Ch 6: Lost in Translation
"What was that?" Lucky asked as he leaned closer.
"The elder kin..." Lore whispered, still in a daze.
"Who?"
Lore limply gestured toward the slowly advancing mare "Her.... she's one of the forgotten..." This didn't seem to mean anything to Lucky either, so he simply continued to stare in confusion. Lore searched for the right words, but the magnitude of the moment had left him temporarily unable to think straight, "The guardians of the forest!... Th-the eternal watchers!... The, the fair folk of the grove!" Lore sputtered, his growing enthusiasm making his frantic brain throw out one archaic name after another, waiting for one to stick. Nothing seemed to register though, and Lucky’s expression remained vacant. Lore finally took a moment to calm himself before trying again. Reaching over, he grabbed Lucky by the shoulders and gave him a shake "She's an elf, Lucky!"
This finally got a response from the perplexed stallion "But..." Lucky said hesitantly, looking back and forth between Lore and the mare several times. "Wait a second, aren't they supposed to be like... extinct or something? You said they were all gone, didn't you?"
Lore rolled his eyes and gestured towards the mare, who had stopped about ten feet away "Well, she doesn't /look/ very extinct to me, so obviously I was wrong."
Lucky's retort died on his tongue, and his eyes went even wider than when the mare had shown up. Lore? Actually admitting he was wrong?! That just didn't happen!... Ever! What kind of insane alternate reality had he woken up to!?
Before either of the stallions could continue the exchange, the pair's collective attention was recaptured by the mare as she began to speak. "Ye nar llë, ar mankoi carë llë lucassë mi lwa taur?" she said in a smooth, melodious voice that somehow managed to convey her challenging tone at the same time.
Raising an eyebrow, Lucky turned to Lore expectantly.
"Hold on." Lore said, responding to the unasked question. "I need to set the translation spell. It'll take me a minute." For most other unicorns, it would have taken a lot longer than just 'a minute' to cast such an advanced spell. Given his level of magical power, Lore shouldn't have been able to cast it at all. But spells linked to your cutie mark were odd that way. What might be considered a difficult spell to most unicorns, could be as easy as basic telekinesis to those that had the talent for it, and vice versa. Lore was gifted with three such spells by his cutie mark. A few less than the average five, but then again, his job didn't require much magic in the first place... usually.
Despite its simple name, Lore's translation spell was anything but simple; or so he had been told by the 'Arcane Sciences' and 'Magical Theory' professors back at Pranceton. According to them, the spell created an unseen low-level empathic telepathy field centered around the pony it was cast on. This field would continually read body language, facial expression, and tone, as well as surface thoughts, imagery, and emotional state of anyone inside it. By using this information from all participating parties, the spell converted any spoken dialogue into a form the receivers could understand. To aid in the translation, the spell additionally tapped into any preexisting knowledge of the language in question that the receivers may already have. At least, that's how Professor Neigh had put it.
The accuracy of the translations was usually pretty reliable, but could vary slightly depending on how much the spell had to work with and how much you already knew. Subsequently, the translations improved the more you learned about a language and the longer the spell was active. Fortunately, Lore had never run into any serious problems with the spell's accuracy. Well, except that one time with the zebra chieftain's niece, but that had all worked out in the end. So he was fairly confident as he prepared to cast it.
In the short moments immediately after Lore's magic sprung up around his horn, three things happened. One, the mare's eyes turned ice cold as she fixed him with a steely glare. Two, her clear crystal horn suddenly filled with the dancing flames of an intense fire. Three, the tip of a long, elegantly curved blade of pure fire sprang into being an inch away from Lore's throat.
"Ricë tana ata, ar avon lár na hóciri cártya." the mare said coldly, edging the tip of her blade closer for emphasis.
Lore went wide-eyed and gulped, instantly releasing his magic as the fiery blade appeared before him. The heat of the flames appeared to be confined to the inch of space surrounding the blade, so only a small spot on his coat was singed, but it was more than enough to get the message across. Very slowly, Lore raised a hoof in surrender, keeping one eye warily on the blade. He had to admit, it was a beautiful piece of spellwork in its own terrifying, deadly way. The 'hilt' of the blade was a mix of deep red and orange flames that swirled together in beautiful and surprisingly orderly patterns. Tiny lines of yellow-orange flames curled and wrapped around the hilt in what appeared to be a stylized grip of sorts. Though, why a sword made of fire needed a hilt or grips at all was beyond him. The 'blade' itself consisted of an intense white core surrounded by a band of bright yellow that transitioned into dancing tongues of short orange flames along the edge.
Meanwhile, Lucky's eyes practically bugged out of his head at the sight of the sword. "Okay, now /that/ is awesome!"
"Lucky, not helping!" Lore hissed out of the corner of his mouth. Desperately trying to remember any useful words from his previous translation research, Lore decided to stall by starting with the basics. Careful not to make any sudden moves, he slowly pointed to himself and said "Lore." Then, just as slowly, he pointed to Lucky and said "Lucky." Their own names given, Lore looked expectantly at the mare, but she remained silent, obviously not in a sharing mood.
"Okay then, lets try this." Lore muttered to himself. First he pointed to his horn and said "Templa", which he thought meant 'magic'. Then he slowly pantomimed himself and the mare talking and said "Quetië", finally remembering the word for 'speak'. The mare raised a delicate eyebrow in surprise at this, which Lore took as an encouraging sign. He went through the motions again and, certain he was mispronouncing the whole thing, said "Templië quet quendyi" which he believed was 'magically speak language', but he wasn't entirely sure.
