Somewhere in the Aeoldhearte forest...


Morleand sat in his only chair, the howling wind rattling against the
closed eaves and the harsh drumming of the rain on the roof creating
the background music for his reading. Thanil, a large orange tabby,
curled up near the fireplace, dozing and dreaming of catty things.

Suddenly, Thanil's ears twitched, and it lifted its head to look at
the door. A moment later, someone pounded on the wooden door, nearly
taking the ramshackle thing off of its hinges. "Master Morleand!"

Grumbling, Morleand pulled himself to his feet and shuffled over to
the door. Tugging it open a crack, he peered outside at his visitor.
"What is it?"

Random pulses of incadescent light revealed Finnath's soaked,
bedraggled form. The Bard wannabe not only looked misreable, but her
clothing had been slashed to shreds. She was probably bleeding from
half a dozen places. She had to shout to be heard over the wind, "I
have completed my quest, Master Morleand. May I come in?"

He glared at her, "Where's your proof?"

Finnath sighed and reached into a sack that hung from her belt. From
it she pulled out a large, bulbous thing, holding it by a blackish
fringe of hair. "Here, Master. The head of the three-legged, twenty
foot Nubian Yak is yours. It took me two weeks to find it, four days
to fight my way to the heart of its lair, another two days just to
kill it, and then a week of running from its body after I decapitated
it, but I finally got the damn thing." She giggled, the sound having
a slightly hysterical pitch. "Now may I come in?"

Morleand examined her ragged appearance, then he looked at the head.
Finally he looked her in the eyes and smiled. "No." With that he
slammed the door, went back to his chair, and sat back down.

Thanil looked at him curiously, "Wasn't that Finnath?"

"Nah. Just some door to door salesman trying to sale me some Yak's
heads. Damn people always show up at the strangest times."