Topic: The Farm - circa late 1993

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:44 EST

OOC Note: Some of this is taken from FFGF Message Boards during a storyline called "The Farm". Much of it has been lost in the ensuing years, however here are a few things I do have.

This is the storyline that introduced the "wraiths" into Panther's life, and left him blinded for a number of weeks.

Minor editing has been done for some spelling, formatting and such. Credit has been given to the names of the original posters when it was written by someone other than myself (when known).

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:44 EST

The Dream 1993-OCT-25 by Kessa She slept fitfully, dark dreams, ones that disturbed her greatly and kept her waking hours troubled. She barely remembered how she came to be there, how they had caught her and kept her for almost 3 years. She had met the littlest one there, she had been only known as Sparrow and her lively brown eyes were soon subdued by the magic and the hard work, and the slaving for the magic and the ones that planned to use them for whatever means.

They grew things, acres and acres of vegetabless to keep them busy, the house was of simple brick, setting in the center of the fields. One would never think that such evil resided below it's foundation. An old sign, badly in need of painting hung at the dirt road that led to the front door. "Orphanage" =======================

She tried to keep the littlest ones from knowing what went on within the house. Tried to keep them happy and find a way to help them escape. She had started a small "underground". Some she had helped get away, hoping they would make it. But the night she was discovered, she had to flee herself, grab the young girl and run. Sparrow had directed her to a place, a small community that boasted of an Inn, where she had friends.....one she kept speaking of....one by the name of BlkPanther.

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:45 EST

The Search Begins 1993-OCT-29

::taking pen to paper in his journal::

The farm....That's all I know it by so far. But I need to find out more. Where it is, who is there, and what is goin on there.

Sparrow came back into my life all of a sudden...along with a young lady by the name of Kessa. they say the escaped this place, this place of horrors.

Problem is...I'm not ever sure where to start. Sparrow can't or won't tell me where this place is....just that they were walking a long time before they came back. She hasn't wanted to talk about the farm yet...and I can't say I blame her. I believe it still haunts her to. many a night while sitting by the bed....I've seen her twist and turn in her sleep, sometimes even calling out before starting awake. Maybe in time...in her own way, she may be able to tell me things.

Kessa....she hasn't been much more help. the ordeal has left her so scared by magic....and her thinking I'm a creature of magic, well...every time she sees me...she seems to cower in fear. Maybe in time....I can learn something from her too.

In any case...I'm heading out tomorrow...to do a lil searching of my own. The girls couldn't have been traveling very fast...I can cover a weeks worth of their travel in a days running. I'll start to the north and start asking some questions I guess. There aren't that many farming communities....and this one has to be isolated to keep it's goin-ons a secret.

I'll find someone to watch Sparrow tonight...and head out after I finish work.

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:47 EST

A Page From His Journal 1993-OCT-31

I returned this afternoon after spending most of yesterday and last night search to the north and east of RyDIn. I came across many farming areas, but found nothing amiss. Did come close to taking a bolt tho...when trying to check out one remote farm. Guess the farmer was surprised to find a large feline around his stable...other wise his shot may have been a lil more accurate. At any rate...I found nothing. I tried to find a farm that looked as if it grew some berries, as Sparrow and Polli talked of picking berries the other night.

Oh yes...Polli. A young girl...about 5-6...a small lass with a large mystery. She said she came from the farm as well, and found Sparrow here at the Inn. Maybe this farm is closer than thought...yet even so...how could such a young child manage any sort of journey alone.

She'll be staying here, with Sparrow and I for now...Tho I'm not sure I'm equipped to care for one child, let alone two.

I think for now....I may have to enlist some aid in my search for the farm...and put a lil more energies into care for the children. The searching could take too long...but once it has been located...I shall have to pay a visit.

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:47 EST

Watching... 1993-NOV-02 by Kessa

She stood quietly within the surrounding woods, watching the place she had ran from...her eyes staring at it as if the horrors were there before her again. It was simple...too simple to the eye....nothing different....an illusion to what lay within. Only two girls worked outside now...the cold whipping around them....their faces barely protected.

Then a voice called out and they both raised their heads, their eyes wide with fright. They stood, walked slowly toward the house and up the wide porch steps .......and the home disappeared....leaving only a bare patch of ground.

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:48 EST

Three Shadows 1993-NOV-02 by MacHeath

From the thick of the dark eve, three figures strided up to the mysterious land by their masters bidding.

A gnome, considered one of the greatest trackers, lifted up a patch of earth and sniffed it. His infravision looking for life forms, he led the three.