The mare's brow furrowed as she tried to puzzle out his words. Then she looked up at him and said in a questioning tone "Queta quenya sairina?" Lore barely had any notion what she was saying, but it sounded close enough that it was probably a correction. Silently praying he wasn't mistaken, Lore nodded as best he could and hoped for the best.
While the mare appeared to consider Lore's words, Lucky leaned over and whispered "So, what's going on?"
"I'm trying to get her to let me cast the spell." Lore whispered back. Just then, the mare gave Lore a cautious nod and slowly withdrew her blade a few feet. Lore took this as permission, but before he could begin casting, another elf stepped out of the forest next to the first. This one had a powder blue coat, medium turquoise eyes, and a short-cut mane of deep sapphire. The two elves were physically similar except for one big difference. This new elf had no horn, crystal or otherwise.
"How in Tartarus do they /do/ that?!" Lucky asked, as the new elf also seemed to have just spontaneously materialized out of the crystalline forest. Lore answered this inquiry with a light kick in the side as he hissed "Not the time."
The sapphire-maned elf ignored Lucky's outburst and stared at Lore suspiciously as it spoke to the other elf in a husky voice "Ná sina saila?"
The gold-maned elf didn't look away as she answered "Imnë mer tíra cenasit..."
While the two elves spoke, Lucky leaned over to Lore again and whispered "Dibs on the blue one."
Given their current circumstances, Lore was just about ready to turn around and smack Lucky for the constant wisecracks. But before he could, the universe suddenly decided to do it for him. The sapphire-maned elf raised a foreleg, and a massive black wolf melted out of the shadows and into the vacated space, the elf's foreleg now resting comfortably on its back.
Lore turned to the now gaping Lucky and patted him on the shoulder "Good luck with that."
Lucky didn't respond. He remained unnaturally silent as he gaped at the pure black wolf, staring endlessly into its glowing golden-yellow eyes as if transfixed. He was so intense in his study of the creature that Lore was becoming concerned. "Hey, you alright?" Lore said as he gave him a little nudge.
"Look at it Lore." Lucky said in a wavering voice "I mean /really/ look at it. Doesn't it remind you of something?"
Puzzled, Lore studied the wolf more carefully. It was a magnificent specimen, easily as big as either stallion, and nearly twice the size of any other wolf he had ever seen. It was more heavily muscled than a normal wolf too, and there was something about its eyes that made him feel it was also more intelligent. "I'll admit it's not your average wolf, but I don't think I'm seeing whatever it is you're seeing."
"Oh come on! Have you learned /nothing/ from Oubliettes & Ogres?" scoffed Lucky. "It's a Dire Wolf! An /actual/ Dire Wolf!"
"You can't be serious. I know they based the Oubliettes & Ogres monster on an actual creature, but real dire wolves died out thousands and thousands of years ago. There's no way they could still be around." Lore said dismissively.
Rolling his eyes, Lucky emphatically gestured toward the two 'extinct' elves right in front of them.
".... Touché." Lore conceded.
Meanwhile, the black wolf shifted slightly beneath the blue elf's foreleg, drawing its attention. The elf looked down for a moment, then turned back to the gold-maned mare "Lómin Carca equë colltë linni ettelëa sena."
"Illi in amcasta quetna ótë." she replied, then gestured to Lore "Menë."
She was obviously talking to Lore, telling him to continue no doubt, but he was still unsure if it was safe to proceed. After a cautious glance at the blue elf and the dire wolf, Lore closed his eyes and began to cast the spell.
A few nerve-wracking minutes later, Lore felt a small, electric jolt shoot through his head; and the spell was complete. Slowly, he opened his eyes and blinked a few times to clear the minor disorientation. Then he looked down at the elves "With your permission, I would like to cast the spell on my friend as well." The eyebrows of both elves shot up in surprise, no doubt at their sudden comprehension of his speech.
The gold-maned elf slowly nodded to him after a moment, while the sapphire-maned one muttered to itself "So he /can/ use th-" The last two words were a jumbled mess, as if the elf were saying many different things at once. The tangle of words flashed through Lore's mind, accompanied by several rapid-fire mental pictures. This was the main flaw in Lore's spell. It happened on occasion when the magic was having particular difficulties translating something. It would simply dump all the information into your head at once and make you help it sort out the mess. Luckily, after a decision was reached the first time, the spell would simply use that as the default in the future, instead of dumping it on you every time. The problem was almost always caused by either someone's name, or a phrase that held greater meaning beyond its component words alone. However, as the spell seemed to have a mind of its own, Lore could never be entirely certain whether or not a name or phrase would trigger the flood of information. He believed it most likely had something to do with how complex the words were, and whether or not it was a proper name. Either way, it made preparing yourself for the rush of information rather difficult.
In this case, Lore was getting something along the lines of 'the lost piece' or 'the great gift we lost', and the accompanying images implied something very important that had been given, then taken away. Eventually the phrase 'the lost gift' emerged. The entire process only took a second to complete, but the flood of information always left Lore feeling like he had just been flicked in the forehead. It wasn't exactly 'painful', but it could become /very/ irritating when certain zebra chieftains introduced you to all 26 members of their extended family at once.
