And for more madness click continue.....
Jadeviper takes the little cub, warily watching the mother to see her response, and looks it over. It is small and thin, obviously not up to the fight against its siblings for a share of the food, and has a nasty eye infection. It also has a few cuts and scratches preseumably from rough-and-tumble play, but they don't seem to be healing well. Getting up, Jadeviper puts some water on to heat, adds a liberal pinch of salt and her wedding ring to make a wash for the sticky eye. While that heats, she goes outside and looks around for some clumps of moss, which she washes before coming back inside. Washing the little cub's cuts with clean, warm water, she then squeezes the moss in her hand and gently rubs it over the cuts, allowing the natual iodine to cleanse and heal the wounds. Now that the eyewash is ready, she takes it off the heat to cool and brings some more water to boil, adding willowbark and comfrey from her pockets as a painkiller and to help the little cub's wounds to heal. Taking some meat, grains and milk, she makes a thick paste for the cub to eat, and offering the tea in a bowl for him to drink, she feeds him slowly, dipping a finger in the food and letting him lick it off. It's a slow process, he's weak and tired, but he's hungry and his strength of spirit shows. He would have healed much quicker with Elf magic, but already he is starting to make little growling noises of happiness. His siblings look up at the noise, but Laura holds them back. When the little cub's tummy is firm and round for food, Jadeviper takes the now cool eyewash and gently cleans his eye as he falls asleep contented. The willowbark in the tea dulls the pain of his wounds and allows him a restful sleep. Placing him on her sleeping mattress, Jadeviper smiles at Laura "He's going to be fine. Have you thought of a name for him?"
'Maybe I could call him Anwar' Laura almost whispers and blushes slightly. 'Or do you think Orophin would mind?' she continues.
In a tribunal court deep in the elven land of Kal'Istern, stood Orophin on trial in front of table of elders. The trial was for his earlier beaviour, of which he pleaded guilty on all counts.
The head elder, a very distinguished and wise man, leaned forward and with neutral expression he says "Orophin Kal'el Anwarunya, son of Garec the brave." "I knew you father and i wathced you grow. You are a good man like you father and highly regarded for your charitable duties. One day you will be head of our land like your father." he paused and leaned back into his chair. "You have commited a serious crime and you accept your responsibilities, and my fellow elders believe you should be an example to the young ones.....but..." Orophin looks up ready for the sentence and the elder gives a faint smile "...I will pardon you" a wave of loud gasps emit from the audience.
This is your first offence, and i beleive you will do more good out there than being locked up." tears start to build up in Orophin's eyes. "But your powers of flight should be surpressed for the duration of a month" the elder now displaying a more serious look, bangs his gavel ending the session.
The tears rolled down Orophin's face as his hancuffs were taken off. The audience all rushed toward him patting him on his back in congratulation and asking for his autograph. Orophin, unknown to the swampies, is the future heir to the thrown but was too young at the time of his father's death and he still is for the next 2 years. But for now he is a much loved celebrity in his homeland.
After some minutes, he boards a hover plane destined for the swamp, it being that he wasnt allowed to fly. He was away for two days. It took an hour to get to the swamp, then the ship started to decend on the campsite clearing like a ufo. The noise and rush of air had woken up those asleep on the ground, as they gazed at this wierd aircraft.
The door started to open, but the light inside was abit blinding to thos out side thus could not make out who was coming out, they could see only a tall shadowy outline.
The door of the ship started to close, and it revealed the figure standing with a big smile on his face. Orophin raised his hand to wave...."Hi!!"
Laura hears the strange noise from outside and tries to calm down the animals - not to mention herself. She goes to the yard and is almost blinded by the bright sunshine. More than being able to recognise the figure standing in front of her visually, she can feel that it is Orophin. 'Hi' she says with a voice full of uncertainty.
Jadeviper stands at the doorway and sees that the elf has returned. Sensing that he and Laura need privacy to talk, she quietly closes the door and returns to her sleeping mattress to check on the lion cub.
Orophin mentally thanks JV for the privacy, then goes up to Laura. He takes her hand and gets down on one knee...."Laura, i'm sorry for my behaviour, but i do not blame you for the way you feel" he raises his head and looks up in her eyes...."I cherish our friendship, but the elders have given me their blessing. The door i open if you so wish to step in." he says smiling and tearful.
