Chapter Four: Barren Wastes of the Desert

Listening to the wind and the conversation, Lo shudders to herself at the mention from 'a few minutes to a few days.' They don't have that kind of time! But hearing that it might not be natural...

"A challenge? Yeah! But I haven't learned wind yet...what do I do?"

Listening to Jacquelyn's words, Lo pushes her hand into the sand and feels the earth beneath her, the sand that is part of the earth, and the wind moving above the earth and through the sand. Like smothering a fire... Lo had always been taught that one does not control the elements, it's more the art of gentle persuasion. Feeling the wind, thinking of it as a fire...Lo focuses on the movement itself, feeling the power behind it, then projecting calm upon the raging wind.  There's no need for all this fury. The day is beautiful, the earth is warm, the air rests upon it like a blanket of peace. But there's another force flowing through the wind...something doesn't feel right, something that is projecting rage in the same way Lopiena is projecting peace. That's no element...that's something else!  Pushing against this secondary force, Lo grips Jacquelyn's hand in her own while pressing her other hand further into the earth.

(Rolled a 17, woo! Plus 3 WIS mod =20)

[Combined power is 37. Success!]

Slowly, though it was a strain on both of them, Jacquelyn and Lopiena began to calm the storm.

Brynoff and Sigurd would notice that the tarp was becomming easier to hold as the wind settled and the howling of it began to lessen over time.

It took a good hour, but finally the winds came to a stop. They sat in silence for a long while, just waiting.

Finally, Cirro poked his head out from his protective place in Lopeina's shirt and looked around. "Is... is it over?" He asked.

Ashwyn, still holding Pip close, ducked her head out from the tarp and looked around. There was still a very slight breeze, but it was calm.She nodded. "I think so."

Jacquelyn slumped against the cart, finally pulling her hands from the sand. "Damn... that was a strong spell." She turned to Lo. "Good work kiddo. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you." She winked.

Brynoff huffed, angry at the circumstances. He pulled the tarp up and began rolling it. Once in a rough ball and tossed it to the floor and glared at the horizon where the spell came from. "I'd say that settles it. Kakerot knows we're out here. He knows we're coming. And he's playing with us." His fists clenched.

Panting slightly, Lo tries to get up but focusing on the spell for that long really took it out of her. Slumping against the cart, she grins wearily at Jacquelyn. "Couldn't have done it without you, either. That's a new one on me...ugh." Holding her head in her hands, Lo tries to release the tension in her head and body. When Brynoff rolls up the tarp, she starts getting up to help but has to stay on one knee for a moment, just trying to get her bearings again. Finally up, she looks worriedly between Jacquelyn and Brynoff. "How close is he? What more can we expect?  I don't know if I can do something like that again, but if we need to fight I'll fight."
After a long moment of hesitation, Lo picks up her staff and looks out across the desert. "For now though...perhaps we should look for Tabitha and Gazeem, make sure they're ok before the next storm. I'm a little afraid of what Kakerot is going to throw at us next."

Sigurd let the tarp go when Brynoff started to roll it up, he shifted back to his human form and sighed. "so much for the element of surprise.." if they had to go toe to toe with this guy and he has that kind of magic, He didn't feel like they had much of a chance. Sigurd would have felt much better if t had turned out to be illusion magic but it was far to real.

"We don't have time to relax, we have to unbury the other others and now double time it to where we need to be. If he knows where we are then it won't be long until he strikes again."

Brynoff nodded to Sigurd. "Agreed. We can't afford to waste anymore time." He immediately threw the cart back over and began yanking items out of the sand and all but throwing them into the cart.

Jacquleyn frowned. "This doesn't seem right. I mean.... that spell was some SERIOUS power. Even a super powerful magician would have had to use all of their spell power to cast something like that. I mean, even assuming he used the elements already there and amplified it, it STILL would have taken a lot." She climbed up into the completed cart. "I'd like to say he couldn't throw something that strong at us again, at least not today, but I don't want to take the chance either."