After reminding Lucky to keep his wit to himself, and let him do the talking, Lore cast the spell again and returned to conversing with their captors. "Now that you can speak, I shall ask you again." said the gold-maned elf "Who are you, and why do you trespass in our forest?" She took a moment to look them over once again, then said "Or perhaps the better question is, /what/ are you?"
This last question caught Lore by surprise. It had never even occurred to him that these elves might not know what they were. He took a moment to consider his words before jumping in "My name is Lore Seeker, and this is Lucky Roll, my friend and assistant." He paused as he saw the gold-maned elf flinch from the unexpected info dumps. Oddly enough, the sapphire elf and the dire wolf looked more curious than surprised, but Lore hurried on to reassure them just in case. "Please, don't be alarmed. What you experienced was simply part of the spell. It sometimes has difficulty with names and significant phrases, so it gives you all the information it has and lets your mind help sort it out. It shouldn't happen again now that you've already heard our names once."
The mare looked at them suspiciously for a moment, but since nothing actually harmful had happened, she soon nodded for Lore to continue. "Perhaps you would be kind enough to tell us /your/ names?" He asked. The elves exchanged a glance and the gold-maned one shrugged before replying "My name is -" Lore received an image of the sun beginning to rise, it's golden light creeping over a hill as the dawn sky was painted in beautiful hues of red and yellow. The name 'Golden Dawn' was left in his mind a moment later.
The sapphire-maned elf spoke up then "I am called -" Again the information came and Lore saw a large blue blur speeding through the forest, jumping and spinning as it weaved effortlessly through the trees in a wild dance of life and joy. When it faded, the name 'Wild Streak' was left behind. Wild Streak looked down and stroked the dire wolf's back affectionately "And this is -" The flood came once more, but the images were more ordered this time, simpler to understand and less erratic as if the words were naturally more comfortable as images. Lore saw the deep shadows of a forest, and a gleaming white set of disembodied fangs lurking deep within them, silently moving through the dark. The name came quickly this time, 'Shadow Fang'. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I suggest you finish answering our questions." Dawn said frostily.
Lore gulped, suddenly finding himself very aware that Dawn's fiery sword was still around. "Well, to answer your previous question, I'm a unicorn, and Lucky here is an earth pony." The two elves went wide-eyed with surprise, and Dawn's mouth even fell open slightly. "A unicorn and an earth pony? Truly?" She said in disbelief. "Surely you jest." scoffed Wild Streak "Everyone knows the -" More information, 'young brethren', 'foolish brothers', an image of young unicorn, earth pony, and pegasi foals stumbling around as they learn to walk. The term 'naive children' rose through the noise and stuck. "- destroyed themselves over 3,000 years ago."
"Now /there's/ irony for you." Lucky noted with a chuckle. "/They're/ the ones who don't believe in /us/."
"Well, I /am/ a unicorn, and Lucky /is/ an earth pony. Of that I can assure you." Lore said with a frown "And we came here searching for... well, you. You see w-" Streak and Shadow both suddenly stiffened. Dawn caught the movement and raised a hoof to cut Lore off as she watched the pair intently. In perfect sync, Shadow and Streak snapped their heads around to stare west. Dawn's eyes immediately became hard once more "What do you hear? Is it the pack?" she asked briskly.
Wild Streak appeared to listen to something before answering, and then the rush of information came to Lore again as the elf spoke. It was another simple image this time, a large grey and brown wolf with a deep notch running up the exact center of its nose. The name 'Split Nose' surfaced and Lore wondered why the spell had even bothered with something that seemed so straightforward. Another rush came on it's heels, bigger this time. His head spun and throbbed with the information; 'the shrieking darkness', 'the door of sin', 'the torn sky', 'the all-consuming gate'. Lore didn't understand fully until he heard the sound in his head. A chill ran up Lore's spine and he broke into a cold sweat as an image of a bright sunny sky inexplicably growing darker flashed into his mind, accompanied by that horrific sucking roar. In an instant it was gone, leaving behind the words 'broken seal', though they seemed somehow inadequate to him. Lucky turned to him then, his face as pale as a sheet. "W... W-Was that..." He couldn't even finish speaking he was trembling so much. Lore nodded and Lucky shivered as he wrapped his hooves around himself. "Glad I missed that." He whispered. Eager to drive it from their minds, the pair focused their attention back to Wild Streak.
"Split Nose found where the broken seal opened. Something... something came through this time. They are tracking it now." Streak stopped and 'listened' to something again "It was not these two." The elf said, gesturing toward Lore and Lucky "It was something, bad... something, wrong..." Streak frowned "I am having trouble understanding it. They smell..." The elf slowed as if sorting through a large pile of confusing information. In response, Shadow Fang's hackles began to rise and her stance turned more aggressive. "The scent feels... angry, dangerous even... there is death and decay... a lot of blood, old and new... and something else... a taint, or sickness... like a rabid animal, but more, deeper somehow..." Wild Streak suddenly let out a gasp of pain and staggered back "No!" With a savage, angry growl that sent chills through Lore, Shadow Fang exploded forward, unable to contain herself any longer. "I have to go! Stay here, Dawn!" The elf quickly recovered, and in two powerful strides, Wild Streak was on Shadow Fang's tail. To Lore's complete astonishment, once Wild Streak caught up, he gathered his legs and literally bounded into the trees; just like a deer. A moment later the pair had melted into the crystalline forest as quickly as they had appeared.
