A Riding Wolf and a Chance Meeting

Percival was seen walking down the road, astride his constant companion Solomon, the grey furred wolf huffed at the gnome that was now sitting astride the wolf, who was growling whenever the gnome would urge him forward or give him some riding command. The wolf, would almost constantly shift and squirm as he walked, giving Percival a hard time, who seemed to be trying to get the wolf used to being ridden. "Now, come on, Solomon...it's not that bad. You've carried packs at least three times as heavy as I am now, you fussbudget." 

 There would some growls and a soft bark at end of that sentence, following by Solomon jerking to the side to try and slide Percival off him, but gnome just gripped the shaggy wolf's fur and squeezed his flanks with his legs. "Now, look, none of that. You know this will be helpful. How many fights have we gotten into lately? I could touch you and heal you, or I can summon someone to help you out. So, just work with me now, okay?" A soft low growl stayed in the wolf's throat, making the gnome just let the wolf have its quiet.

"It's possible that the wolf may not like being ridden, except in emergencies." A voice in the trees can be heard from. it's definitely a female voice all right. She looks down and smiles before she hops off of the low hanging branch and lands on her feet. She's wearing clothes that are definitely not fit for being out in the snow, or cold weather at all, but she seems to be quite comfortable. "I don't know animals all that well though. I'm just guessing from the way you're talking to him.

Percival blinks in surprise, the momentary release of his fur by the gnome allowed Solomon to shake himself and send the gnome flying off of him to land sprawled in the dirt. "Oof!" He stayed there for a second, a bit dizzy from the unexpected tumble. Solomon, though, suddenly released a few loud barks, the twinkle in his eye evident that this was his equivelant of laughter. 

Now it was Percival's turn to grumble, pushing himself up to glare at Solomon and then look to the new person. "No, the old codger's just being stubborn." He put his hands on his hips and glared at Solomon again. "Just like your old paw in his old age. NO! Don't give me that look!" He wagged his finger at him, "I only say it when it's true, my mom said that you'd be just as ornery. 'Runs in the blood' she said." The wolf sat and growled, looking away. 

"Hi, ma'am...name's Percival, long time druid." He grinned a bit and threw his thumb at the grumpy silver-gray wolf sitting next to him. "This is Solomon, my closest friend."

Elycia says, "I figured you were a druid, just by the way you talked to Solomon, instead of using him as cover, or a simple companion." She then smiles a bit, and sits on the snow. That would almost looking uncomfortable for a woman showing that much skin, but she seems fine. Might be because of those fur lined boots she's wearing, and the fact she hasn't left track one in the snow at all. "Elycia Windrider." She says holding her hand out for Solomon. "If you're a druid, I imagin you've heard of the Yggdrasil Union." She says with a smile."

Percival ignored the wolf, still staring off into the forest. The gnome took the other's hand and shook it, dwarfed as it was, it still seemed like a weak handshake. He cleared his throat, "Nice to meet ye, Elycia Windrider. I also have, I will fight for the forest and maybe even be worthy of its ranks one day." He beamed and eyed her a bit, "I'm assumin' it's pretty well known around 'ere if everyone knows about it. Do you have dealings with them?"

Elycia smiles a bit. "I am with them, yes." She then smiles. "I act as their conduit for the Northern Winds." She then lowers her hands from Solomon after shaking Percival's hand. "I am not a druid though, so I don't have your knowledge of the forests. Little other knowledge actually, since I'm a former slave girlf rom the golden coast." She then chuckles a bit.

Percival nodds gravely, "I'm sorry, no one should be forced to be a slave, I can't imagine being under another's control more than the citizens here." At this point he made exaggerated gestures with his arms to show how incredulous it was, " 'I follow lawwwwws!" Drawing the word out to try and make sound even worse. "I mean, it's all kinda new, ya know? I wish you could have lived in my town...I was old back then, an old human." He shook his head, "It was nice, in the middle of the woods and no one else around but the folks you done knowed most of your life."

Elycia says, "Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful master. He protected me, taught me things, and in return, I simply brought him drinks and made sure he was well dressed when he needed to meet important people. At my 21st brithday, he brought me here, gave me plenty of money to live on, and asked me to find my great grandmother." She then giggles at Percival drawing out 'lawwwwws', the giggle itself causes a bit of a spark to crackle around her hair. "I'm sorry, but that was funny. And I really have to be careful. The Air is so dry out here, because of the snow, that the static electricity can cause a bit of a problem for me."

Percival he shrugged a bit, "Well, 'tis your life and not mine, Miss Elycia." He mussed Solomons headfur, and in reaction was bowled over by the wolf picking up his paw and thrusting it against his chest. "Oof!" Again, on the ground, but this time out of breath too. He took a second then stood, dusting off his robes. "By the Green, Solomon. You're gonna wake up shaved." He stuck his tongue out at the wolf, who was again pretending to admire the scenery about him. 