He stands up and wipes the tears from his eyes..."gah!! must be the dust!!" he jokingly tried to conceal his embarassment. He looked over her shoulder and saw the mini-zoo she had made.
"Hello there, now arent you cute" he said in a baby voice as the deer and cub came up to him. The big one just roared, but as Orophin placed his hand to heal the cub, the big cat quieted itself almost in shock. The deer was healed aswell, but Orophin commended the good work of the girls.
For a long time Laura stands silent, stunned. Emotions flow over her, emotions she has been fighting all this time and she trembles. She watches Orophin play with the animals and her heart is filled with joy. Suddendly she notices that she's magically wearing the Dolce and Cabana dress. 'This must be a sign' she thinks to herself. Laura walks over to Orophin and touches his shoulder. 'I am but a mortal human and not worthy of questioning the wisdom of Elven Elders. The swamp brought us together and I will not leave your side if you wish it to be so' she says with a soft voice.
The heavens could not contain the immense joy that waved through Orophin, he was dumbfounded, the words to describe how he felt did not exist, but he gave it a shot. He held her hands an looked into her eyes..."Kntra el sul'varen" he spoke Ginta, an ancient elvish language spoken only by royalty. He saw the the confused look on Laura's face, then he smiled..."It means, precious flower".
The night had drawn in and the animals had fallen asleep, but just behind a tree he noticed JV peeking, watching the whole scene. "I wonder if Jade would like to join us for dinner?" he remarked just enough to be heard but not too loud....Laura had guessed this and smiled.
Laura smiles radiantly as a heavy weight has now been lifted from her heart. She holds on to Orophin's hand a bit longer and lifts it on her cheek. Then she guides it downwards along her soft skin. 'We have plenty of time for everything from now on' she whispers with a tantalising look on her face. With a somewhat louder voice - so that also JV in her hiding place can hear - she then agrees 'Yes, how about dinner?'
Jadeviper steps out from behind her tree and smiles happily at Laura and Orophin. "If you're hungry, I've got dinner all ready for us".
'Hungry? I'm actually starving' Laura says suddendly realising that it is indeed true. Jadeviper has set the veranda table so beautifully and full laden with enticing hors d'ouvres that Laura can hardly remember her manners. She picks up quite a few salty bits with her fingers before she sits down to wait for the others. Orophin looks relaxed and happy, and JV is at last wearing the red Gucci dress. Everything is perfect.
But what was that noise? Thumps and rustling from the outside. Or was it from the inside? First appears Tembo, then the Deer, followed by the lioness with her three cubs (one called Anwar). There's also the meerkat family running around everybody. 'Ayiks! What are all these animals doing here?'
Jadeviper looks over at Laura with a laugh "I think the animals are hungry too!" She looks to Orophin, not sure what his tame swamp animals eat.
"Hmm, thats no problem" Orophin snaps his fingers and a mini dinner table appears with plates full of their fave food. The lions of course had to eat on a seperate table cos' they just scared the samller animal with their ravenous feeding. Little Anwar was loving it.
Orophin turns to look at the wonderful spread in front of him "Jade, you really outdone yourself. Excellent stuff" he congratulated her as he tasted the suculent lamb and mint sauce. Tembo, trumpetted in approval.
Orophin laughs trying not to spill the glass of non-alcoholic wine in his hand.
Meanwhile, in another reality far far away, Orophin is thinking of how amazing it is that this thread has become a part of his daily routine. Even at work he uses his precious lunch break to add to what could be an interesting novel if given the chance. He is also amazed at how this alter-ego has gotten close to another alter-ego and his fiance doesnt mind, even when he mentions how cute this other person is, and she agrees.
In another reality far far away Laura is preparing for yet another summer vacation day. Her husband is mildly amused when he sees her sit at her PC again to post something. He doesn't mind really, he trusts his wife knows the difference between a midsummer night's dream and the reality. So she loggs in...
