Return To Pine Grove (Zara and Jayda; Story Based)

Zara Ichada was young blood in an old order. Since before living memory, the priests of the Church Of Helios had brought light into a dark world, driving evil away where they could find it. They were the healers and the stewards of a world so often bleak.

A young missionary, Zara was thrilled when she was given the chance to go to Pine Grove, the place where the legendary Jonathan Light had stood against an evil cult and freed the inhabitants from the grip of evil.

Of course, as she made her way down the dirt path toward the small logging camp, she was unaware she was being watched...

Zara walked briskly down the path.

"I can't believe it! All my life I've dreamed of this day!"

Step after step brought her closer to the logging camp. Distracted by her thoughts she didn't bother to think of the possibility of danger.

Jayda tipped her head curiously. It was intresting to watch the girl speak out loud to herself. Jayda stalked closer behind her with a silent grace.

Zara stopped and bent down to pick up a small rock from the dirt. Standing straight she examined it, shortly picking back up her pace.

'I wonder what lies ahead for me!'

Jayda smiled, or at least, smiled for what she could in her wolf form. She was obviously new to the country side. She figured, she might as well figure out why this girl was here before going back home.

The town of Pine Grove was a simple settlement. Mostly brick huts with wood roofs. Not much had changed of the township itself since those dark days, but people seemed happier. As Zara made her way toward the town, a young man in the familiar white, gold, and purple robes of her order approached. His cropped black hair marked him as a monk.

"Greetings, Sister Zara!," he smiled, "How was your journey?"

Zara was approached by the monk. She smiled and stopped before him,

"Greetings!" she said with respect. "Wonderful, I ran into no trouble and the weather has been pleasant!"

Zara smiled a big innocent smile. Excitment was growing with every moment.

"I'm so glad to hear that!," the monk smiled warmly, his green eyes lively as he escorted her back toward the monastery, "If you'll just follow me, we can get you acquainted with your surroundings a bit..."

Jayda knew better than to follow manchildren into their cities. That's how wolves got eaten. However, another smell caught her attention from somewhere deeper in the wilderness. It was pungent and terrible. Far worse than rotting meat. It smelled of a decay so foul that she could feel herself getting sicker just being near it. It was as if the life in the world itself was dying only a short sprint into the woods!

Jayda sunk to the ground wimpering. The smell made her eyes water. She wanted to know what it was, so she started in that direction. The smell was so terrible, she almost wanted to switch to her human form, just to dampen the smell.

As she got closer, the smell didn't get any stronger, but strangely her aversion to it did. By the time she could see a strange graying of the plants, as if they had been burned without turning to ash, she felt herself wanting to vomit from the sheer wrongness of it.

Jayda wanted to turn and run, but she had to know what was happening. Her head was spinning, he tail between her legs, her ears pressed flat against her skull.

Another step closer and her world really did start spinning. A tugging at her back legs was the first clue, then everything went tilt-a-whirling as a rope camouflaged beneath the fallen leaves snagged her into a hanging trap.

She had mere moments to worry about who might have set it up before the perpetrators revealed themselves. Two small, slimy-looking figures in stitched rags came snickering out from the bushes. Their flat faces and yellowed eyes marked them immediately as goblins, and Jayda's smattering of known words in the language served her in understanding a little of what they said to one another.

"Borshack rishhik Lycanian?"

"Meepa meepa, good meal!"

Jayda thrashed a bit before reverting into her human form. Her golden eyes glowed in frustration, he short hair hung upsidedown from the top of her head. "Let me go!" Jaydas teeth we grinding.

The goblins only sniggered as they closed in, drooling hungrily over their captured meal until a sudden, shrill sound brought them low with pain. Before they could gather their senses enough to get up, a green-cloaked figure dived out from the bushes and knocked them out cold with the blunt of a sword. In another thrust, the blade cut Jayda down from her position of peril.



"Looks like you overstayed your welcome," the figured laughed, pulling back his cloak to reveal himself as a rather handsome human male.

"Ah!" Jayda landed on the ground with a thunk. "Ow!" Jayda looked up at the handsome man with distaste. "You could have caught me." She grumbled "I'm not that big" She stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress. "Thank you." Jayda crossed her arms in frustration.

The man laughed again at that, "Oh no, I know better than to assist a Lycanian unless she asks for it. Especially Jrukkan's daughter."

~@~



Meanwhile, the monk, who Zara had come to know as Brother Eagerton, had donned a less ecclesiastical and more rugged garb, along with a pair of spectacles, before knocking on the door of the young missionary's room, "Sister Zara, I know it's sudden, but would you mind accompanying me on a walk into the woods. I think there's something you should see."

Zara had come to know Brother Eagerton somewhat better over the short time she had spent in the camp.

When the brother entered Zara's room, she rose from the chair in which she was sitting. At the news of 'something she needed to see' she quickly stood up.

"Certainly. I would love to!" She spoke with eagerness, her face decorated with a sweet and gentle smile.

Jaydas mouth fell open with an audible pop, her arms dropped to her sides. "How do you know my dad? And how do you know who I am?" Her tail swished with agitation, her ears flat against her skull again.

"Wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't know the local Alpha and his pack," the man smirked, "Perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm Captain Waylan, leader of the Pine Grove Town Guard."

"Well." Jayda huffed. "Its a pleasure to meet you." Jayda stuck out her hand. "Captain Waylan, I'm Jayda. But you probably already knew that."

"Could be," Waylan grinned, suddenly going serious as a branch snapped and drawing his sword while looking around.

After a moment, he lunged and plucked two scared missionaries out from behind a bush, "Oh! It's you, Brother Eagerton."



"Expecting someone, Captain?," Eagerton laughed nervously.

"What are you doing out in this part of the woods," Waylan demanded, "And who is she?"

"Our new missionary, Sister Zara," Eagerton introduced his assistant, "I was taking her to see the corruption firsthand."

"Then the church is aware of the situation," Waylan replied grimly.

Zara was startled by the unexpected hand that reached and yanked them out from behind the bush.

When Eagerton spoke her name, Zara nodded. After a moment when the two men had stopped talking, Zara spoke up.

"I'm sorry to speak out of turn but, I'm not aware of the situation. As a matter of fact, I don't even know why I was sent here."

Zara fiddled with a strand of hair nervously.

Jayda let her hand drop. She crossed her arms again and looked at the new people. One, the girl she had followed earlier. Her golden, pupil-less eyes gleamed. She raised an eyebrow.

"So you didn't make it out that far," Waylan crossed his arms, "That's just as well. I'll save you the trouble and explain. About a month ago, the woodsmen began complaining that the trees were rotten in patch where they'd begun work. Upon closer inspection, the trees were found to be rotting only in a specific, circular region now known as Wendigo's Ring. Since that time, no one will go near the site, and accordingly, less savory races such as goblins have begun to draw near."



"This is not the first time this has happened," Eagerton chimed in, "It happened once before, some years back. A cult sprung up in the former temple of our Lord, Gleaming Hope. A band of heroes were able to drive them back. I believe you know the story."

"Every child in Pine Grove out of diapers knows the story," Waylan frowned, "But they cult was utterly dispersed. If it's them again, why now?"

Zara listened intently. She needed to know this.

As the two men explained Zara became puzzled, 'That is very peculiar...'

"So this has happened before? Okay, so the cult is responsible for the rotting? Wait, is the rotting caused by magic? I am not at all familiar with any of this... And yes, I would have to ask the same question, why now? This all seems very peculiar to me."

Zara was trying to grasp this. It was all so different, unlike anything she had heard in a long time, well, in all her life!