to Spear. These smells smell through Kicker's nose and the world. These smells cause Guile's nose to drain snot when the mint and mustard fumes are pulled away from mouth and nose, and the snot causes a cough.

Guile coughs during the morning and the noon as he holds on to Kickers back and neck. His morning mind begins to warm.

Rays of sun shine through thin lines of blue betweeen the gray clouds. The gray clouds cover the sun. The sun the only white spot. 

Along the lines of the sky, Guile peers through Robe of Reighn's hood to the sky and draws a mazes and finds relief shapes and pictures. Morning to noon he stares and traces the images, sounds, mounds, sweat drips and the deep breaths of the pack. 

Kicker's heart beat and snorts and breaths with the soft clombs and crunches of Kickers stride behind Kirra and Spear.

Myst runs with anohter song of Reighn creating spheres of colors pumping from the pack around the mounds and through the filed. The dark around is surrounded by the song in her mind. She hum's with calm breath blown from her with the blessing of Reighn brought and passed through her body with the hummed hymn. 

The hummed hymn sooths the sore of the pack from Kicker's back to William who jogs and strides from the pack's behind. 

William's bicep jogs and strides from an itch to a burn to pumping pain as the chain mail, platmail rubs through the hide against his cut until the Hymn of Healing from Reighn though Myst cools the burn and gives breath once breath is lost.

The stink of death, chill gag Minst to heave and gag and stop and walk until William would push Minst to run, until the song of Reighn give Minst's mind the calm to walk along from dawn to noon near dusk.

The song does nothing for Shake all day as Shake fells the pokes and stings of spots over body. The stings ebbs and rise from the surface of sking to the flesh under. 

Shake itches and twitches and he runs and jumbs around mounds to avoid the piles of rotted flesh, goopy soupy skin and shattered bones. Shake covers mouths and nose. Shake switches back of goblin goods from one hand to the others.

And like Shake, Jan feels nothing from the Song of Reighn.

Then near dust near the time the Song of Reighn silences in Myst's mind, Kirra slows run to a jog to a walk amongst the endless rows and columns of mounds of dead goblins.

Spear stops to a stand, and Kicker clombs and stomps to a stall.

The pack stops between mounds all looking, breathing and feeling hunger and thurst.

,,The map,'' says Kirra. She turns from Rise to look at the setting sun to look at William.

William loosens Blue's Armor by pulling on an elastic band letting the burn of the armor rub cool as he pulls map from a pouch and gives it to Kirra.

Kirra unrolls and unfolds the maps and holds it Rise letting the setting light that shines thought the gray clouds.

Hundreds of text of goblins writing appear over the map.

Jan poinst to the word <THE WORD FOR TOWN> that is in the middle of the map. ,,The town.''

Shake breathes and says and peers. ,,There's a lot of marks scrawled over that map.'' He takes unties his carafe from the rope belt and drinks.

,,What are...'' Myst breathes then says, ''What are the marks? The marks not towns?''

Jan looks and stares. ,,Camps. Houses. Hamlets. Land marks. Proper names.''

,,Goblins lands,'' says Spear.

Minst touches the spine of his spell book. ,,Are the larger words the sites near to where we stands?''

,,Yes,'' says Jan. ''It seems.''

''Then are we close.'' Minst breathes and heaves and spits. ''And These dead? Is this their grave yard?''

,,A moral wall of defeat demoralizing any who pass,'' says William. He breathes and begins to smell the rot and shits stink. His chest quivers to puke, but William holds. ''And if the letter size on map defines the distance of the map destination then we are close to the town.''

Shake smells and inhales the same smell. He smiles. ,,I believe the Shaman Spear will know?'' He drinks from the flask and holds it before. ''Wine anyone.''

Spear glances at Shake and pulls food balls from the saddle bags. He tosses food to William, Guide, Kirra and Jan. 

Shake opens the other pack and pulls out food balls for Kicker. Then he takes a water skin and drinks.

Kirra takes from her pack her mug, says, ,,<THE MAGIC WORD,'' then drinks. 

Myst leans against Kicker. ,,We need to leave this place. No good will come from this much death?''

William swallows. ,,I agree with Myst. We should try to leave this place before we become one with these dead beings.''

,,We are one with these dead beings,'' says Jan. She kneels and peers then kicks a skull from a mounds. 

A wiff of death rot plumes from the mound then is blown away. 

Minst gags and pukes.

William swallows piles.

Jan steps from the skull. ,,A human skull.'' 

The skull rolls over the mold and lays in the shadows of dust.

She points to a rib cage and shoulder blade held together with flesh and torn leather shirt. ,,Elf.'' She grabs a food ball from Kicker's saddle pack. She rubs Kicker's mane. ''Thank you, Kicker.'' She then walks by Spear and Kirra.

Kirra gives her beer stein to Jan, and Jan drinks as they step rise set.

The pack eats. The pack drinks. The pack walks then jogs and runs through the mounds and from the dusk.

Shadows and shilouttes under the gray clouds becomes a starless night.

The stareless nights hides the mounds of dead. Winds blow the stench of dead. The cold numbs bodies and senses from smell, touch and taste. 