Turning back, to see the spark, he blinks and cocks his head to the side, not really sure what to take from it. "Dry air? Never had a bit of dry call down some lightnin' ". He grinned, cocking his head to the side, "You sure you're not a druid?"

 Elycia shakes her head. "I'm not a druid, I'm a sorceress." She then chuckles a bit. "This must be the reason why my former master wants me to find my great grandmother, I guess." She says with a chuckle. "I did say I was the Union's conduit for the Northern Winds. SO there was a reason behind it. Doncha think. At least the Essence said so during that ritual...."

Percival nods slowly, "A sorceress, huh? Mom always used to like sorceresseses, better than wizards at least." He sat down on the snow, realizing that his conversational partner was sitting down. "Well, I can't say I understand a lot of what you're talkin' about. Northern Essence of the Winds and such, pretty impressive title." He grinned a bit, "I just don't meet influential people, ya know?" He waggled his feet, thoughtfully. "Are you a target? Do people try and kill you to take your position?"

Elycia says, "An Essence is a cleric or druid of Dana, Percival. A Conduit of the Northern Winds, is simply where one stands during the ritual, and gives their power to the ritual. I don't even understand what the ritual was about, but we had four people. Northern Winds, Eastern fire, water from the west, and earth at the south. it was an interesting ritual....""

Percival blinks and cocks his head to the side, "Lady Dana of The Green Word?" He was knocked out of his excitable mood rather quickly, a smile still adorning his face, though. "My mother taught me about her and her great Words. She said we didn't need ta go to any ceremonies or attend with any of the politics and stuff...she said anyone could serve Lady Dana by loving and living with nature." 

Solomon even took notice when Her name was mentioned, turning quickly to look between them seemed to bow his head ever time he heard her mentioned. He layed down, now taking more of an interest in the conversation, his tail wagging slowly and ears perked up.

Elycia smiles a bit more. "I also follow her. That ritual was.....what converted me." She now lowers her hand again to Solomon, allowing him to catch her scent if he so wished. "This one was important, especially if an Essence called for us to join her in the forest to perform it." She then shrugs a bit. "I don't remember much of the ceremony though. The Essence recognized me for what I was before I even realized it. But then the ritual started and.....that's all I remember except for waking up the next morning."

Percival listened while Solomon leaned forward and sniffed her hand, giving it a soft lick before relaxing back on the ground. "Sounds scary...like a bad night at the bar, except you end with a religious experience..." The gnome sighed and made patterns and little piles in the snow while they talked, "I wish it would stop snowing, the trees have got to grow back soon. I was hoping it would be earlier rather than later..." He looked up and blinked, "If you're a sorcereress, then can you get rid of the snow and make it warmer? You can make explosions and fire and stuff, that's what mom said."

"I might be a sorceress, but you're more in tune with nature than I am. I only know a little bit about it." Elycia says before petting Solomon, and stopping for a moment as his fur crackles a little bit with static electricity. Thankfully, it's Elycia getting shocked and not Solomon. "I can no more change the weather than you can." She says before looking to the trees. "They know when springis almost here." She says softly. "Just like you should have faith that it'll return as well."

Percival sighed and knocked a couple of his little snow piles over before rebuilding a few of them. "I'm have no power that can do that, so I guess we'll just have to live with the biting cold until we find power that can do that." He laid back and rested his head under his hands, "Could you imagine it? The power to bring unending summer upon a town. It would be paradise." He sighed at the thought of it. 

Solomon scootched closer to Elycia, enjoying the crackling of electricity across his fur, bringing back fond memories of cold winter days spent on fur rugs in some tavern he would probably never see again. The old grey-furred wolf layed his head in her lap and closed his eyes for a doze.

Elycia pets Solomon quietly and giggles. "It would also be unnatural. A period of rest for plants, and time for the earth to rest as well. As for the cold.....I don't notice it." She says patting the pair of boots she has on. "You seem like you need a set yourself, Percival. With these on, you don't notice the cold." She then lets out a rather odd and LOUD belch that......seems to come out of nowhere. "Woops! Excuse me!" She then giggles a little bit. "Sorry. I didn't expect that to happen."

Percival didn't even open his eyes at the belch, wiggling his toes. "Oh, I know it'd be unnatural, but...wouldn't it just be nice? To not have to huddle up in blankets and you could just stay out?" He chuckled and sighed, "I donno...I like to dream of things that'll never happen, but...weirder things have happened to me before." 

Solomon grunted at the disturbance, blinking his heavy eyelids he glanced up at the sorceress and huffed before laying his head back down and closing his eyes. Percival sat up, eyeing the wolf, "Oh hush, you...it ain't close to the worst thing that came out of you." Solomon, being the greater person than the gnome, simply ignored him and tried to take advantage of a nap with the warm and soft pillow he was laying on.

