Robin and her team ride through the night and then all day. Their horses are tired, but the power flowing through Robin's veins lets her keep them going past when they should have stopped.
When they arrive at Little Spring, the fighting is long since over. There are wounded, but no dead, and things are in good enough shape that they have aid with their horses.
Grizzle, who is senior at Little Spring, greets Robin and tells her about the attack. It was very odd, because at first they expected it to be bloody carnage. They sent their runner when the enemy fell on them.
But in the end, for all that the wild folk were vicious, what they did was take Breeze, a young Ranger. At a certain point in the fight, he stopped fighting the wild folk and began crying to go with them. Grizzle tried to stop them from taking Breeze and got a hard blow to the head for his pains.
Grizzle has no idea what they wanted with Breeze or where they went afterwards. They just melted into the forest, and the troop from Little Spring couldn't find their trail.
"Breeze, hunh?" Robin turns her eyes off into the forest, seeking the cold trail. And answers. The sudden stiffness shooting through the girl indicates that she's leapt to at least one of those things.
"Grizzle? I need to talk to whomever on your team knew Breeze best." There's a certain grim note in Robin's voice as she turns toward the older Ranger.
Casting her gaze back to where the rest of her team is taking care of the horses, Robin's green eyes spark with inner thoughts. And in an equally grim voice she murmurs to herself. "Dung."
[OOC - Given that the Rangers are a pretty private bunch, but also given that Robin's known many of these guys most of her life, she's reviewing her team for two factors. 1 -- Their parents -- does she know who or at least what they were? 2 -- Whom among her team are 'kind-lovers,' Ranger-slang for gay.]
[A reminder from last time: Hunter/Warrior side was lead by Totter, then Avid, Cranny & Rain. Scout side was led by Needle, then Bay, Pistil & Marquer.]
Totter's a kind-lover. Robin doesn't know anything about Rain, who was recruited by Brita. Nobody has, to her knowledge, anything odd about their parentage.
Grizzle brings forth a young man named Levet to meet Robin. He's Breeze's best friend, and Grizzle doesn't say it in a way that suggests they're anything more.
"Levet." Robin nods to the young man with a sad smile, wishing they could meet under better circumstances. "I have to ask you something about Breeze. I wouldn't if it weren't important." The girl's lips press together unhappily. She doesn't like 'prying.' "Do you know anything about Breeze's parentage?"
Levet seems a little in awe of Robin. He looks around, making sure there's not anyone close to listen.
"Ma'am?" he says. "I don't know if the rumors are true, either 'bout you or 'bout him, but they say that the Warden, well anyway, what they say is the Warden's son is Breeze's father. Don't know if it's true, though."
Robin presses her lips together and nods to her interior thoughts. "I don't know if it's true either, Levet. But it might explain what happened here."
"Well," the Ranger dusts her hands off on her thighs with short sharp slaps, "Going to have to go get him." She smiles wryly to Levet. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, ma'am," Levet replies. "If there's anything else I can do, or if you need one more on your team, I'm your man."
"Thank you, Levet." Robin smiles and putting a hand on his shoulder, she gives the young man a rough comradely shake. Looking the Ranger over, and remembering her own exclusion from the Brita-hunt and her exclusion of Conner from the Daeon-hunt... something gives within Robin. And for better or worse, she looses a little of her edge.
"Right then. This way." The Ranger gestures with her head as she turns back toward the encampment.
Then she strides back toward the bustle of Rangers. A short whistle is let off to assemble her team, and she gestures for Grizzle to join them.
Everyone joins her, including Grizzle, and they wait for her word.
"K. I'm going in. This will be a Deep Dive. Volunteers only." Green eyes sweep over her team. "I mean to keep it small. And since chances are we're on a Succubus Hunt," Robin cites an old argument used to allow women into the Rangers, "I'm only looking for Rangers who think they can out-stubborn Vista."
A wry twist slides onto Robin's lips. She knows that list has got to be pretty short. But when Artemis came barging into Heather Vale, it was Vista and Conner who retained their heads. So that's the level she's needing.
"Rain? I figure you and me slide past that little requirement. But for the rest of you guys, we're looking at some serious seduction power. So think about it. 'Cause I don't mean for those Arcadian bitches to get any more of my men." Robin's voice is grim as her eyes glow eerily green.