... and there she at the swamp again. It is early and she looks at Jadeviper and Orophin who are both still asleep. She goes out for a walk but notices a slight change in the winds. She comes back in the house to take a cardigan with her and then walks out again. 'I wish the rain season wouldn't begin just yet.'
Jadeviper sits down in front of the screen, Ewan at work (though only the distance of an MSN window away), baby playing happily demolishing something or other on the floor at her feet. She lifts her hands to the keyboard as a faint mist issues forth from the monitor...
...Jadeviper wakes and sits up, yawning and stretching with a squeak. Looking around at the remains of last night's feast, she smiles. All the animals are asleep, replete and content. As the covers fall from her, she notices the chill in the air, and sees Laura coming back in clad in a snug cardigan. Yawning again, she greets Laura and voices her regret that Tembo is sleeping; a warm shower would be most welcome this morning.
Orophin noticed that the person snuggled up with him during the night was gone, he opened his groggy eyes and see JV stretching and just a few feet away was Laura dressed in a rather fetching cardigan. He felt the chill in the air.... "Looks like autumn is aproaching" he said as he got up and dusted himself off.
"Morning ladies" he greeted as he walked over to Laura and gave her warm hug and a kiss on the forehead. He was still full from last night so he forgoed breakfast and just had a glass of milk. He looked at the animals and smiled as they slept very peacefully, then he looked over at Tembo and realised that they still did not have a proper shower...'An elephant trunk is all fun, but not very hygenic in the long run' he thought to himself smiling, knowing that he should not divulge that fact to the women.
He promtly did his usaul thing and materialised an outdoor shower, to keep that camping theme, and invited the women to use it as they wished.
"I have to go check on how the rebuilding is getteing on of the sanctuary. They should be finished by tommorrow"...he waved a them, then walked through te direct path of fallen trees created by him on the night of the fire. The women did not know about the trial yet and thus would not know why he isnt just flying there. He had decided he would tell the story when the time is appropriate.
Watching Orophin walk away Laura turns to Jadeviper. 'I have a strange feeling that he's not telling us everything. Do you think he's hiding something serious? I just hope he's not planning to leave or anything, I... emmm... kinda like him', Laura resorts to the rediculous understatement. She has no secrets from Jadeviper, but although Orophin has told her that the Elders have given their consent, she is still shy in openly declaring her feelings.
Suddendly she realizes something. 'Oh Jadeviper, I have been so selfish and thinking myself only. You must still miss Peter, right? I have seen you carry his deck of cards with you. I don't have the elvish powers to bring him here, but is there something else I could do to cheer you up?' she asks her friend.
Jadeviper smiles and raises an eyebrow as Laura mentions liking the elf. She was more than aware of the chemistry between them. However, she looks in the direction in which he left and shrugs, turning back to Laura "I agree there's something bothering him, but he'll tell us when he's ready. In the meantime we had better keep an eye on the sanctuary".
'Ok then. You take the Deer and the meerkat family. I go and check on Tembo and the alligator, which has also seemed a bit under the weather lately... maybe it's something it ate... We can then both go and play with the lion cubs when we're done elsewhere'.
Orophin was returning to the campsite after having checked out the santuary. He was happy with the progress, and tommorrow would be the official reopening of........well, he hadnt actually thought of a name for it all this time, so he decides on an idea.
On his way back, he spots a dismembered foot of what looks like a chair. On closer inspection, he concludes that the scratch marking of an aligator.
"hmm, looks like Scar is bingeing again"....Scar being its name cos' of the scar on its back from an old propeler blade injury.
Orophin arrives to see the girls playing with the cubs. He smiles, then walks up to them...."Looks like you're havin fun!!!"
The women both smile at him, as he squats down to get closer to the action. Anwar strolls up to him, and Orophin strokes his fur as they both start to pur.
He proceeds to tell the girls about the status of the sanctuary, he could see their faces light up with joy. Orophin turns to Laura, holds her hand and stands up with her....."How would you like the honour of naming the santuary. i think the animals would appreciate it. He smiled, and stood there gazing in her golden eyes waiting for an answer.
'Actually I would like the sactuary to be named after Rafe. You may know him, he's been doing scientific research on tigers and he's very important to us all. I think he would like it although he has never visited the swamp and I don't know if he's even aware it exists' Laura answers with a smile. 'So I suggest this place will be called Rafe Sanctuary'.
