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	was I. Truth to tell, those days were as they are now. I was		was I. Truth to tell, those days were as they are now. I was
	more content to spend the day napping lazily in the shade,		more content to spend the day napping lazily in the shade,
	enjoying the day, watching as Kalika saw fit to harangue		enjoying the day, watching as [[Kalika]] saw fit to harangue
	Novices, as she is known to do from time to time. At any rate,		Novices, as she is known to do from time to time. At any rate,
	it was a day like most others. Warm, not overly so, more like		it was a day like most others. Warm, not overly so, more like
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	just gave me a lopsided grin and said, "Don't worry, I think		just gave me a lopsided grin and said, "Don't worry, I think
	all male novices get a crush on Kalika when they join the		all male novices get a crush on Kalika when they join the
	guild." "One day remind me to take you up to Langenfirth to		guild." "One day remind me to take you up to [[Langenfirth]] to
	see how the females react to Tolle." He gave me another		see how the females react to Tolle." He gave me another
	lopsided grin and waved before darting out the door and		lopsided grin and waved before darting out the door and

Maintenance script: No Ranger Stands Alone moved to No Ranger Stands Alone (book)

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Maintenance script: New page: =No Ranger Stands Alone= ==A Ranger Fable== Scribbled by Snarfers FuzzyFoots Translated by Striderr Slayn As I can recall it, I was a young Halfling Ranger. Not even the Rank of Scout ...

2007-05-05T22:52:04Z

New page: =No Ranger Stands Alone= ==A Ranger Fable== Scribbled by Snarfers FuzzyFoots Translated by Striderr Slayn As I can recall it, I was a young Halfling Ranger. Not even the Rank of Scout ...

New page

=No Ranger Stands Alone=
==A Ranger Fable==

Scribbled by Snarfers FuzzyFoots
Translated by Striderr Slayn

As I can recall it, I was a young Halfling Ranger. Not
even the Rank of Scout had I earned yet, but no mere Novice
was I. Truth to tell, those days were as they are now. I was
more content to spend the day napping lazily in the shade,
enjoying the day, watching as Kalika saw fit to harangue
Novices, as she is known to do from time to time. At any rate,
it was a day like most others. Warm, not overly so, more like
the kind that imbues in one a sense of peace, and a desire to
nap in the shade beneath a comfortable tree, as I was doing.

Now I knew it wouldn't be long until Kalika turned her
attention to me and told me to go find something to do. Truth
to tell, I could spend all day lying around and watching
Kalika, a lovelier lass I have rarely met, and the few that
have surpassed her beauty have also been Elves. Must be the
ears. At any rate, I sleepily gathered my things. I blew her a
kiss while she was distracted with evaluating the training of
yet another novice. It wouldn't do to have her know my feelings
for her, but that's neither here nor there as my grand poppy
used to say.

Now as it was such a warm day, as I mentioned earlier, and I
much more preferred to nap than actually work on my training,
as I also mentioned earlier, I thought perhaps I would take a
little walk outside the city and find a nice quiet spot in the
woods for a nap. The trip to the western gate was quick and
uneventful, unless you're the sort that counts dodging piles
of Yak droppings, not to mention the caravans themselves, as
excitement. Heading out the western gate and through the
fields, ignoring all the Novices and their chatter about goblin
treasure and the latest rumors of who is receiving preferential
treatment from the Guild leaders, I wandered about in search of
a quiet spot for a nap, as that was the sort of day it was.

I wasn't all that far from the Gates when I spotted a path I
had not seen before and, being young and not at all the sort to
shy away from a new adventure or a spot of exploring, I decided
I would take a walk down the new path and see what I could see.
Besides that I could see in the distance, a very large tree
that looked perfect for laying under and having a short nap.

Well, I don't know if it was a longer walk than I first
thought, or if the tree kept moving away from me as if a
mirage. Trees are known for that sort of trickery you know,
but soon enough, as I looked around me, I knew I was lost. Not
just lost as in "oh dear, it'll take a little effort to find
my way out again". No. Lost. As in "By a Dwarf's beard, I
shall never find my way home again!" Nothing to be done for it
of, course. Luckily for me I was a ranger, as I mentioned
before, and not one to panic.

I admit however, I did scream a few objectionable words at the
sky, cursing loudly and soundly the evasive tree I merely
sought to nap under, as all good trees are born for.

As it turned out, Screaming loudly in the forest is a bad
idea. Especially when one is lost and has no idea where they
are either. My screams must have been mistaken by the local
wildlife as a mating call as I heard my scream repeated on the
wind. At first I thought it was merely an echo, but I quickly
realized echoes don't make the bushes rustle, nor the leaves
on the trees either. It was to be the first of many
realizations I was to make over the next two days.