A tall human, dressed in black, patted his black scimitar. He was ready to kill anything that dared to attack the three.

The last one, a rather nervous low level mage, fumbled nervously with his reagents, looking for any trace of magic or evil signatures.

They hated when MacHeath sent them out to explore these places.

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:49 EST

Where Am I" 1993-NOV-03 by CaiteyRose

The wagon slowed and finally came to a halt at the end of a winding lane. Beyond the lane, the young girl could see the farmhouse and the tattered sign. A sight shiver ran through her and she brushed the quiet tears from her face as she gulped and hopped down from the back of the wagon.

"Take care, child. Remember your parents always. Keep them next to your heart. I wish I could help you more but what does a crippled old man know about raising little girls. There are other girls here whom you can befriend and grow up with. You will be sheltered and fed. I hope, someday, when you are older, that our paths may cross again. Farewell, Caitey Rose O'Malley."

Caitey Rose stared up at the withered old man as he spoke and glanced back over her shoulder at the farm, her eyes full of the wonder of a ten year old child. She was trying so hard to be brave, to be strong. That's what her ma had told her to do before she died. The words and memories bounced around inside her brain as she struggled to take the first step down the lane. "Caitey, luv, it'll be alright, you'll see. Things will be hard at first and you will miss me very much, but time will pass and you will grow stronger and wiser. Someday the things you do not understand will become clear to you. Don't forget me, Caitey Rose." The doctor had found it necessary to pry Caitey's finger's from around her mothers neck as she cried and clung to the lifeless body. Someone had taken her to a room and she heard the whispers through the door.

"Poor thing..." "Orphan now..." "Who'll take her in?"

"I hear tell of a place..."

She wondered what an orphan was and what place they were talking about. Lying her head on her pillow, she closed her eyes and dreamed of past times. Of times when her father was alive and her mother well and happy. In her sleep, the little tears rolled down her cheeks and soaked her pillow.

That had been two weeks ago and now she stood at the end of a lane staring at her new home. An old man had arrived and claimed to be a distant relative who would care for her. As soon as she had left with him, he had told her that he really couldn't take her in, but would see that she had a place to live. Clutching the ragged satchel that held her change of clothes and a picture of her parents, as well as Caitey's favorite book, "Standard Fairy Tales", she started off down the lane toward the house. The book had been the last present from her father before his ship had gone down at sea. The pages were now worn and the edges tattered from many nights of reading and dreaming. But it provided Caitey with many moments of escape and happiness. Her long chestnut brown braid swung back and forth behind her as she trudged along bravely. She heard the wagon pull off as the old man clucked to his horse and for a fleeting moment she paused and almost turned to run back, but she only lifted her little head higher, sniffed back her tears and continued on.

With each step, she murmured to herself. "I will be strong. I will be strong. I will be strong..." The rhythm was soothing even if the house looming before her was not. Climbing the steps onto the porch and dragging her satchel beside her, she stood before the door and raised a little fist to knock. Maybe no one is home, she thought. When she turned around to watch the old man, he had disappeared.

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:52 EST

The House 1993-NOV-04 by Trycie

Trycie didn't mind working in the gardens taking care of the plants, even though the wind was so cold and her dress was so thin. It was cold, but it was better than being in the house. Trycie's face darkened at the thought and her little chin began to tremble. Then she firmly pushed the thoughts away and told herself she was a big girl and big girls just do what they have to do. For some reason, she was having a hard time getting on with business like she usually did today. Her mind filled with thoughts of Kessa, Sparrow, and Polli. They had told her they were dead. Trycie didn't know what dead was and then they told her. She still didn't understand. And then..........they showed her. Trycie squeezed her eyes tightly shut at the memories that flooded her mind as she remembered but the tears squeezed out and fell anyway, running down her little cheeks and dropping onto her ragged dress.

The wind picked up and turned sharper, biting into her skin and causing the tears on her face to turn cold. Misery gripped her little heart like a vise. Then they heard it. The bell. All the girls stopped working and everyone looked up and just stared at first. At the house. Then without looking at each other, they dropped what they were doing and started to walk towards it.

Trycie was so afraid. She had hoped they would be able to stay out all day, even though it was cold. But she followed the rest to the house. As she entered, she was stopped by one of the adults and pulled to one side. "What's this I see?"" Tears?? But you're not allowed to cry. You've broken the rules again, Trycie. And you know what that means."

