The Merging of Past & Present: The Return of The Rains

Elessaria needed fresh air desperately. The past few nights at the Inn and the volatile emotions had the delicate empath on edge. The brief, unusual warmth that had been a welcome postponement of a chilly autumn was beginning to fade. As the hours of daylight lessened, the shadows grew and she grew more unsettled with each day. So, after a long, warm bath, Eless slipped into a gown of black silk, streaked with swirls of red and white, over which she wore a short, black caplet with a hood. It was late afternoon when she went off to search for some herbs in the woods on the outskirts of town. If she were lucky, she might find a bit of valerian root or skullcap for blending in her teas. If her luck held out, she might happen upon some fall flowers that she could use for the fragrances she wished to start making - holiday presents for each of her friends.

A hint of sadness colored the elf's soft humming as she stepped carefully through some thick brush, heading for a copse of stately oaks whose fiery hued leaves whispered their own counterpart to her melody. Eless missed Nuage's companionship deeply. The large, black wolf had often joined her on her walks and she suddenly felt the solitude weighing down more heavily upon her. She paused to untangle a bramble from the hem of her gown and settled on a large rock to soak up some of the sun's lingering rays. Piper's father arrived in town to surprise all of them ? Piper most of all. Since then her sometimes eccentric friend had been acting odder than usual. Eva was scared and upset, but about what she did not know yet. Everybody seemed to be stressed and strained more than usual. A run in with the foul-tempered Black Wizard earlier in the week definitely hadn't helped matters. The Lady Fire of Evandar and Lord Yhaull often sniped and taunted one another, but even he seemed to be angered more easily than in the past. The only good thing going for bourbon in her opinion was that the cough from its taste had saved her from Veighn's claws ripping into her neck's delicate flesh, winning him only a few strands of her hair instead of the blood that he really sought.

The tender spot that was just above her left ear and slightly behind her temple began to pulse; the beginnings of one of her sick headaches cutting short her basking in the sun. As she turned to head for home, those swaying oak trees called out a siren's song to her, beckoning her closer. And she followed, elven curiosity getting the better of her as usual. Elessaria's hand gripped the rough bark of the largest tree with a small cry of surprise. The rapidly growing shadows swirled about their bases and she saw jutting out from a pile of dead leaves a stone fashioned into the image of a wolf. The elf scrambled to kneel at its base frantically brushing the brittle heap away with her bare hands. The carving was created with magic that was obvious and as she read the inscription, the tears that had been threatening to fall the last few days bursts free. She could feel Nuage buried beneath the soil; the air, the earth, they resonated with him. And as her tears fell thickly, the world around her took on the colors she wore. Swirling black shadows, streaks of scarlet' the return of the crimson rains.