'It would be nice if more people could join us at the opening ceremony, but I'm afraid no one is reading this thread anymore... ermmm... I mean I'm afraid the swamp post office was closed long time ago and there's no way to send the invitations' Laura continues. 'And what about the unofficial programme... we will absolutely need some music... do you think I could teach those silly chimps that always hang around in the nearby trees to play some intruments?' Laura was getting worried as she thought of all the little details that should be taken care of before the evening, but then she relaxed. 'What am I anxious about, we have an elf in our midst so I'm sure everything will work out'. She looks into Orophin's warm eyes and if human mortals could pur like cats and elfs can, she would be doing just that.
Jadeviper's image flickers into being, a holographic representation of her true self. The image speaks "I have had to leave for a week, but my shade will keep half an eye on things here. I will be back soon." I love WAP
The sudden departure of her friend leaves Laura thoughtful. 'The swamp just won't be the same without her.'
Orophin agreed with Laura, the swamp has gone quiet. The opening night just wont be the same, it may even be canceled due to low attendance.
He wished Jadeviper a good time on her trip.
Laura looks at Orophin. 'Is this the goodbye then? Will you fly away to take up your responsibilities as the future king of the Elven Folk?' With a forlone look in her eyes Laura continues 'I cannot follow you now, I have the animals to take care of here at the sanctuary now that Jadeviper is gone. I wish you could stay with me here, but I understand if you cannot ...' She is too desperate even to finish the sentence properly and she turns to go.
Orophin stood perplexed, as she walked off.
He looks round, everything was disappearing, it was all fading to smoke........"whats going on here, this cant be the end"
Truly, the illusion, the dream, the fantasy that is the swamp was being undone, it was no more.
Orphin was turning around franticly, as he heard a voice explaining all this to him with what sounded like typing in the background. He turned to where Laura was but all he saw was a white blank space, he walked backwards waving his head, not believing what was happening, as the space moved closer and closer to him. He tried to use all the elvish powers he had, but nothing happened, it was like he never had them to start with.....his hand started to fade away.
"YAAAAAAAAAA"...the scream echoed through the empty void.
Hours pass. Night turns into a day and day turns into night again.
In another reality far far away Laura again sits by her computer. The swamp is no more, but old habits die hard and she logs on. The memories make her alter ego feel warm and she cherishes the feeling, before she logs off again.
In a reality far far away, Orophin sits bathed in the blue glow of his laptop, he wipes a single tear from his eyes...."Well, it was nice knowing you" Just out of the shadows a figure drapes her arms around him and whispers slyly in his ears..."that means more time for me, hmm"
"Okay" he closes the lid and............well................
Realizing that he is almost alone in the Swamp, Peter tries to remember what happened to him. It was ealy July and he was laying down naked next to JadeViper as their clothes were drying. He tried to keep his true feelings for JadeViper under wrap, but his hormones were just not cooperating. If that damn Elf had not taken his deck of cards he could have at least covered himself with the Ace of Spades or King of Clubs. In any event, the last thing he remembered was laying naked with JadeViper. What could have happened to him and where has everyone gone?
In a reality far far away Laura hears a distant sound, like a whisper calling to her, or is it just the wind? Surely it cannot be the Swamp, it was deserted long ago... 'I must be hallucinating' she thinks to herself.
Slowly, silently, colours whirl. In the centre something is forming. There's a flash of light and Jadeviper is standing there. The whirling colours around her fade into the periphery, the swamp now as real and solid as it was before. Walking over to Peter, she kneels next to him and kisses him lightly on the cheek. Tucking a blanket around him, she lies down next to him and wonders if the recreation of the swamp will draw back the others.
Lee just walks in...without all the bells and whistles (a la Jadeviper )
"Hello, I've not been here for a while"
"Where's my main man Mosquito nowadays? Don't tell me...he's gone to be Jimmy's shoulder to cry on? " Probably doing love poetry together or something... "
Lee 8)
Hey my friend I'm here.
Yeah, I wish I could be there for Jimmy boy but the problem is now he's gone his way. I really miss him.