A tense silence descended over the small group as they watched the forest for signs of their return. Personally, Lore was somewhat relieved the elves attention had been shifted away from him and Lucky, but at the same time he worried for Wild Streak, and to a lesser degree, Shadow Fang. Then again, he would worry about anyone that was heading anywhere near this 'broken seal' he had seen. He wanted to speak to Dawn about it, find out more, but he was filled with so many questions that he had no idea where to even begin.
The silence stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, and in the end it was Lucky who finally broke it. "Seriously! How do they /do/ that!?" Nobody answered him, but the outburst had already broken the tension.
"Will they be alright?" Lore asked.
Dawn nodded but didn't take her eyes off the forest "An angry dire wolf is not something to be trifled with. Wild Streak is a capable scout who can take care of himself, and anything mad enough to stand in Shadow Fang's way will meet a quick end."
So Shadow Fang /is/ a dire wolf, Lore thought. Then his brain caught up with the rest of Dawn's declaration, and he blinked. Wait a second... Clearing his throat, Lore hesitantly inquired further "Um, did you just say, /him/self?"
Dawn finally looked away from the forest to peer at him in mild confusion "Yes. Why do you ask? Is something wrong with your spell?"
Lucky's jaw nearly hit the ground at Dawn's confirmation, and the look on his face was priceless. Lore tried his best not to laugh, resulting in a few choked snorts, but it was no use. His resolve broke, and he burst out laughing so hard that he thought he might actually die laughing.
"What happened? Why is he laughing?" Dawn asked Lucky, completely mystified by Lore's sudden outburst. He blushed furiously at her question and looked away without a word.
In-between desperate gasps for air, Lore managed to wheeze out a reply "Lucky... he thought Wild Streak... was a... a mare," A fit of giggling threatened to overwhelm him again before he could continue, and it took a moment for him to regain his composure "and he... he found 'her'... desirable!" Lore lost it again, and even Dawn smiled as she began to giggle along with him, her laughter like the ringing of little crystal bells.
"A stallion has no right looking that feminine!" Lucky grumbled defensively "It isn't fair! How the heck are you supposed to tell them apart otherwise?!"
A chorus of howls rang out in the distance. They were followed by a monstrous screech interspersed with eerie insectile clicking noises. The laughter died immediately, and everyone turned to stare into the forest once more. Lucky swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry "What the buck was that?"
"I have no idea." Lore said. He licked his lips nervously and glanced down at Dawn "If we promise not to run, would you let us down? I suddenly feel the urgent need /not/ to be strung up helplessly in a net."
Dawn thought it over and nodded slowly "Yes, you pose little enough threat. That may be the wisest course of action for everyone." Without taking her eyes off the crystalline forest, she raised her fiery blade and sliced through the top of the net. The bloodstone vines parted easily around her sword and the two stallions fell to the ground in a heap.
With a few groans the pair disentangled themselves from the net and got to their hooves. "I think I landed on a root." Lucky complained as he rubbed his side. "No, it was just my head." Lore replied, rubbing his temple.
"Come, you can finish telling me why you are here while we wait." Dawn said as she dispelled her fire sword and beckoned the pair closer.
Now that Lore wasn't strung up in a tree, he noticed several things about the elf that he had missed before. Up close, Dawn looked to be somewhere in her mid-twenties, and she was even more beautiful than he had first thought. There was a faint shadowing around her eyes that gave them a subtle, smoky quality. He couldn't figure out if the effect was natural or some sort of cosmetics, but it made her eyes all the more captivating. Her horn as well was more detailed than he had first believed. The gold filigree was not just some generic, mass-produced frippery, but a tracery of stylized flames. They hugged her horn like a glove, the shapes merging and flowing with the different facets of its surface to truly stunning effect. The design even used the crystal clarity of her horn to its advantage, merging the work on the front and the back seamlessly into one, creating flames within flames and giving it an almost realistic depth.
The only other items Dawn carried were two small, tube-shaped holsters strapped around each thigh. Lore didn't have a clear view of what they contained, but from what he saw sticking out of the top, it looked like each tube carried a small, hoof-length piece of engraved metal. He couldn't identify the material off-hoof, but then, he was no metalsmith. Inspecting the holsters however, led him to the most startling discovery yet. Dawn had no cutie mark! And now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen one on Wild Streak either. To say that he was intrigued would be an understatement, but he knew he needed to reign in his curiosity for now. There would be time to sate his curiosity later... hopefully.
To avoid the temptation of staring at Dawn even more than he already was, Lore turned to watch the forest as he answered her questions. "Well, as I said before, we came here looking for you. Your people that is, or what was left of them." Dawn cocked her head to the side at this and gave him a curious look.
"I'm not explaining this very well, am I?" Lore said, rubbing his neck. "Let me start over. In our land, in most lands now really, your people, and those races connected to your people, are not considered to be... real." Dawn was looking at him skeptically now, but he decided to keep barreling through to the end. "With no contact or evidence of your existence, I'm afraid your people have been reduced to mere fiction. To most, you are simply myths and legends, folktales, fictitious stories from a bygone age. As one who specializes in the study of such things, this is where I come in."
Don't forget about your trusty assistant!" Lucky chimed in.
"Quiet you. You thought I was just as crazy as everybody else did."
"But you /are/ crazy!" Lucky said defensively.