Rain smirks and comes to stand by Robin. Totter moseys over as well, as does Levet.
Needle shakes his head. "I need to stay in case Ranger Brita returns," he says.
Robin nods her agreement, a flash of gratitude in her green eyes that Needle come up with it on his own. She didn't have to suggest.
Pistil thinks about it for a long moment, then goes to stand by Needle. "Sorry, Robin. I ain't that stubborn."
A quick smile darts across her face. There aren't many who are and No-Sun is going to need its Senior in the coming days.
Bay nods at that sentiment. "Julian's gonna need some of us who've been in the Deep since the Black Road left." He eyes Avid. "Course, you're a stubborn son of a bitch, kid, so maybe you should go, and leave us Cranny and Marquer."
Avid looks at Marquer and Cranny and they look back at him. Marquer says, "Out. Sorry, but I'd be a liability on a succubus hunt right now." He shakes his head ruefully as he moves over to Bay and Needle.
A sympathetic chirp/chuckle goes through Robin. Boy! Can she sympathize with that right now!
Cranny says, "You got enough if you take Avid, Robin, or do you need me too?"
"If Avid wants to come, I'll take him." She nods over at Badger's friend. "But I'm figuring that five is close to all footprints I want to manage." She nods grimly.
Avid and Cranny look at each other, and Avid comes to stand by Robin and her team.
"I want to push on as soon as you can manage." She looks over those who have elected to Dive. "But if you've got tiredness issues, I ain't looking to carry anyone. So tell me if you need a rest."
Then she turns back to the others. "Needle. Get back to the Warden as soon as you can. Tell him that I'm thinking this strike might have been to gather... a son of his son. And that if there are any others he knows about he might want to watch them." It's hard to put that delicately, but even with all that's going on, Robin doesn't want to out any ranger who doesn't want to be outed.
"Oh!" As a thought occurs to her, Robin steps over to Needle, snags his arm and pulls him aside for a private whisper.
"George. Check in on her for me, will you?" Robin raises one eyebrow pointedly. "Damn fertility gods." Is her muttered pronouncement.
Needle's eyes widen. "Oh, yes, Robin, I'll do that."
Robin pressed the group reasonably hard to get to Little Spring, so they decide that a rest is in order. Grizzle provides them with a place to sleep, and arranges to provision them while they're napping.
Robin thanks Grizzle for his hospitality, but she's too keyed up to sleep. While the others are dozing, the girl takes herself off to another area of the encampment -- a private one.
There she rushes through the last bits of her project with a sigh. She kind of wanted to do this the natural way, but given the time constraints and the fact that Robin has no idea when or if she's coming back from this one, the Amber brat wants to get this done and on its way. Thus, Robin tweaks things a little though she tries to keep her Pattern signature low.
After a few hours, Robin is sealing up a large covered wicker backpack. She asks Grizzle if he can send the pack with a runner to the Castle with instructions to look up Couth. Robin figures that the Castle is a good place to start but she's thinking there might be another house or something where Couth is at, but the Castle can at least give directions if that's the case.
Off it goes.
The message for Couth is that the pack is for Paige and that Paige should feel free to vet it anyway she wants, Robin completely understands. The message for both Couth and the runner is that the pack contains life, so be careful with it. It shouldn't require care for a few days, but if things start running past that someone should open the pack and water the contents.
Several hours later, everyone awakens. They have a quick snack, check their packs and make ready, and then Robin leads them out.
Robin hugs or thumps companionably all those who are not going with her, and goes over a few quick integration details with Needle, considering she might be out of contact for a while.
Then the Ranger turns, grinning, to her own team. She puts Totter on notice that he's still on the Hunter job, Rain with him. Avid gets Scout duty, Levet under him. No horses, packs only. Robin means to keep the whole team light and mobile.
From the mashed area of general combat, Robin takes point, tracking the wild men as they withdrew from Little Springs. And the girl is fully prepared to follow when the tracks fade from the green of Arden proper to the Deeper Greens of elsewhere.