Brynoff, after finishing loading the cart and he walked up to Lopiena. "Up you go, kid." He said, lifting her into his arms and plopping her onto the cart. "You used a lot of power. You should ride up here. No since in wasting more strength trying to hold on to me." He winked. He turned to the others. "I'm going ahead to find Tabitha and Gazeem." He said, before changing to wolf form and running ahead.

Ashwyn made sure her weapons were still secure on her back and she lifted Pip, plopping him into the cart as well. "Stay here." She told him. He yipped unhappily, but did as he was told. He curled into a corner of the cart and sulked. She smirked at him and turned to Sigurd. "Go ahead with Brynoff. He'll need help digging them out." She said before climbing up to the cart and hanging on to the side.

Cirro flew over and sat on Lopiena's shoulder. "I'm sure you're family is alright. I know we'll get there in time." He said, patting her neck with a smile.

Hesitantly trying to help Brynoff put stuff back in the cart...she's tired and he's in quite the mood, but helping with simple things is something she can do...Lo listens to Jacquelyn's worries about the strength of that spell. "You don't think he has friends, do you? If that spell was amplified by more than one person, it would explain the strength...and might give an indication of what we're up against." Digging more supplies out of the sand, Lo hands a few to Brynoff before finally just getting out of the way. He's definitively in a mood.

When Brynoff plops her in the cart, Lo sighs gratefully and settles into the cart without argument. They're in a hurry, and as worried as she is about Tabitha and Gazeem it would be better to just let the faster, stronger ones do the heavy lifting for a little while. Smiling at the pouting Pip, Lo curls up next to the pup and scratches behind his ears. "It's hard being the smallest, isn't it? Don't worry Pip, you'll grow. Just wait, you'll be stronger than me when you're done growing." Smiling to herself, Lo quietly contemplates her own frustrations. She'd always hated being the small one, and when she'd stopped growing taller she tried increasing strength but it was never enough. She still refused to stop trying, but some days...some days it's easier to just sit back and enjoy the show.

Smiling at Cirro, Lo looks out at the horizon. "I know they're ok, I just wish...I wish a lot of things. But I'm sure they'll be able to hold their own, as long as we get there soon!" Glancing down at her hands, Lo bites her lip in worry and speaks softly to Jacquelyn and Cirro. "I...don't know if I have the strength to do much more, but I'm going to do everything I can for them...and...well, let's go!"

Sigurd nodded to Ashwyn and shifted into his dire wolf form and took off in the sand after Brynoff. The sound of paws pounding into the sand was more comforting than the roaring winds they just endured. He caught up to the older wolf and set his pace along side him "So, how do know they survived? if it were that easy why didn't we just flip over the cart and dig under it?" he growled.

Brynoff huffed into the sand as he ran. "I don't." He answered Sigurd. "Even a normal sandstorm can kill you and this one was anything but normal."

They ran ahead, following the scent of the two wolves. When they found them, it was just by their fur covred backs poking out of the sand. They were mostly buried.Brynoff immediately began digging at the nearest body. Eventually Tabitha was revealed... already dead. Gazeem was further down, also dead.

Brynoff sighed heavily. He rested a single paw on the back of each of them before releasing a mourning howl into the desert sky.

---

Ashwyn looked up at the sound of the howl and she frowned.

Jaquelyn did too, but then she stealed herself with a glare towards the horizon. "Come on, folks. No more waitin' around."

Ashwyn nodded beore jumping to the back of the cart and holding on while Jaquelyn urged the camels on and they began to move quickly towards the two SpellWolves.