"Not anymore I'm not! Once these findings are published, they won't be able to call me crazy ever again! They'll just have to contend themselves with referring to me as an 'eccentric visionary' now!" Replied a triumphant Lore. "But that isn't the point. The point is, I've always believed that these legends were not just mere stories, but ancient accounts of beings that once inhabited this world. Needless to say, my theories were... unpopular."
"Unpopular?!" Lucky scoffed "More like openly mocked and viciously ridiculed."
"Thank you, peanut gallery. Your input is no longer required." Lore said through clenched teeth. "As I was saying, it's been my life's work to prove that your people really did exist, Dawn. So when I finally found my first solid lead, we came out here to investigate." He smiled sheepishly then and let out an amused chuckle "To be honest, when we came out here looking for Taurelond, I thought we might find some crumbling ruins at best. Maybe a few artifacts preserved well enough to salvage, but I never imagined we would find actual /living/ elves. I assumed your people had died out long ago."
Another clicking screech suddenly rang out in the distance. They all tensed and looked to the west, waiting for some further sign, but none came. Long minutes passed in silence before the tension began to ease once more. Eventually Dawn picked up the conversation as if nothing had happened.
"I do not understand." Dawn frowned. "What is this 'Taurelond' you search for? I am certain it is elvish, but I have never heard this word."
Lore blinked, all thoughts of what lay in the forest pushed aside. "It's the elven city we came looking for." He said, surprised that the word had meant nothing to her. "Do you not recognize the name?"
It was Dawn's turn to be surprised now. "My people have no cities by that name. Perhaps you are mistaken?"
"Wait a second." Lucky broke in. "Are you telling me, that after everything we went through, there /isn't/ an elven city in this forest?!"
Dawn shook her head. "That is not what I meant. The city here is called Rainëvalondë, not Taurelond."
"Chalk another one up for 'years of research'." Lucky commented sarcastically.
"Maybe they simply changed the name?" Lore suggested, completely ignoring Lucky. "Or maybe the book was just wrong? It /was/ incredibly old."
After giving it some thought, Dawn spoke up again, giving the pair a glimpse at her inherently inquisitive nature. "Could it perhaps have been 'taurë en londë'? I have heard many of the growers refer to this forest as such."
"Well then, that takes care of that mystery." Lucky stated matter-of-factly. "Now about Wild Streak. Does he have a sister or something?"
The rustling of underbrush nearby brought an abrupt end to the conversation. As if speaking his name had summoned him, Wild Streak appeared amidst the trees with Shadow Fang at his side. An injured dire wolf the size of Lore lay across his back. It's coat was silvery-grey on top fading to a lighter underside and it's eyes were a fascinating blend of green and gold. The wolf whimpered piteously in pain as Wild Streak stepped from the underbrush, yet remained unnaturally still. A hideous gash ran down it's entire right foreleg, laying the bone bare, and their was a deep puncture wound the size of a gold bit high on its right haunch.
When Lore saw them, he sucked in a sharp breath, fighting back a mixture of concern, nausea, and fear. /Nobody/ could accuse Wild Streak of looking feminine now. His face was icy and hard, with a menacing feel about it. His once pristine mane and coat were now in shambles, matted with sweat and dirt into untidy clumps. Patches of dark, almost black, blood stained his hooves and lower legs, and arcs of blood crossed his face, neck, and chest in arterial sprays. Beside him, Shadow Fang was in a similar state of disarray, though only her claws and mouth were covered in blood.
As the pair stepped into the light, Lore did a double-take. For just a second, he could have sworn Wild Streak's eyes had been the same gleaming gold as Shadow Fang's, but when he looked again they were the same medium turquoise as normal. He quickly dismissed this anomaly as a trick of the light; or at least he would have, if he hadn't just realized that Shadow Fang wasn't the /only/ one with a blood-stained mouth. It suddenly occurred to Lore that, magic or no magic, Wild Streak may very well be the more dangerous of the two elves. Not for the first time, Lore began to wonder just what kind of connection Wild Streak had with the dire wolves, and what it meant.
When he saw the bloody pair, Lucky's face turned ashen. "You know what Dawn, never mind..." He said solemnly, as any interest in Wild Streak's possible mare relatives instantly disappeared.
"Are they, okay?" Lore asked. "That's a lot of blood. Shouldn't we help them?"
"It is not theirs." Dawn said dismissively, completely unfazed by the state they were in. She looked the two over and said crisply, "Report."
Wild Streak nodded and launched into a very businesslike accounting of events that made Lore believe the two elves must be part of some kind of organized military. "Scout Pack located the broken seal and found evidence of an unknown creature having emerged. The pack relayed this information, then began pursuit immediately. The creature somehow became aware of their pursuit and circled back. It ambushed them before there was a chance to establish peaceful communications, at which point I moved to assist. Scout Pack then disengaged to surveillance distance until our arrival. Upon arrival I attempted to communicate with the creature repeatedly, but was only met with challenge and aggression. The creature then became agitated and attacked Light Paw, forcing a confrontation. We engaged the creature and attempted to subdue it without causing it undue harm, but it proved too violent. Lethal force became necessary, at which point the creature was eliminated. The majority of the pack suffered little to no damage, but Light Paw and Split Nose were wounded, Light Paw heavily so."
"What of the rest of the pack?" Dawn inquired.