The crunch of bone becomes another sounds with the breath and heart beats. 

As night spreads along Set, Kirra runs before the pack and run upon the top of a tall mounds.

Nights spans the horizons. Sihlouettes of mounds spread from horizon to horizon. 

Kirra stares until the pack nears then she steps down and continues the run. 

The pack jogs. Legs cramps. Sweat drips. Lungs cough and breath.

The cut on William's should spreads. The bruise on Kirra's face shrinks. The stings and itches from goblins darts sting and itch. Hands and fingers dig under plate mail, Rose Warrior Armor, belts ties and leather studs. 

The mounds begin to shrik while the paths between begin to rise. 

Hooves and feet sink into slung that rises to knee and ankle deep. Mold, rot, flesh and bones squish and crush slow the run jog to a rock.

William falls. Face presses and sinks into goop of rot. Hern's Glass stick and pull from face as Willaim rools and stumbles to a stands. He pukes and heaves only piling bile to the rot around.

Minst trips and stumble and falls on a mound.

William steps and grabs Minst. He breathes away the chest and stomach convulsions. ,,We...WE need to.''

,,No,'' says Minst. He lays on the mound. ''No...I can't.'' His body cramps and strains. His heart thumps and pumps pain. His head feels like a force pushes its side. ''No.''

,,Stand, Minst.'' William wipes mouth and clenches guantlet. ''Stand now or die laying. We need to leave this place now.'' He grabs Minst's arm with guantlet, squeezes and pulls. ''Stand soldier!''

Minst shakes and pulls at William's guantlet. ,,No. No. No, I...''

,,Willaim!'' says Myst near a shout. She tries to push William put finds to breath or strenght to do nothing more then step and nudge William. ''We're. ...We are tired of this run to a place that could be dead.''

William release Minst and raises a fist at Myst.

Spear steps and grabs William's shoulder. ,,William.'' He steps. ''William, we are not all conditioned as warriors.''

Willaim peers at Spear and pulls his should from Spear's clasp. ,,Shaman.'' William heat pumps. Rage thumps and grips fist and squeezes over William. He steps through the mounds toward Kirra and Jan.

Kirra hears. Kirra stops. Kirra walks to the top of the mounds and stares.

Jan follows Kirra's walks.

They stare as Shake begins to humm a tune from a Song of Reighn sung by Minst during the night's beginning.

Shake's legs spread pain as the heart slows and body rests. His leg cramps as he steps through the rot of bones and beings.

A group of rats run from a hole in a mound.

Shake sits on a skull as large as a giants. ,,I need to rest.'' He looks at William. ''Or I need my magic.''

William hears nor feels the words and emotions as he steps the mound to stand with Kirra.

Kirra and Jan climb to top of a tall mount.

The night through human site only sees the darkness.

The night through Kirra and Jan's site shows heat.

Moss, rodents, vines and plants spread over mounds no taller than Speaer. Then specks of of ice cool the heat sight to black.

A line of yellow radiates like a line along the middle of the horizon.

A pack for rats run from mounds to mounds then into holes.

,,Remain,'' says Kirra as she crawls from mound.

Spear sees Kirra and Jan. He whistles soft.

William hears and slows step through the trash.

Broken clay jars, glass bottles, wooden poles, rotting cords, burn chair legs, bones, flesh and cloths catching on feet. The feet clear the trash and spread the fumes of alcohol, rotted flesh, shit. 

Buckey, Minst, Myst, Shake, Guide slow their walk past Willaim and the fumes. 

The cold and wind flow away the stench. 

The pack stops behind Spear.

Spear waits for Kirra.

And Kirra says, ,,The city. Heat from it. Mounds. Older. Plant life.''

,,If there's heat, there's life,'' says Minst with hands in pockets with tips filling palm of fist.

William steps thorough the piles and brakes a glasss under the layers of dead bodies and trash. He stumbles and steps back and falls.

No one looks back. They pack huddles around Spear and Kirra.

Spear stands in center and peers between mounds at light gray hues. He peers away the smell of scent that rush the heart to pump. ,,We go arond the heat that could be a city. Find the edge of this death the feels cold and rest. We're in goblins lands.''

All the pack nods except Jan and William.

William sits until his sink stops.

Jan stares over the mounds and the heat lite horizon. The heat seen is the heat felt spread around her. Then her heat seeps and spreads through the moss and bacteria and vines and roots. Her flows with rats and feels their whiskers and nose feel their way through tunnels of mounds.

The mouse becomes mice as it runs through a pack through tunnels over trash. 

Jan's energy spans and contracts to pass with the mice as the run.

The mice run over the cold frost, through a long tunnel where the lead on by one.

And one by one Jan's see through their sight.

The white vine and mosses spread through a black caps over mounds. The gray shades from cold to hot flow in a tunnel not to boots and a blade.

A knife stabs rat.

Like a reverse explosions, Jan's force and energy rush back into Jan. Jan says, ,,Goblins.''

Clicks and clacks click and clack and clack and click the sound of surface talk whispers with laughter.

,,This is bad,'' says Guile.

Shake sees the goblins encampment. ,,Can't be good if thought bad.''