First things first, I said to myself. The first step was to
build myself a little shelter from the quickly approaching
darkness. Being a Ranger and all, as I mentioned earlier, I
quickly had myself a rather nice lean-to built amongst the
trees, just a step or two from the path, in case someone
happened by in the night and was kind enough to help me find
the way back out. I attempted to light a small fire to stay
warm by, and keep away the animals I could hear in the bushes
close by.

Notice I say attempted; you would think being lost in the
woods as I was, foraging enough dry firewood to build a small
fire would be an easy chore. Not bloody likely. It seemed I
had managed to get myself not only lost, but lost on a night
when the rains were fit to drown a fire had I managed to start
one before the rain started anyway.

I awoke the next morning tired, hungry, cold, stiff, from
sleeping on the ground, and wet, from sleeping in the rain. It
seemed my hastily constructed lean-to was not up to
withstanding the winds that came with the rains during the
night. Gathering my equipment, I decided to strike out in the
general direction I had come from, hoping it would lead me
back to a familiar area. I don't know if I was disoriented by
lack of sleep, or if all the trees in the forest had decided
to rearrange their normal positions, as they tend to do for
amusement from time to time; but after several hours of
wandering and hollering for help, I was still lost, only more
so than before. Luckily I had yet to actually see any of the
local wildlife I could hear sneaking through the brush to
either side of the trail I was following.

Not very long after I had that thought (actually right after I
had that thought), I heard the rustling in the bushes next to
me grow louder, and a snarl that can only be described as the
sound of someone dragging their fingernails across a piece of
slate. You know the sound, the one that makes every muscle in
your body tense up, and makes you grit your teeth, and make
you want to make noises that sound something like "nngghhh
nngghhh! nngghh!"

As I spun to face the source of the sound, I had just enough
time to see something very large, brown, and furry leap out of
the bushes and smack me square in the chest, knocking me to
the ground. It then bounded off to the side of the trail, and
sitting there, as if daring me to move. Well, this creature
obviously had never met a Halfling nor a Ranger before, We are
both well known for our ability to hide when necessary. In a
flash I crawled off the path and into a largish bush nearby.

Well...perhaps this creature had seen a Halfling or a ranger
before, as it just sat there; and with a maniacal glint in
it's eye, made a strange grunting noise as if it were
snickering at me! I, of course, knew it was time to make a
stand against this creature. I just hoped it wouldn't be my
last. Stepping from hiding, I quickly drew my broadsword and
said to the creature, "you may want to call for some help, you
nasty, vile, scruffy looking whatever you are! For you shall
soon die!"

This of course was a mistake, as the creature quickly and
loudly let loose with a warbling cry that was immediately
answered by similar cries from not very far away.

Waving my broadsword in the air, I quickly closed on the
creature, only to be knocked off my feet by a solid hit as
it leapt into the air and, once again, smacked me in the
chest. The creature circled around me, making strange chirping
noises as if it were giggling at me. I managed to jump to my
feet and I faced the creature as it circled me. There we were,
circling and circling on the trail, when suddenly, the
creature was distracted by some noise.

Never being one to not take advantage of a situation I quickly
attacked the creature, stunning it. I followed up with another
strike and the creature fell, at my feet, dead. Not wanting to
waste anything from the kill, I quickly skinned the creature
and stuffed its' pelt into my backpack. No sooner had I stood
upright again, another of the creatures struck me in the back,
once again knocking me back to the ground. I believe this to
be their preferred method of fighting. Swiftly regaining my
feet, I looked about for the source of this new attack and saw
not one, not even two, but three of these cowardly creatures.

I screamed loudly and rushed headlong into battle.

My scream must have distracted the creatures as I landed a
killing blow on one of the creatures. The other two displayed
some basic intelligence and attacked me together, knocking me
to the ground and my broadsword from my hand. I cannot recall
how long I lay on the ground suffering blow after blow, as I
tried to fight back as best I could having only my hands and
feet to use as weapons.

It seemed like hours, but must have only been a few minutes,
when suddenly it seemed as if they had grown bored with this
sport and as if one, they jumped back into the bushes and
scurried away. I managed to drag myself to my feet, and after
regaining my broadsword, began to assess myself for damage.
There was a lot of it. My hunting leathers were in shreds, and
my skin underneath wasn't far from it, either. I painfully
foraged up a few roots and herbs, and putting them in the
cooking pot that also doubled as my helm. I once again set
about making a fire, with more success this time.

Once I had the fire going I quickly made myself a poultice of
the roots and herbs and applied it to my wounds. Agony is all
I can say to describe the feeling I had as the poultice did
its job. Pure, unrelenting, unadulterated agony. I think I may
have gotten a couple of items in the recipe wrong, but how was
I to know? I'm a Ranger not an Empath, I told myself.