Where the hell have you been? Having exams and stuff? Shit! I hate exams. I always used to be the man of the last moments. I used to study topics for the first time only several hours before the exam begins. I always had a grip during touch exams while all my colleagues would sweat and even cry at tough questions.
So-ah, wtf is going on inside this swamp? Where is everybody?
I can see Jade sitting there beside Peter and I'm telling ya these two are up to something. Aaah! They want two partners for a spades game.
Well, I'm available.
Laura enters. The mosquitoish babble almost makes her head ache but then the sleepy voice finally finishes and she draws up a chair to join the others. 'A game of cards, ok, it's a good start.'
Mosquito, realising what he's done to the beautiful head of his beloved Laura, starts thinking dark thoughts and begins to fall into a deep abyss and then suddenly one thought got hold of his head so he decided to go shoot himself.....yes yes don't be surprised.....mosquito decides to go shoot himself some ducks cos he is feeling hungry and would like to eat real bad!
So-ah mosquito says goodbye to Laura and heads towards the deserted end of the large swamp searching for some ducks and singing to Laura:
I'm gonna shoot some duck
So wish me some fucking luck
I'll absofuckinlutely be back again
For the mother ducking card game
Want me to hunt some deer for you?
Sure I can split my hunt in two
I get to eat all the poor animal's chest meat
And you get to eat the brains, the arms and the feet
If you promise to behave in the card game I'll back in a month
All I need is some support and some lucky strike of bunce
If you behave not and cheated in the card game
Then my life will just never be the same agaime....err....i.e. again
[quote="mosquito"]Where the hell have you been? Having exams and stuff? [/quote]
No exams my friend. Holidays! I went to Magaluf on the isle of Majorca (Spain) for two weeks with a friend and one of my cousins. I'm back now, so i'll try and come to the swamp a bit more often. Although when i got back into work after my holiday the work was piled up on my desk, and i'm still not finished yet!
Lee 8)
[quote="yourmanlee"][quote="mosquito"]Where the hell have you been? Having exams and stuff? [/quote]
No exams my friend. Holidays! I went to Magaluf on the isle of Majorca (Spain) for two weeks with a friend and one of my cousins. I'm back now, so i'll try and come to the swamp a bit more often. Although when i got back into work after my holiday the work was piled up on my desk, and i'm still not finished yet!
Lee 8)[/quote]
That's just wonderbar my friend. Mallorca is good. So-ah, learned some Spanish? Hola! Hola que tal? Hombre!
And the air turns thick as the men smoke cigars and talk about past holidays and far away islands while playing cards.
Jadeviper raises an eyebrow to Laura and smiles suggestively at her. Unheard by the men, they sneak away and amuse themselves playing with the lion cubs, wondering if Peter and the elf will come and join them.
'It seems that Orophin has other things to do' Laura says with a sigh, trying hard to conceal her disappointment. 'And Peter is just being himself: here today, gone tomorrow' she adds with a giggle. 'But it's nice to be back here at the swamp anyway, I missed the animals. And look how big little Anwar has grown while we were away'. She points to one of the lion 'cubs' who now weighs almost 80 kgs.
'Hey, do you think it would be completely out of the question to get a glass of Bailey's?' Laura asks JV. 'Wouldn't it be nice to have a cooling drink here at the hot afternoon swamp? Let's try and ask the ravens to bring us some, ok?'
Jadeviper calls down a raven and asks it to bring them a large Baileys with ice and a glass of water with ice and lemon. In another world she hears the rain beating down and is glad it's nice and warm in the swamp.
In a reality far far away, baz logs in as usual to his fave forum and checks out the waffle thread. "Hmm, funny...yeah....hmm......GAACK!!! WHATS THIS???" he choked on his coffee with shock at what he just saw.
He could not believe that The Swamp was up and running with a new page no less. He scrolled up and down, reading each post like a schoolboy with his first Hustler mag (the articles are good :P).
He then rememberes he was under the impression that this was a lost cause...........how wrong he was, so it seemed. :-?
He now calmed down, and admitted to himself how pleased he was to see the swamp alive again with the gang.