Still scratching Pip behind the ears, Lo looks up in concern at the mournful howl across the desert sands. One look at Ashwyn and Jacquelyn's face is all the information she needs, and a ball of aching sadness wells up in her chest. She'd hoped so badly that Tabitha and Gazeem would be ok, had fought the winds in the hope that her efforts could save them, knowing that every minute that went by reduced their chances of surviving, but still she'd hoped. All for naught. But rather than curling into a sobbing ball, Lopiena's face resolved into a hard line of indignant anger. Innocent people had died, and she'd had enough. No more frightened little girl, it's time to fight! Looking up at Jacquelyn, Lo pulls her hand from Pip's soft fur and curls her hands into fists. "Jacquelyn, do you still have my mother's journal with you? It's time I did some studying."

Sigurd followed behind Brynoff and his nose already smelled it, the scent of death, even buried in the sand it, it was a smell he knew all too well. His hard expression softened as they unearthed the bodies of the two wolves, they weren't spell wolves but they were close enough to family and wouldn't have died if it wasn't for this quest they were on.

"well... that answers that..."Sigurd said softly. When Brynoff started to howl, he joined him. It was solidarity for his kin. When he finished he sat quietly a short distance away giving Brynoff time to mourn.

Brynoff sat in silence until the sounds of the cart grew near. He shook his head and glanced over to the cart coming up behind them, then looked to Sigurd. "No sense sitting around. Hopefully we can prevent the loss of additional lives today." He barked before sprinting forward once again.

Ashwyn watched the two Spellwolves and bowed her head, giving the dead a moment of silence as the cart ran past. She didn't know them long, but they were part of those responsible for saving their lives and she swore they would hunt down the bastard that did this.

The party sped faster than ever through the sands until the mountains could be seen rising in the distance.

"That's it!" Jacquelyn shouted. "That's the mountain range where my village is! It'll be right at the base!"

Just as she said it, something new came into view. Smoke rose from a place near the base of the village. A large dark cloud of smoke.

Sigurd hated the desert, it was hot, wide open and running in the sand was a pain, he felt his muscles ache but they had to get to Jacquelyn's village. As they crest the dunes his eyes spotted the smoke in the distance and growled "Well, that's not a camp fire.." he sighed and picked up his pace to pull in front of Brynoff and speed off towards the village.

Sitting in the cart and studying, Lopiena is more or less oblivious to the changing landscape until Jacquelyn shouts about the village. Sitting up and peering into the distance, her face drains of color at the smoke rising into the sky. "Jacquelyn, what can we do? I can't extinguish fires that big, and there's not enough water in the air to create a rainstorm big enough to put it out."

Closing her eyes, Lo focuses on the air around her. The village is still too far away to really get a sense of the fire, but maybe if they can pinpoint where the energy is coming from they can locate the source...and hopefully from there, find Kakerot.

Jacquelyn shook her head. "Calm down kid. Let's wait until we see what we're dealing with. It's usually a bad idea to start combining elements willy nilly." Her tone was conversational, but her face was stern as she stared ahead at the village.

Ashwyn frowned, watching the village draw closer. With her keen eyes, she could see the smoke clearly but the source was obscured.

As they drew nearer, the smell of smoke would cloud the area making the noses of the Spellwolves all but useless. But they would be able to hear the sounds of urgent shouts and calls for water. As the cart pulled into the village, they'd see the villagers carting large buckets of sand through lines of people to pour it on a small house that was up in flames. On the other side of the house a young man stood on the neighboring house. He had curly dark hair that was very long. He had it pulled back into a thick ponytail and it was decorated in various wooden beads and feathers. His eyes were caramel brown and his skin was a deep tan. His body was angular and he stood at 6'3", but his face was symmetrical and attractive.

He had his arms held out and in front of him the sand danced before him as it smothered the fire in various places.

Jacquelyn pulled the cart to the edge of the chaotic clearing and jumped down. "That's Leif." She said, pointing to the man on the rooftop and then glancing at Lo with a smirk. "I'm going to see if I can help. Hang back for a bit." She winked at Lo before hurrying off to join the help of putting the fire out.

