Story Prt. 3

She could feel fear and anger rising inside her. Clouds were starting to roll in from the Ridjak Ranges. She needed to know who that man was and why he kept invading her thoughts, for she was sure that image that was seen in the pool was just her delerious mind working its tricks on her. She knew nothing about him and wanted to know everything. Her knees, folded under her body, started to feel the full weight of their master, as she slumped down further. Katarin could take it no more. Thunder cracked. And she wept. And the sky cried with her. 1

Jintaro was not quite human, but he was close. Much like the elves and dwarves, he was an obvious derivative of man. Similar in stature to a 'real' human, but with some abilities greater than, such as speed and power, and other abilities lacking, like the arts of magic and intelligence as sought after by man. The only visibly noticable difference was the fur and fangs, just slightly enlarged canines but noticible.2

The fur which was able to be hidden was sacred to the Rannek. Though it was barely fur, more just thick hair, and only on the face, from birth, male and female Rannek alike, had hair down to the sides of their chins. Older Rannek often braided or otherwise bound their sindai. 3

Jintaro was a very young Rannek, only about fourteen years old, with Rannek living to be about ninety. They outlived healthy humans by a good twenty years. He had his sindai of course but it was no longer than half an inch off the bottom of his chin. Even for his young age that was still smaller than average. He had run away from his tribe because the other children ridiculed him. They called him the runt of the litter, and often chased him just for sport. Any of the other children could catch him. By Rannek standards he was a runt. And so he ran. 4

Katarin was still beside the pond even when the storm was done. And what a storm it had been the level of water in the pond was nearly a whole inch higher than it had been. She was asleep now, there is only so much strain one young girl can take. She was well beyond her limit. 5

Jintaro crept in slowly, with skills only the Rannek can possess. He smelled something in the air. Something human. Female. Young. He had been running for a few weeks now. He was fine with it. Rannek are trained to make it on their own at an early age and are often independent by sixteen. He had been well fed, and never went without water for long. Humans say the Rannek have very good survival instincts, at times even able to see the best course of actions. Though that is of course impossible with their low tolerance of magic. But his instincts told him this was not an ordinary human, nor would she have been his meal if he wanted her. There was a sense of danger from her, and at the same time safety with her. Not one to make your enemy he felt. 6

His stance changed, where it had been a low slink, it was now an upright walk. He made noises while approaching the pond. The young woman did not wake up at his approach. So he continued and was beside her when finally she woke. 7

"What-Who...uhh," she was very startled. Few people like waking up to a Rannek in front of them. She wasn't one of them. She started to grab the tattered dress closer to her person. She glanced around for her staff, it was there beside her. "Please don't hurt me" she heard herself plea. She was so unused to being almost helpless in the face of a real threat, she could still handle animal attacks or maybe a single small man by herself. But a Rannek? Not even one that was ten. 8

"Why I hurt you?" Jintaro inquired. He held out his hand, "Jintaro is I. You are?" 9

She took the offered hand, noticing very slightly enlarged nails, only very slight. "Um- I- I'm Katarin. Nice to- to meet you..? Why are you in this field, where is the rest of your tribe? Are you really not going to hurt me?" Clouds were building on the eastern horizon. 10

"I sure. Jintaro is no tribesman no more. Jintaro runt," with this he thumped his chest with a sound that caused Katarin to wince in empathic pain, Jintaro hadn't flinched. 11

"I understand Jintaro, I don't think I am a tribesman either anymore," and with this they began to trade their stories to each other. 12

"As much as I can remember my mother was training me personally in the arts. I was fourteen years old and at the level of someone who should have been twenty. She was so happy when she was teaching me. She always ended the lessons telling me that she loved me and that as long as there was love I would be okay. And then she said I had learned all I could from her and she left one night. She said she needed to find someone to teach me everything else I needed to know. I never saw her again after that. Every few nights I used to scry for her. Do you know what scrying is Jintaro?" At this Jintaro nodded that he did not. "Well its when you use the arts to see over great distances or to find something or someone who is far away. I was far ahead of the students in my grade and I couldn't find her anywhere in all of Granbrooke. I implored my teachers to help me look, but they denied me at every turn. Saying they had conducted their own scrying and they determined that my mother didn't want to be found, or could no longer be found." Katarins eyes began to well up at this. 13

"Katarin cry. Jintaro cry. Why Katarin cry?" Jintaro asked quizzically. 14

"That means they thought my mother was dead Jintaro!" she snapped at him. "Sorry Jintaro I didn't mean to yell at you. It’s just that I miss her so much. I just-...She-..." she sighed off deeply. "So one night I was scrying for her still. And I got an atrocious backwash of magic energy. That’s all that I remember, then I woke up 2 years later outside a small town. I was dressed properly enough, I wasn't hungry, I even had a few coins in my pocket. My staff as always was with me," with this she tapped the runes on her staff longingly. "But I found that I had lost the majority of the arts. There is not much a person trained nearly since birth for the work of a magi can do without magic. I knew I could do sideshow magic. But I was meant for so much more. I couldn't just do that. So I have been wandering for a month or two now just searching for my lost power, I guess. Or answers maybe." With that she was quiet. 15