Elycia giggles softly at Solomon. "Sorry. I only really eat every other week now." She's still petting Solomon as she explains this. "Weird things happen all the time around here. Like throwing lightning at sahagin, and taking on a ghost ship at range.....and you're the only one with ranged attacks." She then chuckles a bit. "Believe me. Some of the stuff that happens around here would blow your mind. While the Azure queen was arounf, there was random fights in the market places...."

Percival stares at her, "Wow, really? Fighting Sahagin and fights in the marketplace? Sounds dangerous..." He frowned for a moment, then grinned. "I donno though, it seems interesting at least. A fight can keep you in good shape." He beamed at Elycia and flexed his small muscles. "I donno what you do to stay fit, I generally fight and walk...not much else to do aside from talking in the woods." 

Solomon let out a small wuff as he turned to lay on his side to get more comfortable. "I know you hunt, ya meat eater. Speak for yourself though, I don't hunt. I just pick the berries along the way, lot less effort." He smugly stared at Solomon before looking back to her. "Fights ain't all bad, though. That's what I mean. Don't know what a Ghost Ship is though...is it a ship that got sunk?"

Elycia says, "I hunt, pick berries, and the like. I make sure I eat all of the thing I kill though, and usually it's generaly pretty cooked after I hit it though. I just have to wait for the charge to dissipate though. A ghost ship is a ship that had sunk, but had a curse or something upon it to where the ship sails again, along with it's original.....now dead....crew." She then looks at her fingers. "Casting spells is pretty taxing on the body. After a while, you get tired, and....your body reacts to it." She then gives Percival a wink. "Of course, being a slave isn't all bad, as long as your master is nice. Mine was definitely nice....wonderful in fact. He was like a surrogate father, after my own father sold me and mom to cover his debts.""

Percival frowned deeply, the idea of a dead ship with a dead crew forced to ride it seemed sad. Then the thought of her father selling her to slavery was quite a bit worse. "Well...I'm glad he's nice, but that is still a glossy shine yer putting over a sad past." He brushed the snow off of the sleeves of his robe. "I mean, I ain't never knew my dad, but my mom was all I needed. She taught me everything I know, and literally made me what I am today. She was wonderful, don't know where she is though."

Elycia says, "Perhaps we can find her one day, Percival." She says petting Solomon on the head more. "I'm guessing Solomon doens't make friends easily?" She says with a giggle. "Your mom sounds like a sweet lady, percival.""

Percival makes a face at Solomon, "Maybe we can...don't truly know what happened. There was an attack, and when I woke up there was the bodies of the attackers and most of the villagers, but my mom was gone, no note, no body." He shrugged. "And I was a gnome, can you imagine waking up as a gnome?" He laughed and shook his head. "Though Solomon's fine, he's friendly, but he's just in a bad mood because," He spoke loudly and pointedly at Solomon at this point. "He's old and stubborn! Like his dad!" 

Solomon gave him a piercing glare before standing up and lowering himself down next to Percival, as if trying to prove the point that he wasn't like his old man. "Heheh, she was quite the wonderful woman, words can't describe her properly." He smiled dreamily as he slipped onto the grey wolf's back and steadied himself on his shoulders

Elycia smiles brightly to Percial. "We'll have to meet her sometime, percival. Just like my great grandmother. My former master wouldn't tell me why I should seek her out, but he said that I should. So, perhaps we can look for them both together." She says before kneeling down in front of Solomon. "This is important for Percival. he's not treating you like a pack animal to be rided. It's just in case he's ever in trouble. You can carry him to safety if you do this, Solomon." She doubt he can understand her, but....she still has to try.

Percival nodded happily, "We definitely should meet each other's family, sounds like fun! Your grandmum and my mum, sounds like an epic enough quest" He sat up straight, Solomon glaring at him before looking back to Elycia and standing up as she spoke. He huffed at her again with a soft growl almost as if to say '...but I don't have to be happy about it!' 

Percival tugged on the grey wolf's ear and frowned, "Don't growl at her, she's just tryin' ta be nice! Old curmudgen, not havin' any sympathy for the young!" He shook his head and sighed, now scratching behind the wolf's ear. "If you hear anythin' about yer grand mum and there's anythin' I can do to help. You jus' let me know, ya here?"

Elycia nods quietly. "I'll do my best to let you know, Percival. In the meantime, look for someone to give you a pair of boots like mine, or use a certain spell that I don't know of yet." She then waves to Percival. "See you two soon!" She says before she makes her way back to the wayfarer's inn.

Percival waves to Elycia as he and Solomon continue to plod along down the road, back and forth throughout the day as they tried to get used to the new tactical plan by constantly complaining about each other to each other. He wasn't sure if he'd give up because of the bruises or Solomon would get tired of giving him a hard time, but he knew it would be a useful thing to have