"Digger, Whip Tail, and Black Ear are taking the body to Crag and Kilgunn at the rendezvous. Frost Fur and Split Nose are heading to Rainëvalondë to relay our findings, and should rejoin us before we reach the tunnel."
"Tell Split Nose to have his wounds tended after relaying the information, and see if they can bring some supplies for Light Paw when they return." Ordered Dawn. "Have Crag and Kilgunn proceed to Teldayána once the wolves arrive with the body. We will meet them in the council's chambers on our return." Wild Streak pulled his right leg up tight against his body and tucked his chin down to his neck, in what was clearly some kind of salute.
Meanwhile, having braced himself for the various rushes of information, Lore found it a little disconcerting when they never came. Neither Light Paw's name, nor any of the other new names, had been accompanied by additional information. Given the prior simplicity of the wolves names, Lore wasn't entirely surprised that the spell had stopped seeking aid in their translation. What had caught him off guard however, was the suddenness with which the spell had made the decision. After all, his spell had been doing it up to this point, and it couldn't have been more than two hours since he had cast it in the first place. He began to wonder if perhaps his spell, and the spell cast over Lucky, where working together somehow to increase their efficiency.
Another whimper from the injured wolf quickly brought Lore out of his reverie. The sound made him long to aid the creature. He had always liked animals. In fact, being able to travel the world and see all its amazing creatures, both mundane and fantastical, was one of the many things he loved about his job. He couldn't just stand by and watch this creature suffer. Despite his initial trepidation, Lore's natural empathy drew him closer to Wild Streak as he tried to get a better view of the injured wolf on his back. Since there was no cut on the wolf's nose, Lore assumed it had to be Light Paw. He only had some small experience with administering first aid, ancient ruins didn't usually have modern medical facilities after all, but even he could tell the wolf's injuries needed tending as soon as possible. "Wild Streak?" He interjected softly. "I'm no medical doctor, but I have some limited experience and we have some first aid supplies in our bags. We might be able to help Light Paw, if that's okay with you that is."
Wild Streak raised a questioning eyebrow at Dawn who nodded back to him. He turned to Lore and stared at him intensely for a long moment before carefully lowering Light Paw to the ground. "Do what you will, but know that Shadow Fang would be most... 'unhappy', if you were to cause further harm to her only remaining daughter." As if that warning hadn't been clear enough, Shadow Fang's blood-covered lips curled up in a short snarl.
Lore swallowed nervously. "Well, I wasn't exactly planning on it, but thanks for the warning." He said, inwardly cursing himself for opening his mouth.
As if reading his thoughts, Lucky leaned over and whispered in his ear. "And here I thought /I/ was the one who needed to keep his mouth shut."
"You still are. Now shut up and get out the first aid kit and a canteen, you're helping me." Lore hissed back.
"Fine." Lucky said grumpily as he fished around in their bags. "But if you even /think/ of calling me 'Nurse', I swear I'll stuff this gauze down your throat."
Lore bit his lip, having been about to make just such a comment. "Me?! I wouldn't dream of it!" He answered innocently as he picked up the canteen.
"Right, and Celestia is making me a princess." Lucky replied sarcastically.
Not missing a beat, Lore gave him a mocking bow. "Congratulations your highness. Your first royal duty is to hold down the patient while I clean the wound."
Kneeling next to the wolf, Lore set down the canteen and spoke to her tenderly. "It'll be okay Light Paw, we're going to help you feel better." He had to mentally prepare himself before taking a closer look at her leg, but even then he still had to fight down the urge to retch. The two injuries were covered in dried blood, dirt, and bits of forest debris all mixed together by the hasty application of some kind of poultice that had been used to staunch the bleeding. If he removed it, Lore knew the bleeding would start again, but he had little choice. The wounds needed to be cleaned before infection set in. What concerned him more was how the wolf would handle the pain. Animals had a propensity for lashing out when being treated, and Lore wasn't exactly keen to experience being bitten by a full-grown dire wolf.
Lore searched through the first aid kit and pulled out a small bottle containing a moderate topical anesthetic. Praying it would be strong enough for the job, he liberally applied the spray to the two injuries. After giving the medicine a minute to sink in, he opened the canteen and slowly poured a steady stream of water over the wounds until all the debris was flushed out. He had to hurry now, blood was beginning to slowly seep from the freshly cleansed wounds and it was only getting quicker. He capped the canteen and pulled out a heavy duty disinfectant spray. "Hold her tight Lucky. This is going to sting." For a wound this deep, 'sting' would be the understatement of the year, but there was little alternative. Lore tensed for the bite he was sure would come and applied the disinfectant.
Light Paw let out a soft whimper of pain, but nothing else happened. Lore frowned. He was relieved nothing had happened of course, yet he was surprised that /nothing/ had happened; /absolutely/ nothing! Not a single muscle in her entire body had so much as twitched. Having self control was one thing sure, but this was something else. There should have been at least some reaction, even if only as a reflex. Something was very wrong with Light Paw, and it definitely /wasn't/ just a cut. "What happened to her?" He asked Wild Streak. "She's obviously suffering from something more than just some lacerations."
Wild Streak looked at him as if he were surprised Lore was capable of being so perceptive. Gesturing to the puncture wound on Light Paw's right haunch he said. "The creature's tail was tipped with a stinger. I believe she was injected with some kind of paralytic toxin. I removed as much as I could before returning."
"Well that's just bucking great. What are we going to do now, Lore?" Lucky asked as he threw nervous glances toward Shadow Fang.