Trycie's little eyes went wide with fear as the hand grabbed her and led her towards the stairs leading downward. She knew it would not be good to resist because it would only mean more pain later so she walked alongside the grownup, trying to look big and tough. Just as they started down the stairs, there was a large commotion just above them and Trycie felt herself being drug back up the stairs. She fell and bruised her legs as she was yanked up the stairs. As they reached the top, she saw mass confusion among the girls and grownups. "Must be someone new that wasn't wanting to play right." Trycie thought to herself. The grownup's hand left her arm, bruises from the fingers already starting to show on Trycie's arms, and moved toward the ruckus.

Trycie saw the opportunity she had waited for and slid away, making herself as small and unobtrusive as possible. She had the perfect place to hide. Not one grownup knew about it. She moved and slid into the little hole and followed the natural tunnel she had found weeks before. She kept running down the tunnel and then stopped right before breaking free. She debated and decided it was now or not at all and she ran out and started to run as fast as her little legs could carry her. She knew that if she didn't get away, it would be worse.

She had no time to be scared, her determination was far too strong. She ran until her little legs could not carry her any longer and sat, listening. She heard no sounds and time passed, still no sounds. She got up and hurried to the road and crouched in the bushes. Not too much later, a small wagon being pulled by a mule passed and the mule balked just past Trycie's hiding place, almost as if it had known she was there and had been sent to help her escape. Trycie watched and slipped into the back of the wagon while the owner was busy with the mule and then felt it jerk forward just as she got on. She lay and waited, eventually falling to sleep only to feel it jerk to a stop. She rose up and saw she was inside a town and climbed from the wagon, hiding behind some crates in an alleyway. She heard people walking down the street talking about a local tavern and it's inhabitants. She heard them mention how so many children were showing up at the tavern of late and were being taken in by a man there....a man by the name of Panther.

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:53 EST

A Dark Path 1993-NOV-06 by Tao

Sometimes, following the path wasn't all about detachment — not when one saw such looks in a little girl's eyes. Her memories of that house were as etched in glass, every line in place, every detail precisely recorded. Finding the way back after she'd gone up to sleep was easy, the black rose remained lying on the doorstep. He considered it for a moment, remembering Panther's caution about leaving traces that might provide clues for those inside....and gestured. The rose vanished.

Drifting slowly around the outside, senses aware, the only sound to be heard was the wind. When was this" he wondered. Was this time/place when she first saw the house, or was it later" No way to know, without reading the memories gathered in from her mind while she showed him the place,but that he could not do as yet without her permission — which could not be asked. She had only agreed to show the house, nothing more.

What would cause such fear" She carried scars that would last more than a lifetime, from experiences that would have sent an adult off instantly into madness, what was this place that it held such terrors" Worse yet, what were the people that lived here, that ruled this place?

Words of long-passed teachers whispered in his mind. "The capacity for good, for miracles, is also the capacity for the opposite. You cannot have one without the other, the balance requires both..."

"Old fool" he thought. "No one asked you to intervene here, there was no direct threat to the child that would demand a response. Let be, and wait." So wait he would, but Panther —being the child's guardian— must know of this place, and how to get here. Whatever action flowed from that was the black cat's choice; if he wanted more, he'd doubtless ask for it.

A last slow drift about the house, a gesture and Tao vanished.

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:54 EST

The Shadow Beast(s) 1993-NOV-07

::walking from the Inn into the night, the cat wanders aimlessly, many thoughts racing through his mind. Taking to a tree, he settles into a nook in the branches, pulling out his journal and pen, he begins to write::

Death....I don't think I've come as close to it as I ever have tonight. gads...so many things happened tonight...first, learning that Kessa was still thought by her captors to be at The Farm, and her just sneaking away from time to time. I finally talked her into leading me there...but it...they...were waiting. I got away...but not without leaving Kessa behind. I believe she is safe for now though...they seem to need her for something, something evil, that will take place soon. Something that may cost Kessa her life. But till then...she'll be kept alive.

I arrived back at the Inn, my mind trying to figure out how to beat this shadow thing...Kittiarra was there...she insisted on putting some bandages on my wounds. which...well...it was nice of her.

Then all of a sudden the shadow beasts returned...it tried to go upstairs to my room, after the girls...I tried slashing it again....but my claws had little affect this time...so I thrust my fist into it's gut, trying to rip out anything I could...I found nothing...nothing but cold...my hands went numb...It sort of dropped me and headed for the room again...in a last ditch effort I leapt at the thing, tackling it away from the doorway...I was barely able to keep conscious as it reached for me again...but I was able to keep the thing distracted long enough for the girls to be gotten to safety.