The Green, deep and enveloping, comes quickly and time and tide play the tricks they always do when one dives into the verdant depths. Robin leads the team warily, watching for ambuscade or sentry posts, but finds none. The path seems difficult and she feels as if something resists her, but she cannot get a handle on what it is or how to prevent it. She manages to keep to the trail, but it takes effort.
The moon ripens and fades as she tracks the running wild men. Eventually it stabilizes just past full, and the light helps both the pursuers and the pursued. The moonlight breaks into a clearing, strangely familiar to Robin. There are hoofprints, and blood, and other signs of a struggle here. Multiple trails lead from this clearing, and it would be difficult to determine which one the wild men took.
From the leafy canopy above, a voice breaks the silence of Robin's search party. "Girl! Get 'em out of here! This place isn't safe for their kind!" Totter starts moving towards the trees and Avid and Levet are trying to pinpoint where the woman's voice came from.
As she moves around the clearing, Robin realizes that when she last saw it, it was as a tattooed image on a man's chest.
A wry smile lines the Ranger's lips as she recognizes the clearing. Well, that at least saves her looking for it.
Then she turns her green eyes to the foliage above her. "They know that. And they're here of their own will. Besides, they're under my protection and I would take it... personally amiss if anything untoward were to occur to them." Even as that comes out of her mouth, Robin rolls her eyes at her own phrasing. Yep, yep, she's definitely been around Dad again.
"But I do appreciate the warning, ma'am. Thank you. Would you care to elaborate?"
Sitting high on a branch that is obviously too light to bear her weight, Robin and her scouts see a woman with dark curls wearing a simple white robe.
"There's no time, Girl! Listen!"
In the heartbeat's silence following the outburst, Robin hears a sound so faintly that she is sure that none of her Rangers can hear it yet.
From the west, deeper into the green, comes the light tones of some kind of flute.
"Huhn." Robin blows a breath out, she's definitely feeling edgy. But she's not sure she wants to be stampeded by the first thing she runs into.
"Totter? Got flute music de'droit far approaching. Mean anything to you?" With one quick hand gesture, Robin puts her team on alert.
Totter signals a quick negative.
"Maenads, Girl! It's to summon the Maenads. Do you know nothing of the wood?"
"Maenads?!" Robin's green eyes widen. She know that word. Vista ordered the withdrawal of an entire ranger force rather than face the Maenads. And here she is with four... tidbits, that's what they're going to be. Tidbits.
"Little enough." She answers to the dryad with a shake of her head. "Offering guide service?" A series of loops with one hand pull her team tighter as she prepares for an immediate relocation. The Ranger lets the blue fire of her desire flare along her nerves. Her desire? Breeze... Daeon... her incipient cousins... all those taken into Deep.
"Seaward, East a quarter-mile, then north across the chasm, I'll meet you there." She stands on her high branch and heads off to the north, running at reckless speeds across the lower canopy of the trees, as if she were on clear ground.
The rangers now hear the flute music, and Robin wonders if she hears the screams of the Maenads.
"Oui." Robin nods currently and moves out, drawing her team after her. She pushes them hard hoping to open the gap between her men and the Maenads. But she keeps the fire with her, just in case they need to be suddenly elsewhere.
Even as she turns her trail eastward in the direction of the sea, she wonders if she's going from one trap to another. But Hell, she figures that's probably just the way this particular stalk is going to work.
Consciousness seeps back to Daeon as if were being poured from a tipping vessel. A bit at first, then more and eventually with a grand splash he finds himself alert.
Without opening his eyes, Daeon knows where he is, when it is. Spring has come to Arcadia and with it new life. The anticipation of a new season of growth and fertility and life is upon the land.
Daeon is, he knows, lying with his head in his mother's lap. He can tell taht she has done much to heal his many wounds. She caresses his jaw, just as he knew she would.
"My son?," she asks, her voice full of her love and concern for him. The two words hold many questions and no answers.
"Mater." A single word acknowledging love returned in full to someone who accepts him for what he is. "Did you think I would be someone else?" His smile is wry but gentle.
Adonis opens his eyes.
His head is cradled in her lap, and the glade is the glade, as anyplace she was would be, or would become.
