It has been a long hard ride and dusk was approaching. Larowin needed to rest for the night and get something to eat. It was too far to the next town for her horse to travel, she had to stop and make camp. She pulled her horse to a stop next to a stream, deep in the Black Forest. She needed to start hunting before it got dark. While searching out her prey, she wondered why the called it the Black Forest. Nothing here was black except after dark of course. She spotted a rabbit and reached for her bow, Dinner at last she thought. She went back to where she left her horse and made a clearing, she searched for some sticks to roast the rabbit that she shot. These should do she thought, finding the perfect sticks. It was almost dark now and she went to clean the rabbit, suddenly she heard a snap of a twig. She looked around and saw nothing and decided it was her horse. She finished cleaning the rabbit and just in time, she would starve if she had to wait any longer. She went to the clearing she made and spoke the word dragon fire, and a nice fire started to burn in the pit she made.
What she wouldn’t do to be home right now. Larowin was daydreaming of her home when she heard something in the trees, again nothing could be seen, she thought of herself insane for the lack of sleep and food. I have been many winters since she went 4 days without stopping, but she was in a hurry to get back home. It had been a long 3 years since she had seen her parents and of course her soul mate Maleth. She was sent to Watergate to train, she was to have warrior training with the starblade. The starblade was a special sword, handed down to the first born female. The sword was magical. Each of its owners bestowed a spell to the sword for other generations to protect them. Larowin had to learn to use this sword.
Larowin smelled the rabbit cooking and brought her out of her daydream. Time to eat she sighed. She filled up with the small rabbit and made a pallet for a bed to sleep on. It did not take long for her to fall asleep.
Larowin woke at daybreak and stretched. She went to the stream to freshen up, her neck felt stiff and it hurt a bit, and she thought she must have slept on it wrong.
Time to be off she was still a days ride from home, and she was eager to be there. She lifted herself up on her horse and almost fell, she was dizzy and lightheaded. She shook it off and continued on thinking she just need more rest. She did not sleep well with all the nightmares she was having that night. The sooner she got home the better she thought. She rode hard all through the day, and then finally she saw the edge of the forest she called home. When she arrived at Wolf Forest she was greeted by the whole town. by the time she reached her parents hut she completely blacked out and fell off her horse.
When she came to she was in the summoners hut. She tried to sit up, but everything started to rush to her head, and she decided to lie back down. “What happened?” she asked the tall elf tending to her.
“You seemed to have been bitten by something. We have been giving you medicine and healing spells, but nothing seems to be working.” How was this possible Larowin thought? She watched the tall elf clean the mess up she made when she tried to sit up. Something was familiar about her, Of course, she thought, it was Faren, Maleth’s sister. Larowin tried to sit again and this time made it.
“I am starving when can I eat, Faren?” with that said Faren looked up with a smile on her face and said “You do remember me. I was afraid that what ever bit you sucked your memory out. The men caught a deer this morning, how would you like it cooked.” Bloody she thought, but decided on rare.
That night Maleth came to visit her. She had most of her strength back after eating the half raw deer steak. She wanted to go to her own hut. The summoner could not figure out why her healing spells did not work on Larowin, but was fine after she ate. Katsin gave her blessing for Maleth to take Larowin home, it has been a long time since they have seen each other, they needed to do some bonding.
As soon as they walked through the door Larowin grabbed Maleth and threw him down and the bonding began.
It took a long time for Larowin’s father to accept Maleth. He was the only human allowed in Wolf Forest, and her father wanted her to have an eleven soul mate. No matter how much he hates it though you can not choose your soul mate.
Larowin drifted in and out of sleep that night. Waking every so often from a nightmare, the same dreams she was having in Black Forest. What was happening to her, she wondered. When they woke in the morning Larowin was covered in blood. She hurried and cleaned herself off, but there was no sign of injury. Maleth wanted to know what was going on so they paid a visit to Katsin the summoner.
It was odd indeed Katsin thought after hear their tale. “One of the guards came in this morning and told of an animal that has been torn to pieces, so badly that they did not know at first if it was even an animal. Larowin fainted and was rushed to a bed. After a while Katsin came from the sleeping chamber. Maleth rushed to her.
“Is she alright? What is happening to her? Is she the one whom did that to the animal?” Katsin looked at the human and said in a low voice, “ I fear for her and the unborn child, yes Maleth she is with child. Your bonding last eve brought a life into this world. From the spell I chose to cast I seen it will be a daughter you will have. What ever bit Larowin may also be affecting the child.”
Maleth both happy for being a father and said for Larowin asked Katin what they should do. Katsin lowered her head “ without knowing what bit her, I cannot help her. She will need to go to Watergate and seek out the archmage Maliki. Hopefully he can save them both.” Katsin placed her hand on Maleth’s shoulder, “He is the best. You must leave at once for the child’s sake. Oh, and one more thing Maleth, I think it is best if you two not return until she is fully healed. Others are having concerns over her behavior. Some are saying it is because she is mating with a human and they are frightened. I don’t want any harm to come to you and your family because of this, so let’s play it safe.”