Not combining elements makes sense, and honestly after the sand storm Lo just doesn't have extra energy to expend on spell casting. Watching the fires be smothered by sand is fascinating, and seeing Leif for the first time is astounding!  Watching him intently, Lo is suddenly nervous. She'd dreamed about her brothers...ok, half-brothers...since she'd first learned they existed, but actually seeing them, meeting them? They have no reason to like her, and every reason to hate her.  Hang back...sure, no problem.  Slowly getting out of the cart, Lo stands to one side while trying to figure out what if anything she can do or say that might make this situation better. Perhaps join the lines of folks getting buckets of sand to pass forward? Well it's something, at least. Heading towards the bucket line, Lo joins in wherever someone will let her.

Sigurd ran alongside the cart until the village was close enough, the smoke was thick and stung his eyes and nose but it didn't stop him from talking off ahead of everyone and barreling into the village.

He he weaved through villagers as they passed buckets of sand to one another. Sliding to a stop in front of one of the fires he turned his back to it and started digging down into the dirt, throwing it back on the flames.

Brynoff was close behind Sigurd as they ran. When they saw the flames he followed his direwolf brother and began mimicing his movements.

"Good Idea, kid." He chuckled as he kicked sand into the flames.

Ashwyn jumped from the cart with Cirro and they both watched the flames being put out by the sand. Neither of them had any great powers that would help with extinguishing flames, but they knew they didn't want to stand idly by. They both joined the hordes of people throwing sand onto the flames with buckets.

Jacquelyn and Leif's reunion was short and hurried, but it took them no time at all to join their powers together and make the sands dance before them. The sand flew in the sky, circling and smothering the flames only to fly back up into the sky to find another group of flames.

Together with all of their efforts, the flames were soon gone. A few villagers carefully traversed the remains, dousing any smolders found and trying to secure what structure remained.

Jacquelyn rejoined them, the handsome young man at her side. "Thank you all, for your efforts. I'd like you to meet my oldest son, Leif."

He stepped forward and smiled warmly. "It's an honor to meet you all. My mother tells me you've become quite friendly over the last few days. I'd like to be the first to thank you for helping her in the desert. I keep telling her she shouldn't make these treks alone, but she never listens." He smirked at her as she rolled her eyes.

"Oh enough of that." She waived him off. She turned to him. "There's plenty of time for pleasentries later."

Brynoff returned to his human form and approached Jacquleyn and Leif. "Leif. Was this fire caused by magic? Have you been attacked here?"

Leif looked up at the large man with shock. "Attacked? No. Not that I know of. The fire was an accident. One of my students got a bit too overzealous in training. No one was hurt." He looked from one face to another before turning to his mother.

"Leif... we have reason to believe that Kakerot may be here to cause trouble." She said.

Leif blinked. "Kakerot?" His voice was confused.

"Kakerot??!" A deeper, angerier voice came from behind them. It belonged to a very large man with large broad shoulders. If not for his scent proving him to be human, he very well could have been a SpellWolf with his sheer mass. He had very dark hair, much like Leif, but it was cut short and he had a scraggly beard to match it. He approached from the other side of the house holding a large log that didn't seem possible for a regular human to lift. He tossed it to the side and approached. "What does that bastard want here?" He growled.

"Now, calm down Lamont." Jacquelyn said.

He spat on the ground. "Calm down? The bastard who threatened mother wants to pick a fight here and you want me to calm down? Let the weasel come." He sneered, punching the palm of his other hand and squeezing his own fist.

"I think we may need to hear the whole story." Leif said, looking from Jacquelyn to Brynoff. Between Jacquelyn and Brynoff, the story was explained to Leif and Lamont. When Lopiena was mentioned, both boys eyes widened and they glanced over to the small girl, even more so when the talk of her true father was revealed. Afterwards, they both sat in silence.

Leif was the first to speak. "Well... you really HAVE had an adventure." He sighed and brushed a long dreadlock of hair over his shoulder. "Well... we are far from defensless. We will begin fortifying the village. My students can be of use as well."

"Hn. Mine as well." Lamont nodded.