He sat there pondering...."Now how should Orophin make my entrance?". There would have to be some changes to him........................'hmmm' 8)
Jadeviper and Laura relax with their drinks, occasionally giggling at the antics of the cubs. Suddenly, something seems different, but nothing they can discern. Jadeviper turns to Laura, "Did you just feel something... odd?" Laura nods her head and takes a contemplative sip of her Baileys. The swamp feels different, the mood has shifted somewhat, like an old faithful dog sensing the return of its master...
'Hmm, yes, indeed'. Suddendly she notices a copy of a Hustler magazine lying on the floor. 'I don't remember seeing that there yesterday... how peculiar isn't it'?
The afternoon in the swamp is quiet. Laura and Jadeviper are indulging in reminescense and recounting some of the past events. The image of Peter for instance splashing into the pool with his clothes on and cards flying everywhere is still vivid in her mind and makes Laura laugh out loud. 'Those were the days' she says 'now I wonder what the future will hold'.
The bottle of Bailey's now gone, some action would be welcome.
Just as things seemed quiet in the swamp, suddenly there was a heavy rush of wind that almost blew the tree off their roots. There was now a cloud of dust shrouding the campsite and covering the now startled inhabitants as they look up to find out the source of the unnatural occurence.
As the dust settled, there stood a large winged creature about 50feet (15.24metres) tall with a long tail that swayed in the air casting a shadow. It's red scaled skin glisened in the sunlight as it stood all four of its powerful limbs, staring down with its green eyes at the swampies. It was no doubt now that this was an actual mythical dragon in all its glory.
Its eyes started to glow and on the ground below its head a white light was forming, it grew brighter and then dissappeared. A figure stood where the light was, white hair, pointy eared with an earing in one and dressed in traditional white Elvish casual clothes.
He looked at his hands, looked at the surrounding and looked at the people staring a him. he smiled and nodded his head..."I'm back!!"
Laura was stunned. Having consumed half a bottle of Bailey's, she was very unsure of her senses and when the dragon appeared, she was certain she had lost all ties to reality. But the animals reacted too, so she figured it was more than just her imagination. The lions roared, meerkats hid themselves in an instant and Tembo... well Tembo seemed oddly curious of the frightening beast. Laura hesitantly got closer and then rubbed her eyes in disbelief when the dragon disappeared and suddendly there was a tall figure of a man standing in front of her. It was instantly clear that this was not the person she had known before... or was it? She lowered her eyes and did not know how to address this elf with obviously high eminence. Even the lions were silent. 'Welcome' she then was able to say.
He saw a woman coming up to him, he paused for a moment to remember..."L-L-Laura?" His memories began to flood back, and he realised he looked abit different from before......he had grown facial hair and his eyes where a striking green rather than the blue he had before.
He walked over to her, and held her hands..."It me, Orophin. I hope my entrance wasnt too much" he smiled as he saw the animals appearing cautiously from the bushes.
'Oh, Orophin, hi, I wasn't sure it was you' Laura said with a smile. She felt a little prick in her heart when she realized he didn't quit remember her, but at the same time she was happy cause this would give her some time to get used to his new appearance. His hands were warm and there was a sphere of tranquality around him. 'You're entrance was just fine and I suspect Tembo knew who you were right from the start. Let's see where Jadeviper is', she continued, just a tad nervous.
Jadeviper steps out from behind the bush where she'd been hiding with a family of meerkats, looking rather sheepish. Slowly she looks the elf up and down, noting, appraising. Seeing the half-concealed shock mixed with pain and happiness on Laura's face, she calls for a raven and orders her a stiff drink.
"I'll have a bacardi and coke" .........Orophin smiled and went over Tembo. The elephant embraced him with its trunk and gave a soft trumpet...."hehe! yeah, i missed you too" Orophin said patting the elephants forehead.
The other animals now gathered around him and he crouched down to greet them all, although he was quite surprised how big little Anwar and the others had grown....."I hope you guys left enough food for us!!" he said laughing as Anwar proceeded to lick his face.
Laura relaxed too, seeing Orophin so comfortably with the animals. 'Sure there's food for everybody' she said having full confidence on JV's ability to create fabulous dinners. 'Now Orophin please tell us where did you get those dragon powers?'