"I did not know, my son, though I felt that it could not be so. Your father's world and its troubles have impinged so greatly on Arcadia, that I was worried that what came back might not be my son."
Adonis' eyebrows rise in distinctly unjulianic surprise but if his mother must turn to him for emotional support, she will lget it. "I still remember the taste of your milk, Mater; whatever aspect I wear, I will always be your son, as well as Pater's."
She smiles again, and it is like a wave of springtide. "Your father knew what was best for you. He sent you back to me so that I could heal you. For all that he and I have our disagreements, he knew my boy needed his mother."
"Yes. Disagreements." There's a pause while Adonis sits up and regards himself, flexing his limbs, perhaps testing their strength. [medical bulletin on Adonis, please? :-)]
Feeling pretty good. Stiff, but good. You suspect that your mother has done something to help you heal. Your scars are faded as if your wounds were taken some time ago.
But Artemis can almost certainly tell that her son is very troubled indeed. "I have had such adventures, Mater, and I'm sure you wish to hear them as much as I want to tell, but first tell, how fares Arcadia in my absence?"
[And while Artemis says whatever she says, Adonis will 'feel' out, just as he did with Dione so recently - medical bulletin on Arcadia, please. :-)]
There is a ragged, Dione-shaped hole in Arcadia and the place is unbalanced by the lack. The place seems as if it can live, but it may not be able to thrive.
Artemis stokes Daeon's hair.
"It has been two very difficult turnings of the seasons, my son, but your mother is not without her resources. You did what was needful and the invaders have not returned.
"But all is not well, as you can see. Arcadia is damaged by your sister's loss and, like a tree struck by lightning, is more vulnerable to attacks from without."
She looks down at him, still utterly calm.
"It may be that our time here will end, and that outsiders will cast down the nest in which I nurtured my two lovely children, where I sheltered you from the outside world.
"I believe it will come to war, my son, against other Goddesses and Gods who would supplant us. And I fear that it will be worse than your father's troubles that intruded here."
Adonis takes his mother's words as gospel, accepting them without surprise. "I am a creature of Life, Mater, as you know better than any, and I have had my fill of Death, even the deaths of demons. Must the people of Arcadia be cursed by the wars of the Gods? Must the God of Love kill or be killed? I will, of course, fight and slay, or be slain, if you require it of me, but I am a lover, not a fighter, and I feel there should be other ways than war? What can we do, Mater?"
"Arcadia protected and was protected by you and your sister, my son. Without her to complete our circle, Arcadia is vulnerable. And though you have avenged her death, she is still gone and I can find no omen or sign that she is returning to us.
"I would not have us die, my son. I love you too much to see you pass from the world. Thus it has been since the two of you were born."
Adonis shrugs, "It is the nature of Life to end in Death, Mater; you taught me that. But I asked 'must we fight'; are you replying 'we must die'?" He pauses for a significant moment. "I would ask if there might be a way to replace Dione, but I feel this would be unseemly before her funeral. Also, it occurs to me that this may be a backward step, even if it were possible. Life moves on. Perhaps the people of Arcadia and their Gods should do the same?"
"The usurper has acted in anger to bring war to Arcadia and I do not know how we can resist her and her children. Your sister's loss has unbalanced the defenses I raised so long ago."
A Julianic eyebrow lifts at the mention of 'usurper' but only a blink acknowledges his mother's admission of helplessness.
[Artemis]
"They would bring a nightmare to Arcadia, for they will have no love, only
angry jealousy. The forest itself reacts in fear at the prospect and those
with ties to us and it return to defend our place."
Adonis notes that the forest does not feel at ease as it did in his glorious youth. He might have attributed that to Dione's absence.
"Without my children, without you, my son, I will die, for I am a creature of Love and could not live without giving my love to my family."
Adonis nods agreement. This is not news.
"If there are no options, Mater, then shall we lay our bodies down on the sward here and join Dione in Elysia? Yet we represent the force of life, of which one attribute is tenacity. It is not right for two fertility deities to voluntarily relinquish their place in the World. If we do not forgive suicide in the faithful, how can they do so in us?"
Adonis kneels by her side and takes her hand, caressing her cheek with his other. "I am here! I have returned and my every breath is a prayer of thanksgiving to you. While we live things are far from lost. Together we must surely find a way to restore the balance."