Leif snapped his fingers in the air a couple times and a large red bird flew in and landed on his arm. It had gold tipped feathers and striking ice blue eyes.

Ashwyn's eyes widened. "Is that.... is that a Phoenix?"

Leif smiled as he stroked the birds chest. "Indeed. This is Lev. We've been friends since I was very young." He turned to the magestic bird. "I need your help once again, friend. Can you please scout the area. We must find any traces of foreign magic around here."

The bird let out a beautiful sound in response and took flight once more. As they watched the bird fly, Jacquelyn sighed. "Well... I supposed we should do our own checking." She turned to look at the group. "We should pair off and scout the area. Brynoff, you've been here before so you know the area. You take Cirro with you to the north. Sigurd, you can follow your nose, so you'll be fine. You and Ashwyn take the west side. I'll take the south side. Lo," she turned to her and smirked. "Why don't you, Leif and Lamont take the east side." She winked. Then, before waiting for a response, she clapped her hands together. "Great! Let's go!" She said and immediately walked off, leaving Lo with Leif and Lamont as Brynoff reaching out and grabbing a tiny Cirro and carrying him off.

Ashwyn glanced nervously at Lopiena with the two large men but then turned to Sigurd, waiting for his opinion.

Helping villagers with buckets of sand while watching the dancing sands,  Lo can't help but be extremely impressed with the magic skills that Jacquelyn and Leif possess. Feeling small and inexperienced compared to them does nothing for her confidence, but as the flames diminish she can at least start extinguishing small fires in the smoldering remains. Once the fire is out and she rejoins the group, Lo generally hides in the back during introductions and explanations...especially when Lamont appears with his clear dislike of Kakerot. It's good to know that they have a common enemy, but Lopiena is easily intimidated by large men and the extremely vocal (and violent) passionate description of what Lamont wants to do only serves to remind Lo that is her fault that all this is happening. Keeping her mouth shut during the description of everything that happened so far, Lo tries to scrape her confidence back together but it withers under their intense scrutiny. The beauty of the Phoenix distracts her from her fears, but the distraction is temporary and she suddenly finds herself standing next to these large men...Brothers. Half-brothers, at least. You've dreamed of meeting them for years and here they are. Come on, Lo. You can do this. Barely resisting the impulse to kneel before them and reeking of fear, Lo stands straighter to try and make herself a little taller...but that's as far as her confidence can stretch. Dropping her eyes to the ground, she swallows against her fears.

"I...I'm sorry. I took your mother from you. I brought this trouble to you. I don't ask for forgiveness, but I hope...somehow...I can make this right." Finally looking up into their faces, Lo firms herself with resolve. "I will not rest until Kakerot is gone, this war is resolved, and my...our...mother is free. Whatever it takes, if it is within my power it will be done."

Sigurd stayed in his Dire wolf form for the conversation. He didn't feel very talkative, not that he'd have anything to say anyway, he had always hated meeting people, that had been evedent throughout the journey so far. Walking up beside Ashwyn he nuzzled her and listened to his orders. He started taking in whiffs of air trying to pick up a scent he wasn't completely sure he could place. Looking to Ashwyn, he jerked his head and started up the road.

Leif and Lamont just stared at the small woman before them for a moment after listening to her words. Then they glanced at one another.... and started to laugh. Leif pushed his long dreadlocks over his shoulder and stepped up to Lo. He placed his hands on her shoulders and bent until they were eye level. "First thing you need to learn if we're going to be friends..." He said with a warm smile. "Don't ever apologize for someone elses choices." He winked at her.

Lamont chuckled as well and took two large steps to stand next to her. "Mom's crazy. No one could tell her anything. If she made a choice it wouldn't matter what anyone else said." He shrugged.

Leif nodded to his words and smiled at her. "It is a great honor to see you again. Last I saw you, you were a baby and I was defending your rattle from Lamont." He smirked over at the wider man.

Who, for the first time, seemed to blush and then shrugged. "I was young!" He said.