His heart skipped a beat when he heard that question, he was hoping they woul put it all doen to the Bacardi but he would have to tell them sooner or later.
"Well you see...." he explained how when the swamp dissapeared intead of fading away, he was transported to his homeland and one year passed. At this point Orophin stood up, walked over to Laura and JV and sighed....."I have 'come of age' as an elf and i have been crowned king."
He gazed at the surprised look on the women's faces, then he walked towards the animals. "You see, not all elves have the powers that i posses, only those of royal blood and those of the Draconis family. When we reach a certain age our full power is revealed to us and our true form, which you saw first hand."
There was more to his story, but he stopped, feeling that if he said more they would fear him too much. He turned around to face the women..."Theres more, but i dont know if you want to hear it."
Gently pushing Laura down on the mossy ground, Jadeviper quickly prepares a light meal and joins the others, sitting down gracefully. "So much can happen in a year, and if we are to continue our close association, we must know what you have been doing in this time, and what changes you have experienced".
Laura nudged Jadeviper gently 'Let him eat, he will tell us all in due time'. She then went on to describe him their peaceful existance on the swamps. What had been a year in elvish time had not been much more than a fortnight at the swamp - the days here run only little slower (perhaps somewhat more erratic) than in the real world. Laura told Orophin how the deer had been released back into the wild as it had already full recovered and how she had tried to release Tembo too but it had refused to leave. As if it somehow belonged to this place. She had wondered about it and now it started to make sense. She remembered Orophin telling how his father had taught it the flying trick... the father the old king evidently. There had always been the closeness between the animal and the elf. And how old was the elephant exactly? Taking the differences between the swamp time and the elvish time the animal could be hundreds of years old... There really seemed to be lot more to the story.
Suddendly an alarming thought struck her. Mosquito had mentioned something about hunting deer. 'Should I try to call for it? It used to come whenever I needed it, it might still obey my commands... I hope it is allright'.
Mosquito is now a bit confuzzled. Should he tell Laura the bad news or what?
He thought to himself: "how can I tell her that when I went hunting for deers, I came across this group of freshly released from the swamp deers. When I approached them with my hunting rope **side note: I usually use hunting ropes to catch deers then when they are tied up, I tickle them in their feet to death** so when I approached them with my rope, suddenly and promptly and abruptly and mysteriously, the earth under them moved a a large dinosaur came out of it and swallowed all the deer inside his large mouth then disappeared again."
Mosquito told himself: "how can I tell her that? How? How?"
Mosquito fell asleep trying to find an answer to his question and when he woke up he decided not to tell her what happened to her deer and just let her find out herself.
:snipersmile: :eggface: :crazyeyes: :2gunfire: :shocked!:
Laura was trying to call for the deer, but it did not come and Laura's heart sank. Something bad must have happened to it.
Orophin yawned and streched as he awoke from his slumber induced by the excellent meal JV had prepared earlier. He heard someone calling out, he looked up and noticed it was Laura. He got off the ground, dusted himself off and walked up to Laura......"Whats up? Looking for something?"
'Nah, it's probably nothing... I may be overreacting' Laura began, not really wanting to bother Orophin who undoubtedly had so much more important things on his mind now that he was the crowend king. 'It's just, the Deer. I've been calling its name and usually it comes to me but this time I haven't been able to find it. I have a bad feeling about this...' she continued. '...but as I said, it's probably nothing.' she finished the sentence, trying ot brush the whole thing out of her mind.
Orophin put hsi hand to his chin and thought, then he offered to help, afterall he loved the animals of the swamp and he had looked after most of them for generations.
He used is psychic sense to find them...[why?]....[cos' it saves time :P].....all he could get was a faint fading...."Oh no!!" he gave a horrified look ..."i have to move fast!!!" he flew up and double backed down into the ground, creating a big hole.
A few minutes of ground trembling passed and then he flew back out of the hole clutching in one arm the deer family and in the other arm, what looked like the bloddy remains of some sort of giant dinosaur serpent creature....[correct term is Graboid].....[i knew that :P ]
"Phew!! They are a little dazed but they will be fine" he smiled as the animals staggered to their feet, covered in 'graboid' blood and digestive fluids.
