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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 17, 2008 21:15:35 GMT 1
The eyes continued to bore into Anna's unwaveringly, blinking only once in the long pause. "I do not know where to find them, only the grounds they stalk and tress they steal from. Search for the tracks of the loud monsters they ride, they may lead you to the home of the thieves. Return here when you have completed this task and I will find you." There was another long uncomfortable pause, during which the owl briefly took it's eyes off Anna to scan the surroundings before turning them on her again. "Return also if you require my wisdom, I will not have you acting blindly for me." With a last hoot, the owl dropped from it's perch and flew off into the darkness.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 18, 2008 10:15:44 GMT 1
Anna nodded, indicating she understood. She was relieved that at least someone was willing to answer questions and not expect her to just act.
"Alright," she said, mostly to herself. "Let's go find the egg thieves."
She looked around one last time, memorising this spot so she could come back to it later. She wondered what the swanmaiden would do when she left the Umbra, but then decided it probably didn't matter to her what she did as long as she brought the Owl. Then she stepped sideways.
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 18, 2008 13:16:01 GMT 1
Out here in the forest, Anna found the gauntlet an easy journey compared to her time in the city. Only the Caern itself had provided such an easy transition. Being in the physical world made the situation no more comforting. Anna was still tired, cold and hampered by the darkness and unfamiliar territory. Anna was hardly dressed for a cold night alone and her vision was severely restricted by the darkness.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 18, 2008 15:06:55 GMT 1
Having spent most of her time in the city, Anna was somewhat surprised to find stepping sideways that easy.
This isn't at all helpful, she thought, starting to shiver violently in the cold. She concentrated on shifting to a more suitable form, and shortly afterwards there was a similarly confused white wolf where Anna had been.
Why does everything have to involve so much tracking, she thought. She was sure the others would have found the tire marks in a matter of seconds. She, however, started by trying to locate a road or a path where cars could pass.
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 18, 2008 22:45:30 GMT 1
Even Anna's inexperienced nose can pick up the old taint of vehicle fumes in the area breaking the otherwise crisp, clean air. The vehicle is long gone, but finding the smell was enough to give Anna the confidence to keep searching and eventually she found the wheel tracks through the mud and the deep impressions left where the vehicle had been parked. The marks were old, though Anna couldn't begin to guess how long, and the definition had been worn away by rain and frost but they offered a definite path to follow. The tracks eventually led to a road in the middle of the forestt, though it was a fairly small insignificant road. From what she can gather, it led to Plattenberg which she remembered would place her well within the Elbetal national park. Going the other way down the road would take her out of the park.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 18, 2008 22:54:20 GMT 1
Anna considered the two possibilities. There was really no way of knowing which was the right one, but if she left the park there was no knowing where she would go next. At least heading to Plattenberg would end somewhere.
Still in her wolf form, she started trotting down the road, following the tracks to see where they would lead her.
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 20, 2008 12:18:37 GMT 1
At this late time of night there was little activity on this small road, thankfully so since otherwise the snowy white wolf trotting along the road might of drawn a lot more attention. It took Anna about half an hour to reach the village, which is dominated by the sight of the Plattenburg chateau with the Fischteiche lake behind it. Though the village isn't directly within the wooded area, it has woods on two sides of it, fields between them on one side and of course the lake on the other. The road continues through the village and, if Anna remembers rightly, will find it's way through the woods to a main road.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 21, 2008 9:25:06 GMT 1
Anna blinked. How on Earth was she going to find the egg-thieves in all of this? She backed up a little, not wanting to walk into town on four legs and startle the locals, and thought about it. The only way was to wait for the car which had made the tracks and follow it to wherever it was going.
She stifled a yawn, and decided she might as well take a look to see what the village looked like from the other side. It was still too late at night for anyone to be stealing eggs anyway.
(Stepping Sideways still outside the village.)
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 21, 2008 21:34:15 GMT 1
Of course, Anna didn't really even know what sort of car to look for since she didnd't really know anything about cars at all. She crosses back to the Umbra easily enough and, though the village had the occasional mark of the weaver, it was mostly unmarked by any serious corruption. There was certainly nothing unusual about it though.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 25, 2008 9:53:35 GMT 1
Well this was utterly pointless. The only way to find out who was stealing the eggs was to catch them in the act. She returned to the physical world and to retrace her steps, back up the path and towards the place where she had first met the Owl.
Once there, she waited.
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 25, 2008 12:37:33 GMT 1
Back in the forest now, Anna was really having trouble struggling with fatigue as it was now well into the morning and the first glimmer of light could be seen on the horizon. If she lay down to watch she would probably fall asleep in a matter of minutes and even if she managed to stay awake she would not be at her best.
((I'm starting to apply fatigue penalties now))
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 25, 2008 19:15:58 GMT 1
Anna sat up and waited. Even if she did fall asleep, the approaching car would surely wake her. At least she hoped it would. She just didn't want to be spotted by any humans. A white wolf like her would surely attract some attention. She found a place that would provide at least some cover, so that she couldn't be spotted from the road, and waited.
Soon enough, she fell asleep. (Unless Mr ST decides the cars show up first, or not at all.)
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 25, 2008 20:21:44 GMT 1
Slowly, Saturday dawned over Anna and the occasional ray of sunlight passed through the foliage of her hiding place and lit up her flank briefly. As the morning came in there didn't appear to be any sign of interlopers making their way off the road into the woodland. Of course, being cold and alone did little for Anna's subconscious mind and she found herself descending into dreams again. The cold, the whistling wind and whispering of leaves brushing against each other was dreadfully reminiscent of the time in the hive, where she would be left alone for days at a time with only the occasional whisper at the door and the sound of air coming through the tiny portal into the outside world. The nightmare was not of the bald monster that so frequently forced his way into her mind, though this was no relief for there so many other terrors within the hive. The subtle noises of the forest manifested in her mind as the terrified crying and whimpering of the ghost children that she'd been forced to spend so much time with while she waited for the Dancers to return. Needless to say, Anna's sleep was fitful as imaginary ghosts pleaded for release in her mind and she could do nothing to turn them away. Anna woke suddenly with visions of the ghosts that she had spent so long with still around her pleading for a release. The bright sunlight beating down on her from above only managed to make the world she had woken to more unfamiliar and confusing.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 25, 2008 22:36:43 GMT 1
Anna woke up and immediately jumped to her feet. She took a few seconds to remember where she was, and why she was in Lupus.
The children are gone. she said to herself. We set them free. It's only a dream.
Anna shivered slightly as she remembered that it had been 'only a dream' that had almost killed her the night before. She resolved not to think about that and tried to focus on why she was here.
The egg-thieves.
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 26, 2008 10:52:09 GMT 1
As the fuzzy thoughts of sleep were driven away by the bright sunlight, the ghosts eventually faded out of Anna's vision and she was left alone again in the forest. It looked totally alien now, well-lit as it was, but Anna could begin to make connections between the large trees and some of the smells around her and eventually got her bearings again. Of any interlopers, there was no sign.
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