Leif chuckled and turned back to her. "We have wanted you to be part of our lives for so long. I'm so very glad to have you here, away from Grandmother's grasp. We have much to discuss. And I imagine you have many questions. Mother tells me that you grew up not knowing about us. I'm very sorry for that. I wish I could change that but..." He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We have today." He smiled at her. "And I see you're a druid as well! I see Mom shared her skills with you as well. That's very good. I look forward to exchanging skills with you."

Lamont finally pulled Leif away. "Give the poor girl time to breathe." He rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry for him. He doesn't know when to shut up." He smirked. Then he offered his hand to Lopiena. "It's an honor to meet you, sister. I'm sorry, but I don't remember much from when you were born. I was still young myself. But it's an honor to meet you now."

---

Ashwyn glanced down at Sigurd when he nudged her, and then nodded when he motioned for them to get going. She remained silent while he got familiar with the scents until they were at what appeared to be the edge of the village. "So... this is strange, eh? Doesn't seem to be anything unusual here and yet... we were obviously attacked on the way. Makes me wonder what's coming..."

At first startled by their laughter, Lo looks almost ready to flee...but their kind words and smiling faces cut through her fears and she starts to loosen up a little. Listening to stories of Mother...it's absolutely true that the earth would crumble before Mother changed her mind, which is why growing up with her and Gramma was a little like growing up between a volcano and a glacier: both strong, dangerous, and completely incompatible. Lo actually giggles a little at the story of Lamont trying to steal her rattle; watching the kids in the village had made her wonder about sibling competition, and while she may have lost much of the early years...well, they're here now.

"You...you're right, I never knew you existed until after Mother left, and even then it was only rumours and gossip. I...I've wanted a real family as long as I can remember, and meeting you...it is such an honor." Genuinely smiling, Lo takes Lamont's hand fully in hers, then reaches her other hand to Leif, marveling at the size of their hands compared to hers. "Brothers. I...I'm so happy to meet you." Fighting back emotion, Lo looks up and smiles. "I do have many questions, but first...can you show me around? I believe starting to the east would be good. Who knows, maybe we'll find something. Together."

Walking forward, Lo glances between them from time to time. "So...what's it like growing up with Jacquelyn?"

Watching Leif and Lamont walk through the village is fascinating to Lopiena. They're clearly brothers, but they're so different...from mannerisms to how they hold themselves, the contrast between the two is starkly dramatic. Oddly enough, those very differences make Lo feel a lot better about how she might fit in. Though they share the same mother, their fathers were all different...and while it's impossible to say whether or not their different fathers had anything to do with character or mannerisms, seeing those differences helps Lopiena stop comparing herself to them so much. She'd always known that her brothers would be older, stronger, more experienced; that was one of the reasons she wanted to meet them, after all! The very fact that they know stuff she doesn't is actually a good thing; she can learn so much from them, and maybe she knows something useful as well. Finally regaining her confidence, Lo laughs along with them when they start talking about how life is never boring with Jacquelyn around...and Leif, as well? It will be interesting to learn about their personalities!

When they start talking about the full moon ceremony Lo's immediate response is to blush, especially if the whole town is involved...but when Leif further explains about feasting and dancing, Lo listens in fascination. What they're describing makes every full moon sound like a feast day! Moon ceremonies with her grandmother were quiet affairs, and too boring for much interest from anyone else (including herself). It would be interesting to see how they're celebrated elsewhere...though perhaps without the...extra activities. Listening to them clarify a bit on...that matter...Lo blushes again, but nods and chuckles a bit herself. "I assumed not as well, but it's certainly good to know for sure." Looking up and them, Lo smiles. "Your ceremonies do sound fascinating though, with the feasting and story telling. I've often wondered about how they're celebrated elsewhere, and the ceremony a few nights ago was very freeing...though I certainly didn't expect certain...aspects..." Lo laughs to herself, turning the pun (ass-pecs) in her own mind, but too shy to say it out loud.