Insiider Fan Story.
2003 captured, 3 chapters.
Orwin - Naroom Cartographer (Chapter 1 written by Steven ‘Shteevie’ McLaughlin)
Rising over a low hill and parting the branches of thick woody shrubs, Orwin gazed down into the little vale below him. Reaching back for his parchment and coal, he hunkered down between the bushes and scratched out what he saw onto his map.
Orwin's tongue stuck a bit out of the corner of his mouth as he looked up to reference the lay of the land around him. It was important that he sketch everything out just right, since no Magi had been out this way for many years, nor was anyone likely to be here in the near future. Satisfied with his work, he tucked his map and coal stick into his knapsack and headed down the hill between a pair of enormous ghostbark trees.
The forest was quiet today, the bustle and flutter of life on foot and feather giving way to the calm serenity of leaf and breeze. Orwin spotted little of the sylvan wildlife, and took pleasure in the solitude. The calamity of the great cities could be too much for young Orwin, who greatly preferred to spend his days out in the wilderness exploring and mapping places untouched by civilization.
There was a little clearing in the lowest part of the vale, just large enough for Orwin to lie down in if he wanted to. The usually mulchy forest floor gave way to thick grass that looked so cool and tempting Orwin couldn't resist taking his boots off to walk barefoot in it. The cool blades tickled and caressed his feet, leading to the thought that maybe stopping for a while in this clearing wouldn't be so bad.
Orwin settled down in the sweet smelling grass, picking a few blades and holding them up to his nose. The bright, crisp aroma reminded him of desserts he'd had as a child. An idea popped into his head, and he opened his pack to rummaged around for his canteen. Rubbing the blades of grass between his fingers, Orwin dropped them into his canteen and shook it. Taking a long drink from the canteen, he was pleased to find that the sweet grass had given his water a clean, relaxing flavor.
Eyelids drooping in contentedness, he leaned back against his pack, and began drifting off into an afternoon nap. Just before he slipped away into dreams, a noise pricked his ear, and he sat up to look around. The bushes between the ghostbark trees were rustling, and something - or someone - was coming through.
Chapter 2 - The Arrival ( Submitted by Ben O'Barr)
Quickly ducking under the top of the low grass so he wouldn’t be discovered, Orwin reached over to his canteen and quietly placed it in his knapsack. While crouching low on his stomach, the Magi spied through the blades of grass at the rustling bushes. Grasping for his boots, Orwin pulled them on his feet and waited in anticipation for the newcomer.
Slowly, a green paw with sharp claws emerged from the foliage, followed by a huge wooden creature with large, leafy brown wings. There was no mistaking what he saw - it was a Leaf Hyren.
Orwin was amazed of the creature. Hyrens of any kind were a rarity just to see in the wild, let alone collecting enough animite to even summon it. Orwin was so awed by the creature that he almost forgot one of the most important things he had been told about them - they were extremely dangerous, and this one was heading right for him.
Snapping back into reality, Orwin realized that he had to get out of there, and fast. Hyrens could supposedly defeat an opponent in one blow, and this Magi didn’t feel like hanging around to watch it firsthand. Glancing from side to side, Orwin tried to plot out the best route to escape and not be seen, but before he could get an accurate look of the surroundings, the dream creature let out a horrible cry.
Shifting his eyes back to the Hyren, Orwin now noticed that the creature must be in terrible pain, and before it even reached the edge of the grass, it collapsed in a heap on the moss.
Chapter 3 - Friend and Foe Alike ( Submitted by Beth Z./FlameRaven)
Orwin stared in shock. What could possibly cause such a powerful creature pain? Cautiously, he leaned forward for a closer look.The Leaf Hyren snapped at him as he approached. A malevolent glare was fixed on him, but the effect was lost due to the pain clearly visible in the Hyren’s eyes.
“Hey, just calm down now. I’m not gonna hurt you. Just let me see.” Orwin said soothingly as he inched closer to the huge creature. The Hyren stilled, but didn’t take its gaze off him. The thought crossed his mind that the words were horribly cliché and the Hyren would probably eat him no matter what he said. Still, he couldn’t just leave it here like this. Keeping a wary eye on the Hyren’s claws and teeth, he bent down and examined the wound.
A deep gash ran down the Hyren’s back and thigh. Golden liquid oozed from the wound. Orwin frowned. The cut was quite deep, and would take a long time to heal. He knew a few poultices that would stop bleeding and ease pain, but he wasn’t sure if they would work on dream creatures. He looked at the shimmering liquid again.
“Strange,” he thought, “it’s almost like tree sap . . .”
There was nothing for it but to try. Pulling his pack over, he brought out a soft cloth, bandages, and aum leaves to dull the pain, among other herbs. The Hyren stared at him, still suspicious, but curious as well. It peered at him, twisting its long neck around. What was this Magi doing?
Looking at the Hyren for approval, Orwin used the cloth to gently wipe the liquid away from the cut, and then ground the herbs together into a gooey poultice. Lifting it out of the small container, he spread the poultice over the cut, then bandaged it.
There was one thing left. Closing his eyes, he put his hands over the bandages and concentrated. A soft green glow grew around his hands as he let his own energy flow into the Hyren, who looked greatly surprised as it felt its strength return. As the Sap of Life spell finished, the green aura around Orwin’s hands slowly faded away.
Orwin picked up his supplies and put them back in his pack. Standing, he again turned to the leaf Hyren. “You’ll be okay now. Just take it easy for a day or two, all right?” The Hyren got to its feet, looking amazed at its ability to do so. It turned to Orwin, gratitude shining in its golden eyes. Orwin wasn’t sure if the creature understood him, but he’d like to think so. With a slight nod, the Leaf Hyren flew off.
Orwin watched the Hyren disappear among the trees, his thoughts already jumping ahead. Something was in this forest, his forest, and he didn’t like it. Shouldering his pack, he trudged off to find out just what that ‘something’ was.
What do you all think? Should we as the fan community work and complete this story, 18 years later? Post in the comments!!
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