He drops her hand and looks away into the forest, his eyes focussed on something far distant. "I think I may have met the Usurper; tell me about her, Mater."
Mater nods. "Long ago, she and I contested for Arcadia, and as I had the greater power, which is Love, it became my home and the place for my children. She is my sister in the ways of Goddesses, which is not altogether like the ways of children of Goddesses. You must tell me of your meeting. While I can feel her presence on the verge of Arcadia, and her despite, I have not seen her in some time.
"It may be that Dione is already returning to this world. Do you recall a woman named Paige?"
Adonis' listens appreciatively but impassively until the mention of Paige, when his eyebrows get another Julianic workout.
"You know her, Mater? Yes. I see what you mean, though I'm not sure that Dione has entirely gone.
"You may wonder how I came to be so hurt, Mater. Well my wounds were not received avenging Dione, though she is avenged, nor were they received through any negligence of Pater's, in fact we owe him my continued existence. It was a scion of my father's side of the family that spilt my blood, and she did so at my request. But I think the greater hurt by far was done by one of our side of the family, the Usurper, attempting nepocide. Yes, I must tell you everything...
[Adonis' account to Artemis is a little long for the list but may shortly be found on the HoC website as the 6th entry in Daeon's diary. We cut to the events in Heather Vale, which may be of interest to those who were there. :-)]
"...I recall little of the journey back; Morgernstern's gentle gate lulling me to sleep. But I awoke as I was lifted from the saddle by a strong woman with blonde hair. It is strange, it seems when I am on the borders of consciousness, this same apparition appears. I think she is some demiurge dedicated to caring for wounded men. I am not entirely sure if she is real or a figment of my imagination. She always seems to hit me in the face. A strange dream, yes?
"What happened then is confused; I recall hearing your voice and trying to go to you but they would not let me. I think they tried to argue with you and there was conflict, was there not? If only I had been truly conscious, I think we could have managed things a little differently had I been able to explain. I understand them better now, Mater. I hope you did not hurt them too badly; remember, they are also kin and they know not what they do.
"Despite the circumstances and notwithstanding Pater's admonishment to remain in Arden. I was so glad to feel your strong, ursine arms about me and gratefully lapsed back into the swoon of healing."
Adonis lapses into silence, regarding his mother gravely. Since Artemis is who she is, she can almost certainly tell that he is very apprehensive about how his news of Julian serving the Usurper as Sire to Dam.
She stiffens, and then relaxes. "Then our doom has been placed in motion. I grieve not for us, but for Arcadia. She would be a cruel mistress and her children careless deities.
"There is only one hope to change the outcome, which would be to find your twins by Paige, and raise them as the next generation of Arcadia's defenders."
She pets his hair and he feels a cool spring breeze. "It is a path fraught with risk and we may still die, but we would die if we took no action."
Adonis listens thoughtfully as she makes her points, nodding agreement. As she strokes his hair, he lifts his head and lets the wind caress his face with a touch as equally light as his mother's. Then he opens his dark eyes with a quiet acceptance.
"I would suggest an exodus, Mater. The people and creatures would follow us to another place and some of the more mobile trees...but too many anima would remain behind: the rocks, pools and groves - the sessiles. We could not leave them at the Usurper's mercy."
"More than that, my son. This place is mother to me as I am to you, and I shall not leave her to my sister's care. Arcadia is the heart of the world-forest and if the heart is not filled with love, then the forest will become a thing I do not wish to contemplate. We could not run far enough to escape what our flight would do to our larger home."
Adonis nods resignedly. It had never been stated before but it rings true in his heart now. His brow furrows in consternation. "So you wish me to bring Paige here with our twins? I will on this instant, though I feel it will be a most difficult task. I understand Pater's brothers and sisters, nephews and nieces better now. They will have seen the manner of our reunion as some sort of capture and may take my own approaches in the same vein."
"If we fail, then they are doomed, but with their strength we will not fail."
He looks across into his mother's eyes. "Could not you and Pater settled your 'disagreements', Mater? He would be a most forceful ally and his tacit acceptance would make other dealings with my paternal cousins easier." He shifts his shoulders, almost self-consciously. "He, Jovian and I have not yet said goodbye to Dione; they would come to her funeral, I feel."