Lore bit his lip in frustration. Their first aid kit just wasn't equipped to deal with something like this. They had supplies to treat cuts, bruises, fevers, broken bones, even burns, but unknown toxins?! It just wasn't possible to prepare for something like that! There was no way of knowing whether or not the venom would prove lethal, but he had said they would help her, and he refused to just sit here and watch her suffer. There had to be something they could do. After racking his brain for a good minute, an idea began to slowly take shape and he whirled on Lucky. "Do you remember when we visited that ancient temple near Zebilla, and you got bit by that snake?"
"Of course I do, it hurt like crazy, but what's that got to do with anything?"
"That zebra shaman gave you a poultice for it remember. He said it would help 'cleanse the poison' or something like that. What was in that stuff? I just remember it being purple for some reason."
Lucky's eyes practically lit up as the little light bulb in his head finally flickered on. "Oh yeah, I remember that! That poultice was great. I didn't feel a thing after he put it on, and there wasn't even a scar afterward! I'm pretty sure there were only three ingredients. He said there was willow bark for fever, lavender for pain, inflammation, scarring, and infection, and something called echinacea for infection and the poison. If memory serves, it was an odd purplish-pink flower with a bunch of thin petals."
"I remember seeing that!" Lore exclaimed. "It had that funky black cone in the middle covered in red and yellow spikes."
"That's the one."
"Wild Streak, you know this forest far better than us, do you think you could find some echinacea around here?" Lore asked hopefully. "We just need the flowers, not the whole plant. Some lavender flowers and willow bark would be really helpful too."
Wild Streak simply nodded, then turned and bounded into the trees with Shadow Fang on his heels, vanishing a moment later.
"You know, you two can keep ignoring me all you want, but sooner or later I /will/ find out how you do that." Lucky declared adamantly.
Lore rolled his eyes at Lucky's continued fixation. "Well, while you're figuring that out, see if you can find a relatively flat stone we can use to make this poultice. And make sure to clean it. The last thing we need is more dirt in these wounds." As Lucky sighed and wandered off mumbling something about 'finding Jeffrey's cousin', Lore picked up the canteen and moved in closer to Light Paw. He reached down and gently stroked her head, speaking to her in a calm, soft voice, just as he might with a sick foal. "Don't worry Light Paw. Everything will be alright. I know you're in pain, but Wild Streak will be back soon, and then we'll make you feel better, I promise."
The wolf's fur was silky soft, and felt pleasantly warm beneath Lore's hoof. He didn't think she was running a fever yet, but then again, he didn't really know what a dire wolf 'normally' felt like, so he couldn't be sure. Gingerly, he repositioned her head and unscrewed the canteen. "I'm going to give you a bit of water now, alright? Drinking a lot should help flush out the toxins faster." As he had done with Lucky at the pond, Lore slowly poured a tiny continuous trickle of water into Light Paw's mouth. He had to make sure he was giving her just enough to keep her mouth saturated so that her body could absorb the water, but not enough for her to accidentally choke on. Eventually, Light Paw's throat twitched as her body reflexively did its best to swallow. Lore smiled and continued stroking her as she swallowed again. "There you go. That's a good girl. Just take it nice and slow." It may have looked silly, him trying to soothe a fully grown dire wolf, but right now all he could really do was comfort her; so he would. When the canteen was finally empty, he set her head down and screwed the cap back on.
"You really care, don't you?" Dawn asked curiously as she watched him.
Lore jumped in surprise, actually dropping the canteen. He had been so focused on the task at hand, that he had completely forgotten she was still there; something that happened to him more frequently than he would have liked to admit. With a furious blush spreading across his face, Lore snatched up the canteen and shoved it into his pack. He then quickly busied himself with cleaning and drying the areas around Light Paw's wounds so that he wouldn't have to meet Dawn's gaze. "I don't like to see anyone in pain." He mumbled in way of an answer.
"Showing genuine compassion for someone, and giving them first aid, are two different things. You know nothing about us, have no connections to us, and yet here you are mothering Light Paw as if she were your own. Why?"
"Do I need a reason?" Lore asked in return, as he reached out and began stroking Light Paw's head again. "I couldn't just stand there and watch this beautiful creature suffer needlessly. Not when I could help her."
The expression on Dawn's face changed as she watched him. She didn't seem as curious now, more like appraising, as if she were trying to figure him out. "You are... different, from how the old tales describe the 'naive children'." She observed, speaking slowly as if the dissimilarities between them were troubling to her.
"Really?" Lore's interest was piqued now, and his natural curiosity came rushing back with a vengeance. This was the perfect opportunity to gain a bit of insight into how they might be received by other elves. Not to mention his love of all myths, legends, and 'old tales'. If he was lucky, she might even answer a few of the other countless questions he had swirling around inside his head. "What do the old tales say about us then?"
As Dawn was about to speak, Lucky came strolling back through the trees waving a flat stone over his head "Found one!" He chirped, completely oblivious to the stuation. Lore turned around and shot him a glare that shouted 'Not now!', but Lucky didn't seem to get the message. "What? I cleaned it and everything, just like you said!" He asserted defensively.