Then suddenly, it disappated. Someone, I don't remember who, cast some spell that chased it off for now. I had a weird chill...thru my whole body...and I was so tired. This thing....seemed to have sapped some of my life away. I don't know if it's some sort of wraith, or what. With Kitt's help, I made it back downstairs...Dansr...she did something to me...I started to feel better...most of the aches went away...but my hands...the fur on my hands is now a sickly white. And they still ache a bit...writing is starting to get a lil difficult. I...hope my own healing can restore them some more.

I don't know what I'm going to do. I've never been much of a fighter....survivor maybe, but not a crusading warrior type. I do know I have to find a way to get Kessa out of that farm house...along with the others. And Sparrow...Polli...I have to keep them safe. I'll die myself before I let that beast get to them. I know I can turn to others for help...but Kitt, Fox...and others were there last night and we barely drove the thing off. Chiana said her aid was mine for the asking..

I dunno...I'm just so tired...I'll have to think of something...have to do something....

::the large cat drifts into a fitful sleep::

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 21:59 EST

Indecision... 1993-NOV-10 - by Kerisis

::raising a hand to knock and then stopping before the knuckles reach the door::

(w) "He will not want to see me....perhaps another time. I hope the little ones are safe. They remind me so much of my sisters."

::turns and makes my way back down the hall to my room, slipping inside and closing the door behind me::

Hesitation... 1993-NOV-10

::sitting in the large arm chair, gazing out the window, thinking...

Glancing at the door, picking up a familiar scent coming down the hall.....pausing....then moving back down the hall. Turning back to his journal.::

I spent the night sitting at the edge of the forest surrounding the farm...I couldn't find Kessa's scent, so I must assume the same magic's hiding the house itself, are also hiding her from me. She must still be inside tho...I circled the area, and the only trace of her scent was from where we approached the farm the other night.

Ive had a few offers of help from various people...but I'm not sure who to ask for help....cause I don't know what this thing is. Until if find that out...don't know how we can hope to defeat it.

I'm goin back again this eve. I don't know what I hope to learn by watching a "bare" patch of ground...but...I have to do something.

::tucking his book away, and wandering down to the Inn::

Panther · Date: 2006-06-26 22:01 EST

A Nights Journey 1993-NOV-11

I made my back towards the farm, through the surrounding woods. I still don't know what I hoped to find. I'd been by here several times today already. The house had been there, but the girls never came out to attend to the field as Kessa told me they did. About sunset, as I sat there, watching, waiting, the house seemed to shimmer, and then fade away, just as it does every night. I could still tell it was there, the faintest of scents about it, but they were very faint, and hard to pin point. I returned to the Inn for awhile...Talked to Chiana a bit. She said if these things are wraiths, then the darkness is their ally, and bid me to be careful as I set back out again.

Maybe by watching through the night, until the house reappeared in morning, I may learn something, anything, that would aid us in the fight against them. For now...it was all I could think to do.

The night was quiet as I walked down the path. There was no breeze, just stillness. I stopped at the spot where Kessa and I had stopped just a few nights ago. I could still smell her here...no wait...no here...up the path, and it's fresh!

Quickly moving to full panther form I bounded down the trail, trying to pinpoint the source of this fresh scent. I found it just a few meters up, but it turned down a smaller path, deeper into the wood. Thoughts raced through my mind as I quickly followed the scent down the path....Had she escaped" if so, how" where was she" why did she leave the trail" Suddenly I was on top of it...a small pile of clothes, Kessa's clothes...still strong with her scent, and deeper with in the pile, my scent, from the scrap of fabric I had given her.

So deep in thought I was, I didn't notice I wasn't alone until...

They moved from the trees, the three of them, silently. I spun about and snarled as on touched my tail with it's burning cold. Even as I slashed out I shifted to were-panther form, my hand numbing slight as I seemed to hit something. There was a shrill sounding shriek as the shadow moved back slightly. The others were edging closer, I spun on them, swinging again. They seemed to just float about my swings, reaching out to snap at me with their burning touches.

Suddenly, they slid down into the ground and disappeared....I sat there, straining to pick up any thing of their presence....Then, the voice, that eriee voice...

"You have caused us great annoyance feline. For that you shall suffer, suffer more than the death you so deserve."

Then it was behind me. I spun, just in time for the cold to slap across my face. I screamed out as my eyes burned. By reflex, I slammed my hand into what ever it was in front of me, twisting my claws and digging deeper. I as felt the ripping of fabric in my hand, felt my hand go through the thing, there was a loud, piercing shriek, and it was gone.

I fell to my knees, still clenching the scrap of fabric, and sat there. I don't know for how long. Then I tossed back my head, and screamed, screamed at the stars above, stars I could not see..