Chapter 4: Turncoat

[Breila]

At Carith's cry, Hedra ducks, pulling Grace with her if she can topple her over quickly.

[Stik]

[OOC] What's the range/direction to the bandit? [/OOC]

[Talyn]

Wolf hugs the ground and tries to not become a pin cushion.

He grimaces as he feels Carith covering him.

[Stik]

Callan raises his shield and calls out to the caravan guards, in a tone sounding more annoyed that alarmed: "That's it. Somebody shoot this clown."

[Ismaels-Legacy]

[[OOC: This is one of the few times that I had to refer to the character sheets and determine the results based on the stats of the individual. Just an FYI.]]

As the group dives for cover, Grace, shocked at her brother's betrayal, remains rooted in place. Hedra's attempt to pull her down manages only to tug at the girl's sleeve before the thick, dark-fletched arrow slams into her chest. She stares vacantly into the void as her brother rises from his crouch and stares back darkly. Without another word, he turns his back and slinks into the night.

As his silhouette fades into the night, Grace's form lets out a single shuddering breath and collapses on the ground beside Hedra.

[Jenara]

"Someone help her!" Carith shoutsm rising to her feet, she rushes to the Girl even though she knew it was too late. "May the Protector watch over you." She says simply, turning away.

[Breila]

For a moment, Hedra is shocked. Then her mind begins to race. She had been able to bring Carith back from the brink of death, but then the warrior had been wounded in the fight against the undead, and somehow another force besides the protector probably had helped, too. Grace, however, had been a traitor to the living. Would the Protector save her?

But then, if her brother shot her, she probably knew something worth knowing. Hedra's decision is made. She bends over Grace and checks if there is any life left in her. If there is, she begins her chanting.

(ooc 1: sorry, I don't have the time to write a chant today, but I am sure Hedra knows what to do!
ooc 2: IL, I'm really curious whose stats played a role in your decision and how...)

[[OOC: IL - Check the OOC Boards for my response.]]

[Talyn]

Wolf stays hugging the ground until Carith gets off of him. Then he looks up to see where she went.

His eyes widen slightly as he sees the dead woman. "Well... that was unexpected." he says, his tone completely dispassionate.

He rubs his throat again, remembering his own too close brush with death as he shakes his head at Carith's reaction.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Hedra leans over the girl's body, praying for help. The girl's eyes seem to be moving underneath her eyelids as if she were dreaming. Examining the wound, she can see that the arrow's shaft is notched so that any attempt to pull it out the way it came would cause more damage. It also appears that the arrow is lodged beneath a bone on her back. Possibly a rib or shoulder blade. It does not look good. How could a brother do that to a sibling?

Many people have moved on with grim precision, preparing fires and cooking materials for the venison that has been brought to the camp, though they frequently cast upset glances at the scene playing out before them. Some find no pity for the girl who stole food from their mouths, while others (Presumably parents of young children themselves) look on with sadness.

As Hedra kneels before the fallen girl, the hunter who brought back the deer silently approaches. He kneels beside her and looks at the girl. "She used to sing to me, you know." He sat there for some time before continuing. "I'm not sure now whether she was enchanting me or not, but she did have a lovely voice." He turns to look at Hedra and when her gaze meets his, he hands her a fist-full of herbs. "If you wish to ease her pain, crush these into an old cloth and hold it over her mouth and nose so she can breath in the scent. It should not take long. " He looks at the girl again and says, "She cannot live. Even if by some miracle she did, she would be executed for food-theft. I suggest giving her respite now, though the choice is yours." His words completed, he rises and walks back to camp, his cloak pulled tightly about him.

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Carson, rather taken aback by the nights events, looks at Carith and Wolf curiously. Carith had been hired in town, though she seems to have affinity for Wolf somehow. Granted she had a brush with death earlier so perhaps she is looking for someone in a similar predicament. Of course maybe she's just looking for a roll in the hay. THAT thought makes the man shudder a bit.

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Dorir tracks down Slade and Dee, asing them for any information that they may have gleaned in their scouting. Something dangerous is going on in these woods, beyond zombies and wolves.

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Torina has begun to stir the cooking pot, mixing in what ever roots and greens the camp was able to scavenge throughout the day (It certainly seems like a lifetime ago, even though it was only a few hours). With the venison already stewing a roasting, everyone's stomachs begin to rumble quite audibly!

[Breila]

Hedra looks at the hunter's back, her eyes filling with tears. The man was right. Still, it was so bad to let one of the living go... She asks Torina for and old cloth and does as the hunter had recommended, then holds Grace's hand and sings her a lullaby until her breathing stops.

Then she goes to see if maybe someone set aside some food for her, and sits down to eat, withdrawn and preoccupied.

[Stik]

[OOC]WHOA! Did nobody shoot at the bandit?
And is there any chance to stop Hedra from killing a wounded child? [/OOC]

[Breila]

[OOC: Callan could easily ask Hedra what she was doing... what the hunter said sounded plausible, and she knows so little of human laws that she believed him]

[Stik]

[OOC] It was more of a question for I-L, really. I wanted to know whether you having posted the action precludes another action preventing it. I am going to proceed as if I can stop her. [/OOC]

“Chanter – do not leave her side. If the bandits want her dead, we want her alive, so do whatever you can to keep her that way. Keep her conscious, keep her focused. Ask her about the bandits, and remind her that they turned on her.

“Inky – put down the mage and help me. We need to grab up that hunter – that one, right there, with the cloak. Don’t hurt him. Well, you can hurt him a little if necessary.” Callan sets off quietly not quite in the direction of the hunter but on a path that will put the man between him and Carith. Then he'll approach, hands open, and pounce when Carith is in position.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

[OOC: By all means, please continue! ]

The man makes no move to avoid anyone who is attempting to flank him. In fact, he's quite open now that he's in camp. He's not exactly jovial (No one is, considering what's going on) but he seems...indifferent. When Callan steps in his path, the man continues his stride, walks up to him and says, "What can I do for you? You step with purpose."

[Jenara]

(OOC: She actually let Wolf go sometime ago.)

"The Mage is nothing to me." She steps next to the Hunter, grasping him on the shoulder. "Hold, we want a word with you." She says with purpose, she doesn't relax her grip, instead she stand behind him as directed.