((Let's start Rain! We are on page 7!!!!!! ))

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

Okay!!
Ready!
Set!
Start!
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Grageon jumped off of his sterdy Rock Leg pony, Stoneheart. The white pony was clad in sweat and breathing hard from a long run. Grageon led Stoneheart to the edge of a lake to drink, and took off his light leather saddle.
"I think we can rest here. No enemy seems to be around," the dwarf spoke to his pony, voice low and gruff. Grageon Dagarkin layed down his big stone hammer, and took off his helm and layed it at his side. Kneeling he lifted clear water with chain and leather clad hands to his parched mouth and swollowed, but not without spilling a bit on his beard. He sat back on a log nearby, and thought intently on what had happened while his pony rested.

A group of ten dwarves or so made their way cautiously across Merynseoa, land of the Elves. They kept quiet, and all sences open. Grageon rode at the front of the line of dwarves that included his two older brothers, and the rest royal guard. They were headed toward the Nuetral land where a dwarven army had made camp and was waiting for the signal to attack the elves so the border of Edglyom could expand further. But that plan was soon ruined.
For years there had been a secret trail through the elven kingdom that the elves themselves had not known about, and the dwarves traveled back and forth without too much worry. That, until now.
Arrows hailed from either side of the path, and elven warriors jumped out, taking down half of the group right then and there.
Stoneheart was knicked in the rump with an elven saber, and darted forward. Looking back, Grageon glimpsed the elves dancing in victery. Oh he hoped that his brothers had gotten away.

A few miles later, he was finaly able to halt Stoneheart by the lake in the small piece of Nuetral land. Only to find the small army hiding there had been destroyed. Every last dwarf there had been killed.

Grageon shook his head. Somehow the enemy-or enemies-had known about the party heading towards the army, that should have been hidden and a secret. Strange thing was, who ever had destroyed the army, had ripped everything to shreds, like it was an army of wolves or big cats that had attacked them.
Grageon's thought process was interupted when he heard a rustling in the brush behind him. He stood up, and grabbed his big hammer, prepared for anything.

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

A cool morning breeze swept through the land as the sun was barely shining over the mountaintops. The silver city of the Shifters shown out as the sun began to hit it at just the right angle. A young girl came walking down a set of circular steps, looking to be only 12 or 13, but really had recently celebrated her 27th birthday. Her long brown hair was flowing in the wind as she walked into the Royal Courtyard Garden. She sat underneath the willow tree, her long silver dress flowing against the wind as she did so. Aleya was her name and she was the next Princess of the Shifters. Her mother was the Queen and her father the King and it was there desire for her to become the Lady she was born to be, and even though they knew not, that was not Aleya's dream.

Aleya started to pretend to read and then she glanced up slyly at the tower, where she knew her mother was watching her. She saw her mother smile approvingly, and then her mother left the windowsill, probably to go and attend matters of the court. Aleya grinned and, jumping up, set the book down and ran along the smooth stone path. She went the back way that led up to her room and she climbed the steps and checking to make sure there were no servants, slipped inside the doorframe into her sanctuary. Aleya slipped out of her silver dress and into clothes she would much rather wear; a pair of old linen breeches and a long-sleeved undershirt, with a light blue tunic over it. It was her older brother’s old clothes, and as she looked into the mirror, she grinned.

Aleya knelt down to looked underneath her bed and she pulled out her most secret and prized item; a dagger. She slipped it around her ankle and then put the pant leg back over it, hiding it. She continued to smile, as she looked herself over. She loved dressing up like this…it felt so natural to her, unlike the maiden dresses her mother forced her to wear. Even though no one knew it, Aleya’s greatest dream was to become like her brother, a warrior of the forest. He was one of the greatest warriors of their kingdom and she wanted to go and fight along side with him. As Aleya began to dream of the glory of battle, her dream was shattered by the sound of a scream. Aleya jumped up and looked around, wondering who would have screamed…and why. She walked over to her window, near the direction were the scream came from, but she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then, someone ran through her doorway. Aleya turned quickly to see her brother, Sconik.