‘Thank god you found them in time and saved them’ Laura cheered as she saw Orophin arrive with the deer. ‘I was such an idiot when I released them’ she blamed herself ‘they are of perfect breed and of course would be hunted down first’. Perfect breed indeed, Laura realized now that the deer may also be a little more than just a bunch of ordinary animals, who knows what magical abilities they possessed. She started to feel a bit uneasy, she looked at everything around her with a different view now, is anything what it seems? But Orophin’s eyes were the same, although different colour than before they still made her feel warm inside.
‘Poor Orophin’ she continued laughing ‘you have that disgusting slime all over you. I just hate graboids!’
Mosquito can be seen standing there cursing and swearing and shouting out loud:
"damn that magical supernatural elf"
"I payed that dinosaur to eat the stupid deer so that I can get back at Laura"
"Why does all my plans have to fall apart some way or the other"
And the bushveldt breezes gently whispered back at him 'because crime doesn't pay'
Mosquito can be seen running around aimlessly in all directions and shouting at the voice he hears:
"Someday I'm gonna come back stronger to stand up in the face of the elf. Someday."
Mosquito having said that, he ran out of sight to disappear into oblivion and never to be seen again in the swamp for some time. Some long time.
And the bushveldt breezes gently whispered 'someday'.
Orophin stood there perplexed as mosquito ran off ranting to the wind...."that bug has some issues!!".
He sighed and looked down at his clothes..."Eww!! Looks like its hot-springs time again" he grinned excitedly and stripped off on the spot...."EEEP!!!" he squeaked as he just remembered that Laura was sitting right there in front of him.
He picked up the bigger of deers to cover his modesty and he blushed a bright crimson red.
Since this is a swamp for all audiences, Laura will not comment on what she saw. But her breathing definitively changed pace and although she tried to look the other way, her eyes were glued to the.... errmmm... deer. Luckily Jadeviper was walking a short distance away and provided the much needed distraction. 'Ahh, there's ...mmm... JV...' Laura struggled to create a coherent sentence 'I'd better go and... mmm... help her with... mmm.. whatever....' She went stumbling in her direction with her knees feeling very weak.
Orophin nodded his head nervously as Laura made her excuses to leave. He put on his trusty speedos...[with sorcery?]....[do i need to explain that after all this time...lol]...[hey, just asking!!]....and settled into the pool.
He looked over at Laura with JV and sighed, he wondered if she remembered his proposal to her before the swamp went of hiatus, cos' with his new status he could bestow on her all the wonders of the universe and his heart.
He turned round to relax in the pool, then he put on his mp3 player and listened to 2 hours of Tenacious D.....[ROCK ON!!!]....[shut up!!!]
Laura and Jadeviper were busy with their errands for some time. Every now and then Laura would glanze over at Orophin's direction and see him plunged into listening his mp3s. She was thinking about the promise she had once made to an elf she once knew. There was no doubt in her mind that this newly crowned king of the Draconis family with green - instead of blue - eyes indeed was the one her heart had once chosen. Hearts do not make mistakes in things like this. But since he had shown signs of amnesia, she hesitated and was unsure if he would still remember those days. 'An elvish king... how could he still want a human mortal?' she wondered.
When the night suddendly falls (it gets real dark real quickly at the swamp), Laura makes up her mind and follows Orophin to the pool. Jadeviper may or may not follow, this is something she just has to clear out herself. She dives in (looking ravishing in the swimming suit with golden shimmer mentioned before) and removes the headset Orophin is wearing. 'Hey there, are you comfortable?' she asks, just as an opening line, just to have something to say.
Orophin opened his eyes, looking up at the sky he was amazed how dark it got all of a sudden....but that wasnt what woke him up, no, it was a soft angelic voice...{was it really?}...[yes it was. now shush!!]....{ok ok!}.....that seemed to echo in his dreams and bring him back to reality.
He took gulped at the sight but he composed himself....."I'm fine thanks. Just thought i'd take a break" he smiled and thought 'maybe i should ask her again'.....[good idea?]....{maybe!}
Posted by Gadget17 at October 24, 2003 03:38 AM | TrackBack