"At 30 miles a day, that means there is at least 4 days of travel left to Tilverton." Lorae stashes the unselected items into her bag.

"So......we best get on the road."

Lorae turns to help clean up from breakfast when she notices Flame pouting on a tree limb while the others tack their mounts.

"Flame, I have a ring for you."

When she is finished she removes her buckler from her bag. Her hands lovingly caress the highly polished surface and fingered the carved border with the myriad of animals and trees in bas relief.

Taran. He had made it for her, a gift of protection and a reminder of his love. He had been willing to accept him—her however she was. Maybe that was what made accepting the change easier than she thought it might be. Though love between those of the same sex was not forbidden or even frowned upon by Elves, there was something more to the depth of what she had felt when they had last parted. It had seemed ages since that parting, and she had daily felt an emptiness within her, as if a piece of her was missing.

Flame flies over towards Devon, "Bad things try to kill me, try to eat me, and do all sorts of hurtful things to me. " He articulates carefully "Need Magic to keep them from hurting me. Besides Brianna broke my Magic ball. I found it, she broke it and poof we all come here."

"She owes me magic." Flames concludes.

Brianna turns to regard the diminutive dragon. "Yes Flame, I do owe you something in return, but the ring is better with Devon and when we sell these extra things I will make sure you get your share to get magic for yourself. Fair is fair. To be honest you were about to lose that orb to the Dark One and I couldn't let that happen. None of us knew what would happen when I destroyed it."

"Devon, you second question is answered very simply. It is time to ride on." Putting actions to words she gathers up the unselected items and packs them back into their bags. Breaking down the campsite, and preparing the horse.

"Devon why don't you save that magic spell and ride my red mare."

A long "OOOOOKAAAAAY" leaves his lips as he mounts the mare ready to get on the road.

"I hope she isn't green broke. I'm used to a smooth ride."

As the group begins to move out Devon chuckles nervously as he clicks the horse into matching the groups speed.

"She was a gift from my Goddess, after she sunk my army, gave me a vision dream of my death if I returned to Confront the Queen of the Amazons with a foreign army at my back." Brianna says flatly.

Brianna did not like remembering that time in her life. Her Goddess could be very hard of those that strayed

Alexandria politely declined the items offered again. Her equipment was currently useful to her as it was, and she was not allowed to be greedy. She wouldn't choose anything excessive anyway. It was not her way.

Precious and Flame's return brought a smile to her face, as it always did somehow, but Alexandria found herself lost for words. She still brought her hand up to stroke Precious as she was curled around her neck, but her focus was elsewhere. Her people had died... it didn't matter that it was good drow against evil drow... there wasn't a difference in her mind. All drow knew goodness, it was simply a matter of allowing them the chance to embrace it. And somehow, it did not sound like they had done that. It had just been a killing.

Alexandria solemnly mounted her horse when the others began moving, and urged it forward to follow the others. Her hand kept stroking Precious affectionately, but she was lost for words.

A sound like a soft rumble almsot like a purr came from Precious as Alexandria stroked Precious's head as he mind was distracted by thoughts and sorrow.

Precious's tail wrapped a bit tighter as she clung on tightly when Alexandria mounted. Precious remained with Alexandria as they started to ride down the road, and would not leave when Flame came over to coax her to fly with him.

"Come Precious, Let's fly," Flame entreated, but to no avail.

Alexandria feel a tiny fore foot touch her cheek several times stroking it softly.

After placing the scrolls in one of the many magical pouches on her belt Soronuume mounted Thunderclap. The grulla mare kept pace with the other horses, and soon her dark curls were dancing wildly behind her. In the back of her mind she felt the presence of Xu moving to follow. The wood elf glanced back to her friend before returning her gaze to what lay ahead.

In the silence of travel her mind wandered. So much in her life had changed since leaving Evermeet and she felt the winds of change rising again. Soronuume resigned herself to the coming storm and rode on silently.

The next few days of travel left the group just a few hours just short of Tilverton. The days had been hot and dry and the group found themselves seeking shade and water in the heat of the day.
Only the antics of Flame and Precious keep the days from dragging. Their was an afternoon spent in a small river where the two chased trout out of the water, which were scooped up and bagged until dinner. then the evening when the screech owls had their fledgings out in the trees the group camped in and the owlets screeched to be fed. Until Flame and precious drove them off, but not without Flame getting pecked on the nose.