Aleya began to smile at him and try to explain why she was wearing his old clothes, but then she stopped, because when she looked into his eyes, she saw something she had never seen before; worry…and fear. He looked at her and knelt down, taking her by the shoulders. “Aleya, I need you to listen to me and listen to me closely.” He said, not even being fazed by Aleya’s change of attire. Aleya looked into her brothers’ eyes, concerned and confused. “Aleya, the land is being attacked. I need you to go , get out of here; go out into the mountains, and hide, you should be safe there.” Aleya tried to speak, to protest, but Sconik shook his head and said, “Aleya, you must do this! Now hurry! GO!” He said, standing and Aleya, tears in her eyes, nodded, and then quickly gave her brother a hug, for Aleya knew she might not ever see him again. Sconik hugged her back and kissed her on the forehead. “I know you can be strong, dearest sister. I love you. No go, with haste!” Aleya nodded and ran down the steps and cutting through the alleyways towards the back gate of the kingdom, all along the way she heard the screams of villagers and the hustling of Shifters as the tried to figure out how to beat this new evil.

Aleya made it out of the kingdom and onto a nearby hill that looked over her home, thankful that she was wearing her brothers’ clothes. She looked back, tears in her eyes as she saw flames engulfing houses and smoke rising up into the sky. She then shifted into a black foal, and ran into the forest, running for her life, the echoing screams of her family and friends ringing violently in her ears…


Aleya jumped up from where she was lying on the ground, sleeping, sweat trickling down her face and back. She looked around; it was still dark in the forest, but she could barely make out a hint of sunlight coming over the horizon. Aleya wiped the sweat off her brow and stood, stretching her sore limbs from sleeping on the ground again, though she had gotten used to it. Aleya walked over to the river and knelt down at the water’s edge and looked at her reflection. She gasped and shook her head as she saw the younger Aleya staring back at her from her dreams and as she opened her eyes again, she sighed heavily in relief as she saw herself, now, almost 70 years later. Aleya cupped her hands in the water and splashed the water in her face, to help her awake. She sighed and looked up towards the sky, trying to forget the past. It had been so long since that night when she was forced to grow up, and since then, she had become stronger in both her mental and physical strength, and also in her shifting abilities. She had taught herself how to use a sword and a bow, and even learned healing crafts from an old woman that lived in the forest many years earlier. She had never the chance to return to her home, and mainly she had stayed out of sight and alone from the world, especially in enemy territory. But now, she was entering neutral territory and she might be able to find a decent bed to rest in for a night. But for now, Aleya tried to get the screaming voices out of her ears and the smell of smoke and ash and flame from her nose.

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

It was dark in the room-only few candles were lighted. In a big arm-chair fencing the window, a woman cloaked in black was sitting. She was holding a glass of red wine in her hand. Her clothes were covered with dust and one of her legs was bandaged. It seemed that the woman just came back from battle.
Still staring through the window, she leaned on the arm-chair and drank a draught from the wine. It was around midnight when the room’s door opened and a man entered. He made a sign to the woman with head. “I am coming!” said the woman and stood up. She smiled lightly and on the white moonlight her pointed K9 teeth were revealed.

She was a vampire. Her name was Erica and she was loyal servant to the Vampire Lord Kyalessar. Erica just arrived from her scout mission and her master wanted to see her. Escorted by the other vampire, she left the room and headed to the throne hall of the Domain: The Summer Palace of the Vampire Lord.
The corridors were long and dark. Only the pale moon threw weak light in the dwellings. Suddenly before the two vampires the heavy doors of the main hall appeared. They opened slowly with creaking. In the middle, on a golden throne, Lord Kyalessar was standing. Erica entered the hall and bowed.

“Rise, child!” said Lord Kyallessar. “You’re back earlier then I thought…What news do you bring me?”
“My lord” started Erica “The scouts reported that several Dwarfs have entered the Neutral Realm, sire.”
“Is this the only thing you could find out, Erica?”
“I’m afraid so, my lord. My group of scouts was attacked by Elf troops. We had to retreat because many of us were badly injured.”
“Interesting…interesting” said Lord Kyalessar. “Elves and Dwarfs in the Neutral Lands…I wonder why are they there…You must go back and find out what’s going on! You must leave tomorrow night”
“As you wish, my lord.” Said Erica and bowed.
“Now you are free to leave”
Erica bowed again and left the hall.

