A flurry of pale feathers swooped in front of me on the path and disappeared into the trees.
It wasn’t unusual to see owls, around here, but this one did seem to be getting closer to me than any I had seen before.
I carried on my journey. Adiwen had asked me to run some errands, and I had been grateful of the excuse to leave the house. The market was bustling, with traders selling their wares from all around. I easily located the items for which I had been sent, and popped them into my satchel.
It was a warm day, the air sticky sweet. I decided to sit for a while by the fountain and watch the world go by. The mist that raised up from it was cool on my neck.
As I sat relaxing, enjoying a drink and watching a small child argue with a vendor over the price of a carved horse, I began to get a feeling that I was being watched. Glancing around the market in front of me, everyone seemed to be busy with their own errands, no one was particularly paying attention in my direction. But still the feeling continued.
Looking behind me however, I located my observer.
Perched, high on the fountain statue was a beautiful creature. Its feathers were reflecting the light from the sun, so much that it almost glowed. Considering the noise and chaos of the surrounding area, it sat calmly, not phased by any of its environment. I kept watching it, half expecting it to fly at any moment, but it remained.
My drink finished, I gathered my purchases and decided to make a start for home. I bid goodbye to my feathered fountain companion with a small nod of my head, and started to move up the road and out of the market.
Again, I felt the air from the creatures wings on my face as it flew past me, so close, and perched just ahead. It sat and watched me as I got closer, before moving on some more, then turning to watch me. By this point, it very much had my attention, and whether wise or not, I decided to follow where it led.
We went some distance out of the town, and towards the entrance to the wooded area in the outskirts. All the way, the owl kept a close watch on me, just flying ahead then waiting before moving on some more.
As we moved into the trees, I was aware that we were not alone. A dark haired figure was just ahead, chopping wood and stacking logs against a hut. His back was toward me, and he did not see me approach immediately, however the owl flew and landed in the branches above him. As I stepped forwards, wondering whether to call out or not, I stepped on a large twig which broke with a crack. Slowly the dark haired figure turned, and I saw those familiar sea-greyed eyes of Baralinion.
It had been some weeks since his return, and although I had some time to process the events that had occurred, it still felt slightly unreal to see him just standing there as though nothing had happened.
He looked at me, then at the owl, and then back to me with a smile. “I wondered where she had gone” he smirked, before returning to chop wood.
“Are you sure you should be doing that?” I asked, “Are you even fully healed?”
He shrugged off my comments with a short, if a little frustrating laugh. “There is work to be done. These people need our help. I trust you will also be lending a hand?”