It must be clear to all save the most unobservant that Adonis desperately feels a need for a formal funeral service for his sister. [Formal in an Arcadian sense, that is.]
"If you wish to have a ceremony for Dione, then by all means we should have one, but I think it will need to be private. He is a lord of men and I am a forest goddess. We get along best when we interact least, regardless of our need for each other. I feel further intervention on his part will worsen the situation."
Adonis' normal demeanour is one of carefree merriment, though he has always taken his responsibilities seriously. But now his face is clouded. Whatever is on his mind (and he has not spoken of everything) he is having trouble resolving it.
"The Quick and the Dead walk different paths and upon parting it is important to say goodbye. How can I bid Dione welcome on her return if I have not bid her farewell on her departure? But half of me is you, Mater, and half of me is Pater; Dione was the same. So I know Pater also needs to say his goodbye. He keeps his grief to himself, Mater, but we both know the passion in his heart. We must grieve together as a family, however briefly. You do not have to speak to each other if that is not your wish, only to Dione. I will invite Pater myself and ask him to extend the invitation to my other siblings, sons and daughters on his side of the family.
If she disagrees, she does not say so.
"We must agree a suitable time." He shades his eyes as if from the sun. "Time! How much do we have, Mater?" [Steeped as the two are in portmanteau symbolism, Artemis should be aware that Adonis asks three questions in one: a) how much time until the War breaks in earnest? b) How long to Beltane (May 1st), when Adonis will be superseded by Pan? And c) how much time will she give him for Dione's funeral and the retrieval of Paige's twins?"
"Six weeks, my son, or so. Unless something forces our hand, such as your father's intervention. We gather our forces as does my sister and her allies, and she grows the children she has into Gods in power but not in judgement. My worst fear is that it shall be less than a moon cycle. Until then, it shall be as a smouldering fire, where any stirring can bring the torrents of flame upon the forest.
"We shall be able to gauge her strength by how quickly she can force the seasons to turn to age her offspring."
Adonis nods grimly. "And I must be away at this time to search for the twins." He shrugs. "There is no help for it." He kisses his mother on the cheek and stands, looking around as if getting his bearings. "I have deep misgivings over this, Mater. Without Pater's active support, I doubt his family will voluntarily allow the twins to come to Arcadia, especially with a War brewing between the Gods. The only thing in our favour is that Arcadia will be calling to them."
He thinks long and hard for a moment. "I feel everything may hang on Paige; if I can pursuade her to bring them, all is not lost. Otherwise..." He leaves the sentence hanging, it's obvious how it ends. But then focuses his intense stare down into his mother's eyes, his hand brushes her cheek. "Mater, I shall return to stand with you, at the last, with or without the twins."
"Now, I must away! Is there anything else I should know before I go?"
"Have a care in the forest, my son. Her borders are not as firm as they were and I know not what all might be found there or what strange invaders you may encounter. Your father's Arden is not our Arcadia."
He nods. He's already had a taste of this. "Pray for me!" he calls, and is gone.
Robin's team heads East, quickly covering the quarter mile mentioned. The sound of the flute fades as they move. The chasm, when they come to it, is just that. Perhaps it is an instance of the same gap Robin ran into earlier with the riders out of Girth's. There is a bridge here, and on either side of it there are clearings. The bridge looks strong enough to ride across and the rangers spread out on the forest edge of the nearer clearing, looking for signs of trouble.
Indeed, as Robin and her scouts are making sure it is not guarded, they hear hoofbeats from the far side. A horse breaks from the woods into the clearing and rides halfway across. From the woods come arrows, piercing it and it falls, throwing the rider to the ground. Robin and her group, on the other side of the river, can still hear approaching horses. The rangers look to Robin to decide what they should do.
"Heh." Robin chuckles grimly. "Well, ya don't get a better invitation to trouble than that." A wry half-smile cocks the girl's lips.
"Totter -- overwatch. Rain, Levet - harassing fire as necessary. Stay under cover. Avid, you're with me." A flash of white teeth to the other Rangers and Robin dashes across the bridge as fast as her booted feet will carry her.