"Jintaro sorry for Katarin. Jintaro is simple. I runt. They big. They bug. I leave." With that he dropped down in a spinning manner reminiscent of a dog circling before laying down. "We sleep Katarin. I will catch morning meal. Morning." 16

"Alright Jintaro we will sleep," and just that simply she was sleeping. 17

She was again at the pond. The trees were around her as they always were. The man was nowhere to be seen today. She went out a few paces from the pond and quickly found herself walking towards the same pond. She turned around and made sure she walked a very straight course. And was back at the pond again. "What is this magic? Why am I so trapped within my own dreams?" 18

"Why think you this is your dream girl?" A loud male voice asked from somewhere beyond sight, or even knowledge, it just WAS a voice. “Why would you who has barely enough magic to defeat a madicho be the cause of a fae vision such as this? No girl, this is my work," at this point the man from the previous dreams came out from the woods. 19

"Why have you not talked with me before?" 20

"I had no reason before" 21

"And the reason" 22

"Beware the man posing as a beast" 23

And then the dream began to fade. "No wait tell me who you are, why do I keep seeing you, how can I trust you." 24

'Beware,' one last warning more thought than audible. 25

Katarin awoke in the morning well rested. Much better rested than she expected with the nightmare she had. She had determined it was only a nightmare and that Jintaro was no threat to her. He could easily best her but she did not think he would do such a thing. She awoke to a lovely smell in the air. Robin’s eggs sizzling on a rock by the fire. 26

"Katarin is awake!" Jintaro was happy. She was really starting to like him after only one day of knowing him. As basic as he told his story she felt there was a little more he’s not telling her. And she was fine with letting him keep his secrets. 27

"Good morning Jintaro. Breakfast smells wonderful." She stretched herself out more fully. She had been curled up quite a bit. Must have been quite a night for her. 28

"I tool." Jintaro grinned his toothy best, and handed over a crude fork made of a branch and twigs. It was quite serviceable though, in its own rough fashion. 29

"Thank you Jintaro, this is exactly what I was looking for." She had been living on berries and nuts for too long. 30

Jintaro just ate his eggs off the rocks. Picking very delicately with his teeth. He passed the rock over to Katarin, but pulled it back right before she grabbed it. "I forgot," He grabbed up some leaves from the bushes and put them under the rock and handed the whole pile to Katarin. 31

"Again Jintaro thank you for your thoughtfulness," she smiled a very genuine smile at him and she could see even through his sindai that he was blushing. She could feel warmth through the leaves, from the rock. It wouldn't have burned her but it would have been uncomfortable for her to hold. One more fact about the Rannek for her to file away. 32

After the meal was done Katarin felt she should make her parting. "Well Jintaro I thank you for that wonderful meal, but I think it would be best if I went on alone now," she almost had trouble saying the words. "I don't know where I am going but I believe I should go there alone. It may not even be safe," more honest words she had not spoken in a long time. 33

"Jintaro protect Katarin. Jintaro faster, stronger. Katarin smarter, wiser. Together unstoppable," Jintaro knew he wanted to stay with Katarin but he was having trouble thinking of a reason why. He hoped that would be enough for her. 34

"Jintaro I really should do this alone. I know not what I face and I care enough about you that I don't want you to get involved." She was just full of truth that day. 35

"Jintaro can not make Katarin need him," he noted with a waver in his voice. 36

"Thank you Jintaro, I do hope we meet again sometime," she said solemnly. 37

"We will Katarin," Rannek senses told him that much at least. This human woman was to play a big roll in the world of man. Or so he thought. 38

Katarin walked alone through the rest of the field and didn't spare one glance back at Jintaro. She didn't want him to see the tears rolling so freely down her face. She really did hope to run into him again. 39

Through the field she made her way, winding around odd lone hills. Making her way east, always going east, toward the Ridjak Range mountains. She didn't know where her fascination with the Ridjaks came from. She supposed it was because thats where the weather came from. Anytime a big storm rolled into her town as a child it had almost always come from the Ridjaks. 40

In the distance there was a forest. Some miles away still. Katarin was trudging along as always. The field was passing tolerably fast. Her pace was by no means fast but the terrain she was covering seemed to be going by at about three steps to her one. 41

She came upon a stream and decided to rest a while and to clean herself up a little. She stepped to the edge of the stream and saw her reflection in the water. "Okay no man in the water this time," she said to herself. She knelt down to take a drink. There was a tingle, as of magic, but no apparent malice. She took a few gulps and splashed water on her face. 42

There was a momentary calm on the water and she saw her reflection. Her hair was the dark black she remembered, and her skin had lost much of its tan. She looked down at herself. The dress she wore was no longer tattered. It looked to be about the same condition as when she woke up strangely the last time, outside of the village. She marveled at this surely magical intervention. 43

Still she missed Jintaro a little. They had grown close in that one evening. Sharing your most personal life generally has that result. She was still curious what the rest of his story was but she knew she did not need to know. 44

After refilling her skin, she set off again on her journey to nowhere. She kept the same pace as before. Not sure where the source of this gift came from. 45