Creating Guardians|Raynham, Reave

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"Ouch!" Locke yanked his hands away from the third scarecrow he was creating, dropping it in the dirt as he stuck his finger in his mouth. Carefully, he pried the splinter from under his nail and spat it out, grumbling as he picked up the sticks again.

Over, around, under, over, around, under, he wound the cord that tied the crosspieces together and created the rough approximation of a human figure. A very raggedly shawl was draped around the "shoulders", and a bundle of straw was tied on to mimic a head. Not much, but it would have to do.

Locke carefully set the scarecrow aside and stretched his arms over his head before reaching for more sticks.

[Northen Light36]

As Locke works, a small girl, her clothes dirty and in rags and her feet bare and bleeding, stumbles accross the field from roughly the direction of Talen'sul or Maelstrom. As Locke notices her, the young girl collapses in a dead faint in the middle of the field.

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"S--t!" Locke sprang to his feet, stumbled, caught himself, and hurried to the girl's side. Tenderly he rolled her onto her back and checked her pulse. It fluttered like a little bird's frantic wings, but it was there.

Touching his Sign, the Mind levitated the waterbag he'd borrowed again to his hand and wet his fingertips, brushing the moisture over the girl's lips before laying a dampened palm on her forehead. "Hey," he whispered, stroking the girl's hair. "Can you hear me at all?"

[Northen Light36]

Slowly the girl starts to come around, her eyes fixing blurrily onto Locke's Mind symbol. "D..Daddy?" she whispers, her eyes closing again for a moment then opening again as she tries to focus.

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"No, I'm afraid I'm not your father," Locke said gently. "I'm sorry. Can you tell me your name, or where you came from?" He helped the girl sit up, dusting off her clothing. Poor little one. You must have been walking for a month.

[Northen Light36]

The little girl slowly seems to become more aware of her surroundings as Locke helps her sit up. "Aideen... Aideen Eden Star... I'm... I'm from Zephyr..." She looks down at her lap unhappily. "I'm trying to find Mummy or Daddy... Sorry... I thought... Daddy is a Mind.. I saw the sign and thought..." She trails off, closing her eyes as tears start to roll down her cheeks.

[Deleted]

Zephyr? Why hadn't she looked in Talen'sul for her father? His heart going out to Aideen, Locke gathered her in his arms and held her against his chest, letting her weep. "Where did you see your father last?"

[Northen Light36]

Aideen leans into his embrace and just sobs for a long while before reaching up to wipe away her tears, smearing more dirt on her face as she does so, "At home... Before Zephyr was attacked," she tells Locke. "I heard him tell mummy that someone called Thelon was captured and he had to go and help..." She sniffles a little. "I was meant to be in bed so I ran but to my room. Daddy knew though and he came in and told me he had to go away and to look after mummy..." Aideen had been smiling slightly as she talked about her father, but the smile fades again and she adds, "But then the Clears came..."

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Locke's gut tightened. "Here." He touched his Sign again and brought over the small loaf of bread he'd been saving for lunch. "Eat some of this, slowly. I have to call someone."

Hopefully that would distract Aideen. The Mind closed his eyes, summoning his strength, then froze. How likely was it Thelon would know a single Mind with a family? Locke let out his breath. Time for another tactic. "What's your father's name?"

[Northen Light36]

Aideen looks up from nibbling the bread, her expression thoughtful for a moment before brightening up. "Um... Tavin... He and Mummy used to think it was funny cause their names are nearly the same. Daddy's Tavin Star and Mummy's Tavia Star. I don't know Daddy's middle name though..."

[Deleted]

That was all he needed. Hopefully. "Thank you, Aideen. Don't forget to chew carefully."

Locke nodded and closed his eyes, praying his long-distance capabilities were long enough. He took a deep breath and shot a call towards Zephyr. Please, Forces, let this reach!

<< TAVIN STAR! >>

[Northen Light36]

After a moment a reply, weak and with an underlying hint of bitterness and anger, comes back to Locke's mind, although it's strained enough that only a few words can be heard. ~What do... want?~

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Relief showered over the mental link, and Locke intensified his power. << AIDEEN IS SAFE IN REAVE! >> he shouted, trying to be sure he was heard. << SHE'S LOOKING FOR YOU! >>

[Northen Light36]

~AIDEEN? ... REAVE?~ comes the shouted reply, this time flooded with desperation and hope. ~I ... IN .... CRYSTALANDS ... DAYS AWAY. WILL ... LOOK AFTER ...?~ By the exhusted, strained 'sound' of Tavin's 'voice', he's not going to be able to get another message out.

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<< I WI- >> Locke sneezed violently and pitched forward, automatically catching himself on his hands as so not to squash the startled Aideen. "Not again," the Mind groaned, grabbing a corner of his mantle and pressing it to his nose.