In the evening of the fourth day they were near their destination when a ground fog made keeping to the road more difficult in the waning light. So the group ssettled for camp earlier that usual.

Getting up in the morning, found the group still dealing with a ground fog. Keeping to the road was tricky at times, especially when the road dipped into thicker patches of it. They found a signpost pointing the way, saying Tiverton 3 miles. After that the fog seemed to worsen and finally Lorae took one side of the rode and Brianna took the other and that allowed the remaining 3 to stay between them.

The further they went the murkier it became until the grayness of the fog deepened.

"We need to stop," Lorae called out, "I have lost the side of the road."

About that same time Brianna announced the same thing, in different words.

"We need to stop," Lorae called out, "I have lost the side of the road."

Hearing this Soronuume pulled the reins in her hands, halting Thunderclap's continuous forward march. She peered out into the fog, at times she had barely been able to make out the silhouettes of her companions. Her thoughts went to Xu, and the presence in the back of her mind told her the cat was near. Satisfied Soronuume nodded and turned in the direction of Lorae's voice.

"The air is still tonight, a bit of wind should lessen the fog. I will call the four winds, but who is to say how much of this mist will dissipate..."

The green elf stared forward into the fog and began to chant quietly. She could feel the air begin to stir around her. As the chanting grew louder currents of wind combed through her hair and danced into the space around her. Soronuume continued to chant louder and louder until she finally threw out her hands. The winds answered her call, following the druid's hands they moved out from her into the fog.

(OOC: Cast Control Winds 5 mp - calls a downdraft of strong winds - approx 25 mph - that should be strong enough to disrupt the fog but not so strong that even the dragonettes will be knocked down)

(OOC it was morning when you rode into the mists.)

The wind, indeed, moves the mists, but all they seem to do is cause them to swirl about, as if they were contained in an area with no way out, so they just rolled about going nowhere.

Precious, from her perch on Alexandria's shoulders leans her head out starring into the mists.

The downdraft of winds starts the mists into a horizontal swirl, a vortex of mists in the direction they were heading.

Alexandria frowned slightly at this fog. It was obviously an unnatural fog... but how unnatural was it is the question. Alexandria decided to gaze into the magical signatures, and see if this was a magical mist swarming them.

_________________________

Cast detect magic, 1 mp.

Soronuume watched the swirling vortex of mists with narrowed amber eyes. The winds had indeed answered her call, and yet the fog remained. She dared not make the winds any stronger, lest the diminutive dragons be swept away in the summoned gale. But she could alter the pattern of the winds.

Still hold the power of winds the wood elf focused on their flows. Ever so slowly Soronuume began to alter their motion changing height, angle, and direction. The winds began to circle around the druid and her companions, cyclonic flow formed started at the center and pushing outward. She was determined to push the mists away, even if only enough for them to make camp off the side of the road. If cyclonic winds did not do it then she would try others.

(OOC: I'm assuming that this is possible being that when she casts the spell it has a 90 minute duration.)

The mists were magical, or the area was, the telltale pink glow of magic was all about them. As they waited, after Nimu's winds began to swirl the mists, the vortex deepened, creating a sort of tunnel as their end darkened the other seemed to show a glow of light.

Precious, who had been clinging to Alexandria's neck and shoulder suddenly stirred.

"That way!" She cried out, "That way, to get home!"

She took to the air with Flame beside her. She fluttered in front of the group. Flame was sort of looking at her as she stared down the tunnel into the faint glow of light.

"follow those dragons", and with that Devon bolts after them.

Soronuume watched as the vortex of swirling mists formed into a long tunnel of for. Glowing lights at the far end of the tunnel revealed themselves and the wood elf tightened her grip on Thunderbolt's reigns.

Suddenly the quiet dragonettes stirred and began yelling about returning home. She moved to question them but they were already air born before words escaped her lips. They fluttered a distance in front of the group, seeming to wait for all to follow.

Soronuume turned to Brianna and Lorae, "Do they speak truth? Is this the portal back to your world."