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Return of the Rings 2011- make it happen

sig.set:by me;
my unbiological sissy is Aerlinn

(Wow.. long posts. I claim the person bustling in the bushes!!!)

Drogo had been the single hobbit chosen for this "adventure", even though, to him, it was more of a removal for the next few months to years. His job was to find out how the fighting was heading between the kingdoms and report back with good news. Therefore, if no good news came forth, Drogo should wait longer, more than likely a while longer.

After crossing the waters on a boat, Drogo ran to the Nuetral lands on his bare feet. He was very well used to walking on bare feet around the islands, but the lands beyond were so much different.

Sitting down, Drogo massaged his feet. Every so often he would cringe from the pain, and he would take a deep breath in to remember to look around for any potential danger. Hobbits were the least warlike of all of the tribes, but that still did not mean they wouldn't fight. Being on islands, they did not need to learn how to fight as much as the other races, and their fighting style differed greatly. Being small and rather insignificant to many, hobbits always attacked in those with their main element being surprise. Each one of them would hold a knife or dagger, and they would plummit on their enemy. Drogo, being a hobbit, did hold a dagger, but he was one of the rebels that would not use it all too often. He was never in such support of fighting, but would perfer if everyone could get along. This most likely was the reason he was chosen. Either because he didn't seem like much of a threat to the enemy or he did seem like a major threat to the hobbit lifestyle.

After rubbing his sore feet for a few minutes, Drogo realized he forgot to look around and make sure no one was watching him, once again. He perked his head up, inconventiely causing a ruffling noise in the bush, and scanned his surroundings to jump back out of the bush in fear of.... a dwarf.

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Grageon jumped in supprise to spot what had made the rustling. A hobbit! Of all creatures. Being from opposite sides of the explored and known lands, Dwarves and Hobbits barely saw each other, never mind fight them to know what kind of style they used.

Grageon was no exception, he held his big hammer high in case he needed to use it.
"You, Hobbit! Do you mean harm, sneaking up on a dwarf like that?" he inquired, his deep voice booming...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Drogo wasn't able to pick himself up from his arms going limp from fear, and his dagger lay about 5 feet away from him. The shock had him grab his dagger but toss it away, making it clearly useless.

"I haven't been sneaking... at all," Drogo slowly stuttered out, hoping to sulk away from the aggravated dwarf, "I just have to go to the Nuetal Lands and found out some stuff."

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Aleya knelt down by her campsite and covered the spot were she had made a fire with leaves and dirt. It helped to cover all signs of life when she moved from place to place, so she was least likely from being tracked. She didn't think she was and if she was being tracked, she had no idea on who would, but she had learned from her many years of being so close to death that she could feel it's icey chill enter her body and then leave again, that she could never be to careful, or to trusting. She lived for so long on her own, no feelings of companionship or love, but only feelings of loneliness and abandonment in there place.

After she finished cleaning up her campsite, she checked and made sure she had all her weapons. She carried a sword on her back, long and curved, but light-weighted. She got it from a blacksmith down in a port city many years ago. He gave it to her for free because she reminded him of his niece, young and youthful, who was murdered by assiasans a few years before. That was the last time she had encountered anything in mortal form and that was over 20 years ago. She sighed heavily and stopped moving as the breeze blew through the forest; she listened. The wind carried nothing this morning, she decided. No word or news from her country or the matters of the war. Aleya made sure she had her daggers and that they were strapped in place, so that if she shifted, they wouldn't fall off her body or cause her pain, no matter what form she took.

Aleya looked towards the skies and decided that flying would be enjoyable and with great skill and gracefullness, she shifted into a red-tailed falcon and took to the skies.

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

Garans soared through the skies as she sought her friend and master. Finally she found him, in the aftermath of a fairly large bloody skirmish near the Lezmar and Dwarven border. The one hundred dwarves who had crossed the border were allowed to pass until they were too far from their home mountains. Tasniom and his guard had followed them through the very familiar desert. Finally when the heat, thirst, and exhaustion had overtaken the dwarves and their ponies, Tasniom attacked them. They were overtaken easily by the scorpion riding. Garans was diving down towards Tasniom as he had put the last dwarf in that party out of his misery.