Totter is, in fact, halfway up a tree before Robin finishes, and Avid has already started at a dead run, knowing Robin will pass him before he reaches the bridge.
As Robin hits the bridge she sees a group of riders emerge from the edge of the woods and bear down on the fallen man, who is stirring, and who calls out, unintelligibly. The riders are almost on him. Robin thinks there are at least eight of them.
The horses hooves thunder like the blood in Robin's head and two of the riders turn towards her and draw sabers. From behind her she hears the sound of steel on leather as Avid draws and she sees a pair of arrows fly past the riders and miss. Robin does not think there will be time for another such before she is upon them.
Robin's smile grows feral as she watches the oncoming riders commit the fatal stupidity of drawing steel against her. Trusting her team to change their targets, Robin leaps at the nearest of the riders, intending to overbear him off of his charging mount.
Robin hits the man at speed, batting his arm out of the way, and carrying him off of his horse. His foot catches in his stirrup as he comes off and his horse rears up. Robin lands on top of the man as his chest cushions her fall and she feels the cracking of his ribs. Unless he's immune to pain, he's out of the fight.
Adonis departs from Arcadia, walking freely in the beauty of the fresh spring air. The sun is golden in the sky and the trees are drinking in sunshine.
Adonis' reverie and trek are interrupted by the sounds of horses and riders from ahead. There is some sort of clearing nearby, either man-made or cleared by fire.
Without even really thinking about it, Adonis slips silently around the clearing until the fresh spring breeze is in his face before moving forward to where he can see them. He recalls the riders he met in his last walk but he's hoping they might be able to bring him to his father. Or they may be a hunting party from one of the many kingdoms bordering the Great Wood.
Of course, his mother's warning is not to be ignored so he exercises caution.
[Q: Would Adonis consider himself still in Arcadia at this point?]
Probably not, but not yet fully in Arden.
Adonis looks at a clearing cut from the forest like a wound and sees a horse dying on the ground and man fallen from her. Thundering into the clearing from the north are about a dozen armed, mounted men and coming in from the south, across a wooden bridge, are two of Pater's worsh^h^h^h^h^h Rangers.
The man on the ground is still the focus of most of the riders, although they are turning their attentions to the Rangers. He sits partially up and looks at the edge of the forest. "Adonis?" he calls, "Oh, aid me."
His name is Luke.
Just as a parent should not always respond when petitioned by a child, so a god should not always intervene when petitioned by prayer, but in this case Adonis instinctively knows Luke is deserving and throws himself in to the fray.
[Please view the following as some kind of battle-plan, intended to move action along as fast as possible, since it's now clear Robin and Adonis are considerably behind most of the rest of the game, timewise. I am aware battle-plans seldom survive contact with the enemy but it gives you an idea of what Adonis intends.]
He moves forward, revealing himself in full deific glory, stopping only to gather a couple of fist-sized stones. He ignores the riders drawing steel on the rangers, he suspects they can handle themselves and he can always deal with the survivors after. His concern is to draw the others away from Luke, so the first rider to reach him gets a thrown rock in the side of the head before he can dismount. [I'm assuming they'll have to dismount as a sword won't reach Luke on the ground.] Adonis wants them to stay on their horses.
The first rock hits the lead rider and he begins bleeding from a temple wound. He falls over in his saddle and his mount looks ready to bolt for the forest.
If necessary, Adonis will throw a second rock but he wants only enough time to place himself between them and their prey. [I'm assuming he can do this in the time available.]
He does this with ease.
He is a naked man, apparently unarmed save for a stone in one hand. They are cavalry, no doubt with the contempt of all horsemen for all infantry...
The riders do not slow or turn from their path and it's clear they intend to ride Adonis down and then attack Luke. They bear down on the son of Julian and Artemis and he stands his ground, naked and armed with a rock. They clearly expected Adonis to flee, but he does not. Just as soon as it is too late for them to change course, he throws his hands in the air and the horses balk and rear. The riders try to control their mounts, but it is not an easy task. Adonis slips to the side of the lead rider and easily pulls him from the back of his mount and slams him hard against the grass of the clearing with a soft "oof!" A quick application of a rock to his forehead and he is in no shape to threaten anyone for a while.