The universe was apparently against Lore at the moment, because just as he was about to get rid of Lucky, Wild Streak and Shadow Fang returned. With a reluctant sigh, Lore admitted his defeat. There would be time later to satisfy his curiosity, or so he hoped, but right now they needed to help Light Paw. "Were you able to find the herbs?" He asked Wild Streak hopefully. In lieu of an answer, Wild Streak gave him a look that said 'Do you even need to ask?', and tossed him several strips of willow bark and three perfectly formed echinacea flowers. Then Shadow Fang loped over to Lore and dropped three large stems of lavender, bursting with purple blossoms, at his hooves. "Of course." Stupid question.
Setting the stone in front of him, Lore pulled out a fresh canteen and doused it in water. Then he took the herbs and used his hoof to grind them against the stone, breaking up the tough plant fibers. He kept at it for several long minutes, occasionally adding splashes of water until the bark and flowers were reduced to nothing more than a large, damp pile of pleasant smelling purple paste that had the same consistency as oatmeal.
"I don't know whether to eat it or wash my mane with it." Lucky commented.
"I wouldn't recommend eating it." Lore advised as he split the poultice into three portions. Picking one up, he carefully spread it into Light Paw's wounds until they were completely covered in the fragrant paste. Then, just to be sure, he packed a little extra onto the puncture wound. "At the very least it would probably make your mouth go numb, and you wouldn't be able to talk for a while." Lore added as he finished up. This made him pause. Thinking it over, he scooped up the remaining portions of the poultice and held them out to Lucky. "On second thought, go ahead."
Lucky gasped. "What, and deprive you of my sparkling conversation?! I wouldn't dream of it!" He said in mock horror. Pulling out a small watertight container they would have otherwise used for artifacts, he took the offered poultice and stored it away for later use. In return, Lucky placed a large roll of bandages into Lore's still outstretched hoof.
"Lucky me." Lore replied sarcastically, as he bound Light Paw's leg, which actually turned out to be easier than he thought. Bandaging the puncture wound on the wolf's right haunch however, proved to be more of a challenge. After a few awkward attempts though, Lore eventually managed to figure it out.
"Come, it is time we left." Dawn said to Wild Streak when Lore had finished. "We have wasted enough time here as it is."
Wild Streak glanced at Lore and Lucky. "And what of these two?"
Lore and Lucky held their breath in suspense. This was it. Their fate was finally being decided.
Dawn looked at them long and hard, taking their measure and considering the best course of action before answering. "Tell the others we will be bringing.... guests. Ones they will definitely wish to meet." She replied with a small smirk.
The pair let out a collective sigh of relief. "Well, we're not dead, and we're not prisoners. I'm counting this one as a win in my book!" Lucky declared. "You certainly won't hear me complaining." Lore added.
As the party prepared to leave, Wild Streak moved to pull Light Paw onto his back, but Lore intercepted him before he got the chance. "I'll carry her Wild Streak. I want to keep an eye on the poison's progression."
Wild Streak eyed him momentarily, wondering if Lore could handle it. Then he shrugged and turned toward the forest. "Do as you wish. Just don't fall behind."
With Lucky's help, Lore was able to slip Light Paw onto his back with little trouble. Light Paw was heavier than Lucky had been, but not by much, so it didn't take long for Lore to get used to the weight again. The wolf let out a soft whimper during the shift, but otherwise showed no greater signs of pain. It seemed the poultice was already beginning to do its job.
As Dawn and Wild Streak headed deeper into the crystal forest, Dawn looked back over her shoulder. "Come on you two. It is time to get moving."
Lore and Lucky hastily grabbed their packs and hurried to catch up to the two elves. "Just don't go doing that disappearing thing, or we'll never be able to keep up." Lucky called after them.
As the odd group left their impromptu meeting place behind, something shifted in the branches of the crystalline trees above. Something that had been watching, and waiting. Yes, always waiting, but soon the waiting would be over. Silently the thing followed them, moving from branch to branch like a living shadow, leaving not a single leaf out of place. The only sign of its passage was a slight blurring of the air, and a pair of disembodied, solid green eyes, glowing faintly among the shadows.
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Ooo! Though, I will admit, despite the fact that I do love elves, I never learned the language. Your dedication is far greater than mine.
and I forgot to mention last night that I really like your translation spell. Its really well thought through and fits nicely with the what is going on and also means I don't have to read Elvish.
6087264 Truthfully, there's a fine line between being dedicated, and simply refusing to use the standard conventions because you find them ridiculous; aka "The entire universe happens to speak English for no apparent reason because we're lazy".
I'm glad you like the translation spell though. I actually came up with the idea of having it all handled by a spell back when I fist started the story, after spending about 3 hours translating a single sentence into Quendya (Elven). This was also about the time I realized that, when people say Tolkien created his own 'language' for the elves, they are being veeeeery generous with the definition of 'language'. I mean honestly, what kind of language needs 16 different words for 'tree'?! Not 16 words for different types of trees or parts of trees, just 'tree'.
Frankly, it's no wonder the elves speak mostly English in the movies, they can't understand each other most of the time either!
6093315 I have heard that. I once read that Tolkien got fan letters written in Elvish or Elvin or whatever, that he couldn't read.
6094700 Yeah, elven is pretty ridiculously over-complicated. Not to mention there are technically 4 different versions (dialects?), that are all different. Sindarin, Quenya, Noldorin, and Nandorin. I used Quenya in case you were wondering, as it's the most complete.
P.S. - If you or anyone else wanted to take a crack at translating my translations, I would suggest using this compiled Elven dictionary. Parf Edhellen