"Disgusting," he snarled as he wiped his scimitar on the dwarf's clothes. He let his scorpion devour the dead. He then gently extended his hand towards Garans as she landed on it. He brought her close to his face and whispered, "And how are you? Found anything interesting?"

Garans squawked and chirped as her master quietly listened what she had to say. He nodded and turned to his scorpion. "Come on," he yelled to his guard. "We're moving." He jumped on the saddle that was behind his scorpion's cephalothorax and moved south, quickly followed by his guard.

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I was cured all right.

Estelle stood upon a patch of earth in her homeland, feeling the wind blow gently through her golden locks as she awaited the arrival of her companion. Her sword was fastened to her side and a quiver of arrows were strapped to her back, all signaling that was about to depart on a journey. A smile traced her lip as Thalion came into view and landed beside her, her eyes taking in the majesty of the phoenix. "The time draws neigh." she whispered to none in particular. "Death is in the air."

"You plan to do this?" a voice said from behind and Estelle sharply turned to as her elder brother Michael landed beside her.

Estelle nodded solemnly. "Our own borders are no longer safe. With the dawn of each new day, more of our kin are slain and I grieve. I must discover the reason for such bloodshed."

"It is far to dangerous, sister." he said sternly. "I can not allow it."

"You will not be able to stop me," she replied serenely. "Because in your heart you know that it must be done."

Michael sighed heavily, thoroughly exasperated with his sister's strong will.

"I am not afraid." she told him, her aqua eyes meeting his.

Michael slowly nodded. "The heaven's guard you, young one. Do not let me find your body among the dead."

"You worry far to much, elder brother." Estelle replied with a laugh. "Do not fear, I shall not be alone." she added with a slight smirk as Thalion ascended the skies once more.

"Guard her well." Michael ordered the bird who said nothing, waiting for his mistress's orders.

Estelle shook her head in amusement as she ascended into the sky. Bidding her brother farewell, she signaled to phoenix and the pair headed toward their border where they would hopefully pass over undetected over the lands of Men and Fairies and arrive in the Neutral Land.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

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~Thank you to Estë Undómë for the Beeeautiful Banners & Avvie <3 ~

Nikoli Morgenstern made his way past endless trees and plants - being lost in a place like this had been a truly terrible experience. If it had not been for the small deer-like creatures he had caught last night, starvation might have taken over.

Goldfeather flapped his wings restlessly as the two companions noticed a red-tailed falcon soaring above. The hawk soon joined the falcon in flight, hoping to draw her attention.

Aleya flapped her wings gracefully, the wind blowing through her feathers. Then, she felt the presense of another being and she looked around, and then found the presense. It was a hawk, and a beautiful one at that. Aleya wondered why the hawk was following her. She looked below to try and find if the hawk had an owner or was wild, but because of the trees, she could she nothing below.

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly

Greenery everywhere. Trees both large and small, flowering plants struggling for life in the light-starved forest, bushes both forming and blocking off paths. The forest floor was thick with fallen leaves, hoofbeats making no more than muffled half-thudding, half-crunching noises. Not for the first - and certainly not for the last - time, Rylin found himself wondering what had led him to come here, why he now struggled to find a way out of the blasted forest that covered a good fourth of the Neutral land.

Hunting. That was what had led to this. Years of hunting, of wandering, a constant struggle to live in avoidance of the conflict always threatening to come to blows. Elves against Dwarves against Humans against Hobbits against Faeries against Nymphs against Angels against Vampires against Shapeshifters against Lezmar. The list was ridiculous, laughable. So many races in this one world..all against one another in one form or another. And why? Why was there such a conflict that could very well destroy everything that was and that ever could be? Even the elves had forgotten how it began, long-lived and long of memory as they were.

Scoffing at his tendency to long thought, Rylin put these thoughts aside, tightening his grip on the reins of his mare, Snowfire. Leaning down on a level with her neck, he then murmured a command in elvish, straightening just as Snowfire took off down a nearby clear path, in a rush that might hopefully lead out of this thrice-blasted forest..or else lead to a suitable campsite.

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Aleya watched the hawk closely and heard it call out to her. She knew it wanted her to follow it, but would she be safe? Aleya decided that she could take one single risk, and she turned her body and went against the wind, following the hawk.

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Just became a college freshman; be on sparingly