Exhausted, I sat next to the fire and waited for the next
attack to come from the creatures I could still hear in the
bushes. I didn't have to wait long. I think they may have been
discussing strategy as the same two that had run away from me
before were now back. And with lots of help as well. Once
again I screamed and charged into battle and once again they
quickly knocked me off my feet, disarming me in the process.
They began to pound on me with their forelegs, striking me
again and again and causing a great deal of damage not only to
what remained of my armor but to me as well. I couldn't bear
it any longer, I wailed in agony from the blows I was
receiving, and from the burning of the poultice I had applied
earlier. I don't know what it was about the noise, but it
actually caused them to stop beating me. They all drew back as
if unsure what to think of the sounds I was making.

Seizing the moment, I began to wail louder, gibbering and
moaning in a combination of fear, pain, and rage. They
retreated far enough for me to retrieve my broadsword, and
grab my cooking pot/helm, that was still suspended above the
fire. Fortunately I was wearing my heavy leather gloves, so I
didn't burn my hands on the helm. Unfortunately, in my haste,
I neglected to empty the helm before putting it on. I was
soaked in hot water and the remainder of my crude poultice
managed to get into my eyes.

I began to scream again, louder this time, and that was enough
to force the creatures into a full retreat. If I hadn't been
in such pain it would have been comical to watch these
creatures scrambling, falling, and climbing all over each
other, trying to get away from me. Ignoring the pain coming
from every fiber in my being I threw myself into battle. I
fought with every last reserve of my strength and managed to
kill most, but not all of the creatures. Those few that
remained limped and crawled away as best they could, and
quickly disappeared once again into the brush.

As best as I could, I gathered more wood for my fire. It would
be dark soon and hopefully the fire would help to keep the
creatures away during the night. That night I slept not at
all, sitting with my back towards the fire so the creatures
wouldn't attack me from behind, and attempting to convince
myself to apply what remained of the poultice to my new
wounds.

Morning came early, and so did the return of the creatures.
They must have learned a lesson or two from the previous day
as they now had dozens of friends to help kill me. I slowly
stood, drew my broadsword, and prepared to die. I can't recall
how long I stood fighting that morning but I do recall many,
many, creatures still facing me. Finally I dropped my
broadsword and fell to the ground in exhaustion, two tall
shapes leaping from the brush behind me. I also recall the
scent of flowers, like my mother grew when I was young. I knew
I had died, or was so close to it. It no longer mattered. I
also recall the twanging sound of two bows being loosed, and
the sound of two arrows hitting their targets.

I drifted between a netherworld of consciousness and
unconsciousness, still smelling those flowers, and hearing
voices drift around me saying things like, Is he dead?" "My,
look at all of them! He must have really ticked someone off"
"They're running, keep firing" "I have him covered, kill the
blasted things" "Better grab him, I'm running low on arrows,"
"take mine, you can cover us on the way out" and then I felt
myself being lifted, and again I smelled those flowers, and
the sensation of movement, the wind and the sun on my face.

I regained consciousness once, but it was like waking from a
dream, the sun in my eyes giving a halo to the face of the
rescuer carrying me. An Elf. A female Elf. I was in love.
"Hodierna! Am I dead?" I heard myself asking. Then I once more
succumbed to the darkness.

I can dimly recall moving from the sunshine and wind into a
tunnel or something of that nature. Now as I am a Halfling, I
would normally have welcomed the safe, enclosing, comforting
solidity of the dirt around me. However, given the state I was
currently in, it was not a good feeling at all to go from the
outdoors to the indoors. I can also recall voices. A male's
voice --Hard in tone, spoken quietly with a force that would
guarantee being heard, even as a whisper. A female's voice
--Melodious, warm, gentle and caring. I can't recall exactly
what the voices said. I do recall they were extremely agitated
about something.

I also recall more sounds of battle, the painful snarl of the
creatures in the darkness, and the sounds of the male --
cursing as he stumbled about, trying his best to fight these
creatures in the near darkness. I also recall being placed on
something hard and slightly damp and being pushed in to a very
uncomfortable position, as if someone had hidden me on a ledge
or in a crevice in order that they might join in the battle. I
regained my senses briefly once, and saw by torchlight the
creatures dancing in the shadows, the male waving his
broadsword to keep the creatures at bay, already a few dead or
dying at his feet. I also saw the female, or rather the back
of her head. Her bow at the ready, guarding me yet on the
lookout for a clear shot to help her companion, her hair
spilling over her shoulders and gleaming in the scant
torchlight. "Hodierna!" I cried out.

Once again, my consciousness left me.

