"I remember when I was a little girl," Cailin began telling Marren as they walked down the trail, "I left a large basket of apples in Miri's stall for her.  When I came back a couple of hours later, they were all gone."  Continuing her story, "Papa found out and had me muck out her stall and the corral for the next three days." Pausing for a moment, Cailin added with a small laugh,  "perhaps that's not such a fond memory, after all.."  Laughing at the woman's tale, Marren looked down at her and replied with a grin, "we'll be sure she can't get to them as easy this time."  And with that, the pair continued their walk to the trees, laughing.

"What a cute story... now hand over your valuables," the pair heard a voice say from behind them.  Turning to face the voice, Cailin and Marren were confronted by a trio of armed men, one holding a crossbow trained on Cailin. "You can start with that necklace, girl... cough it up!", the apparent leader said.  "Please sir," Cailin pleaded,  "you can have everything but this, it belonged to my mother and it's all I have left of her."  "How touching," the bandit replied, "I don't care if it belonged to the mother of The Light itself... give it here, now!"  With tears swelling in her eyes, Cailin replied to the robber, "no, I won't."  With a sigh in his voice, the outlaw responded, "you try to be nice... oh well, have it your way, girl."

Seeing the bandit's finger begin to tighten on the crossbow's trigger, Marren dove between the man and Cailin shouting, "Cailin, watch out!", as the bolt struck him in the chest sending him to the ground in a crumpled heap.  "Eh, just as well," the outlaw said, shrugging his shoulders, "alright boys, grab her while I check this guy for loot.  We'll take her back to the hide and have ourselves a little entertainment."

Hearing the bandit leader's words and seeing Marren's apparently lifeless body at her feet, Cailin's fear and sorrow instantly turned to rage and utter hatred.  Reaching over her shoulder to grab the Moonblade with her left hand and across her body to grab the kukukirhi with the right, Cailin dove at the leader, scissoring the two blades in front of her.  "YOU BASTARD!", the girl screamed at the man as she flew through the air, landing mere inches from him.

For a moment, all was silent as the bandit leader stood there staring at Cailin.  Suddenly the man's body buckled, sending him in a spiral to his knees.  Upon hitting the ground, the man's head separated from his corpse, rolling to a stop, face up at the other two's feet while his intestines burst forth from the gaping wound of the kukukirhi.  Looking down at their leader's head, the smaller of the two exclaimed, " only a witch could move like that!  I ain't havin' no dealins' with any witches!" After saying that, the man turned and fled as fast as he could run.  Seeming to be in agreement with his partner, the other bandit followed suit, close on his heels.  Still in a state of shock, all Cailin could do was stand over the body of the man she had just slain and stare.

Back at the fortification, the other three heard the shouting.  ""They be in trouble!", Petra exclaimed to the other women, "they need our help... let's go!"  As the three women exited the building and began running down the steps, Lyranda jumped from the upper platform and instantly transformed into her cat aspect in midair, landing gracefully and running to her beleaguered companions as fast as the actual great cat.  "Amazing!", Lilith exclaimed as she witnessed the scene then calling out to Lyranda, "be swift, my love!  We're right behind you!"

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Coming in somewhere at the middle of Cailin's saga and want to start at the beginning?
Then click here:
Cailin's Journey - - An Adventure In The Making
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