The confusion affects the other riders and they turn to keep from riding into the melee. There are several more in the midst of it, although fewer than Adonis expected. Overhead, arrows are flying in two directions and Adonis hears, pealing over the cries of men and horses, a horn being sounded, then answered from afar.
Adonis cocks his head for a second at the sound, then his expression moves from the beatific serenity that has adorned his face since throwing the first stone to a truly evil grin. [BTW, I'm assuming Adonis recognises the horns as signalling the Maenads. If he doesn't then he'll probably ignore it - unless it seems to put hope in the riders, in which case we'll all have to start worrying a little more.]
[Definitely not Maenads. They were being summoned by a flute just a bit ago. Adonis would guess it's signals between groups of troops.]
Instinctively evading one wildly slashing saber, he darts around the lead rider's now vacant mount and comes at another rider from behind as his horse spins him round in the confusion. Adonis hurls himself down the length of the horse's left side, smashing his rock into the rider's spine, just above the saddle, with his full strength. He continues his move by turning it into a forward role below the altitude at which a mounted man's saber can reach, rising abruptly only to attack his 3rd victim, caught in the act of falling out of the saddle. All this with an air of calm and a pleasant smile, as if somehow enjoying the exercise. [Luke will almost certainly recall the expression from his own brush with Adonis.]
Adonis continues in this style, using the confusion to his advantage. As long as they're on, or falling off, their horses, he probably has a tactical advantage but he's watching for 3 things that might mean a change of strategy: 1) sword slashes from riders brought close enough by chance movements of their horses [or who can find some way to control their mounts]; 2) riders dismounting; and 3) arrival of the Maenads. He's hoping his natural instincts can save him from (1) and that everything will be over before (3) happens. 2) will require the riders to have a certain amount of control, tactical nous and enough guts to rejoin a really vicious fight.
In fact he's rather hoping the riders will suffer a serious morale crisis after a couple more of their number go down but he has to be prepared in case they're warrior elites, insane or just plain stupid [actually warrior elites are often all three]. He hopes Luke has the sense to remain prone.
After two more of their number go down, the rest of the riders break and flee to the forest, abandoning their wounded companions.
Adonis looks quickly around for more opponents. The riders around him are either down or fled, and those near the rangers are both down. The male Ranger and Luke are still on the ground, not moving. More rangers are crossing the bridge, one carrying a bow.
The female ranger, clearly the commander, is also scanning the field for danger.
Robin spares a glance across the clearing and sees a mass of confusion near the downed man. Horses rearing, some yelling, and a naked youth pulling a man from a the saddle of frantic horse.
"Huhn." Robin's breath gusts out at the sudden appearance of the youth. Yep, yep, yep -- more Arcadian freakiness. Well, she'd better just get used to it. At least he seemed to be muddying the waters quite sufficiently.
Robin turns suddenly as a shadow comes over her. The second horse is up on her hind legs, and her flank sports a handful of Ranger arrows. The animal is either about to kick Robin in the head or fall over on Avid, who is, like Robin's own earstwhile attacker, on the ground, not moving.
The Ranger attempts to duck under the horse's flailing hooves and throws her shoulder against the creature's flank in a massive body-check in an attempt to get the thing to fall anywhere other than on top of Avid.
Robin hears, pealing over the cries of men and horses, a horn being sounded, then answered from afar.
(OOC -- Can she tell from where the first horn is being sounded? And from which direction the second horn is answering?)
[First horn, edge of the woods, in the direction that the the lads seem to be firing arrows. Second horn, farther away, same direction.]
Robin desperately body-checks the wounded horse and lifts and shoves it back. The creature goes back in the direction Robin pushed it and its legs go out from under it. The horse ends up crashing to the ground solidly against a rock, and Robin guesses that it's back is broken. The rider was thrown off and is lying on the ground. Robin sees an arrow in his arm and he's also landed badly.
Robin looks quickly around for more opponents. The riders around the naked youth are either down or fled, and those near her are both down. Avid and the original rider are still on the ground, not moving. Totter and Levet are crossing the bridge at speed,
The naked Arcadian is also scanning the field for danger.
Last modified: 13 April 2004