When I awoke the next time, I was in the Crossing Infirmary.
All around me were people crying in pain. Empaths were running
in frenzied directions fetching herbs and potions and healing
the wounded. It was utter bedlam as it still is today. Slowly
and carefully I turned my head to see, two rangers, judging by
their dress, and the fact they were both wearing longbows,
slung across their backs in Ranger fashion. A Human male, and
an Elven female, both were conferring with an Empath in hushed
tones. As I turned to get a closer look at them I let out a
cry of pain causing them both to whirl about. "Ah! He's awake
finally" said the male. "Poor little guy" the female added.

I looked closely at them, and scratched my head. "Are you the
ones who rescued me?" I asked. "Yep, that was us." replied the
male. He held out his hand and I shook it as he continued,
"They call me Striderr, as well as other things from time to
time," He said as he winked at me. "This lovely lady here is
Wispra, a friend of mine, and now of yours as well I'd
imagine." "I'm Snarfers, Snarfers FuzzyFoots" I replied
weakly, "but my friends call me Snarfy and I believe you two
can call me that as well."

"Tell Me Snarfy, why did you call me Hodierna?" Wispra
asked me kindly. I blushed and squirmed about, as I'm known to
do when asked for answers I really don't want to give, took a
deep breath, and replied looking Wispra squarely in the eyes,
"I thought I was dead and I knew I wasn't but I knew I wasn't
quite yet safe and I looked up and saw a halo around your face
and I have this thing for Elves and I thought you were
Hodierna and she's my patron and I thought I was going to die
again then everything went black and I'm hungry."

Wispra just chuckled and patted me on the head, "Well, don't
worry about that, Striderr's gone to get you something to eat.
Hodierna is a fine patron as well as a fine example of Elven
kind, and you're a cute little guy and all. I'm flattered but
I'm also married, sweetie."

I just blushed and squirmed even more as Striderr returned
with a bag full of what turned out to be lemon and herb tarts,
my favorite. He tossed one to me which I, shamelessly, began to
devour and set the bag down next to me. Since I was starving,
so much so I had forgotten my manners and hadn't even voiced a
thank you, I went through most of the bag before long and
stopped stuffing myself long enough to see Wispra stand up and
hug Striderr. She said she had to meet someone. She kissed me
on the cheek before leaving. Striderr sat on the examining
table with me and we talked a bit about what had happened.

He tossed me a pair of Gweths. "Here, In case you get lost
again" he said. "I wasn't lost" Striderr chuckled and said, "I
know, you were just exploring right?" "Well, maybe I was lost,
but only a little!" "You were lost in the old abandoned hunting
preserve." He said. "Hardly anyone goes in there because it's
so easy to get lost. When Wispra pointed out the smoke to me I
thought it best we come and check it out." He grinned at me.
"By the way that was a smart idea to light that signal fire."

I blushed and said, "uhmm it wasn't a signal fire, I just
couldn't find anything other than greenwood for the fire to
keep those creatures away during the night. I didn't have time
to put it out when I woke up." I blushed again.

He stopped to think that over and he chuckled to himself a bit
shaking his head slightly from side to side as if he were
pondering the combination of luck and the gods.

In as calm and solemn voice I could manage, as is my habit
when speaking of important matters, I told him "You are now
my friend. I owe you my life and I will someday return the
gift of it that you have given me."

"No need to, Snarfy. As you've said I'm a friend and I know
you'd have done the same for me." He stopped for a moment
thinking, "But, there is one thing I will ask of you. Help
other rangers. Do what Wispra and I have done for you. Ask
Kalika about the ranger oath sometime." He chuckled to
himself, tickled me in the ribs and added, "Once you and the
other novices stop drooling over her. She is a married woman,
you know."

I blushed, mightily embarrassed that he should know of my
feelings for Kalika. I think he knew what I was thinking as he
just gave me a lopsided grin and said, "Don't worry, I think
all male novices get a crush on Kalika when they join the
guild." "One day remind me to take you up to Langenfirth to
see how the females react to Tolle." He gave me another
lopsided grin and waved before darting out the door and
disappearing into the crowd.

I saw him again, though never predictably. I kept my promise
and helped other Rangers and in turn was helped by still
others. It was through this that I learned the true meaning of
his request. Though the Ranger is a solitary person we are
drawn together in a common purpose and desire. We may spend
most of our time in solitude, but no ranger stands alone.
[[Category:Book]]

No Ranger Stands Alone (book) - Revision history

Maintenance script at 22:12, 17 November 2007

Maintenance script: No Ranger Stands Alone moved to No Ranger Stands Alone (book)

Maintenance script: Book:IstNRSA moved to No Ranger Stands Alone

Maintenance script: New page: =No Ranger Stands Alone= ==A Ranger Fable== Scribbled by Snarfers FuzzyFoots Translated by Striderr Slayn As I can recall it, I was a young Halfling Ranger. Not even the Rank of Scout ...