[Golden Lion 86]

Jena and Morhau made their way along the forest floor, a path that Leonis decided not to follow. A forest animal by birth, he decided to make his way on the treetops. Leaves rustled as he jumped from tree to tree. He was obviously happy about the time he'd spent with the prophetess, and had energy enough to burn.

Jena, in the meantime, inspected her armor, and smiled at occasional glances Morhau tossed her. Feelings were brewing between the two that they were a little confused about. They knew what they were, but they'd known each other for only a short time! And yet, between the three of them, they formed a sort of family: Jena and Leonis had at least an elder sister-younger brother bond, if it didn't quite reach mother and son relations. Jena and Morhau had a mild attraction toward one another, and were as lovers - almost.

They were enjoying their stroll when they heard a strange noise. A group of people cried for help under the metal clatter of sword combat. Leonis jumped off the trees and landed with a barely audible thud. Jena and Morhau gave him a look, understanding what the young were-liger thought.

"Again these damned orcs!" He roared. "We will eat well tonight!" He unsheathed his claws with an almost metallic sound. He rushed forward and made his way to the forest clearing where the traveler band was being attacked. Jena drew her weapon, as did Morhau, and he also deployed his fluidic shield. They came to the clearing, but Leonis, with longer and more frequent strides had come there first. During the three days they spent at the village, the prophetess had become fond of him and asked her father the blacksmith to fashion him a light suit of armor, that he might survive his battles.

His tactics had also changed, for instead of rushing in like a rabid animal, he used his surroundings to his advantage, striking an orc , and withdrawing to the treetops. He moved from tree to tree, and when the orcs had lost track of him, he swooped down at them. Jena would have had trouble holding off a legion of well-organized orcs as a bear, so she used the speed and agility of her lithe human form to take them by surprise. As for Morhau, he used his Transphasic dagger to knock down a few orcs, spreading panic among the forces, and when they had been adequately terrified, he rushed in with his blade.

Orc after orc hit the ground, and the battle soon shifted in the heroes' favor, and as the orcs abandoned the travelers, the heroes started to move away, signaling the travelers to retreat and regroup. The travelers, led by a young elven lady, a mid-height, slender wizard, retreated and came in behind the orcs. The lady had been escorted by a dozen guards, but only three remained. They wielded their weapons expertly, and the orcs soon fell to the combined forces arrayed against them. Suddenly, a number of arrows flew through the air, hitting the remaining bodyguards, and killing them. Morhau raised his fluidic shield in defense of himself and his friends, but the elven lady was struck in the leg, just below the hip. A sharp crack signaled that the arrow had hit a bone, and the lad collapsed onto her knees. Morhau moved the group closer to the lady, but the arrows kept coming. Leonis broke off and ran to shield the lady, hoping his armor or his much stronger body would spare the lady the pain of additional arrows. He was young and foolish, and thought with his heart rather than his mind. The sight of a beautiful young elven lady in distress had set his course of action the moment he saw her. The arrows came, but struck his new armor instead. A few lodged themselves in his fur and flesh, but the wounds were minor. Morhau moved in and shielded Leonis and the lady. After the safety of the shield enveloped them, the heroes looked around for the source of the arrows. They found three orcish soldiers sitting in the trees, firing not arrows, but decepdtively large crossbow bolts at the group. Morhau threw his dagger at one of the orcs, drawing the others' attention, and when the firing stopped, Leonis quickly made his way up the trees and killed off the remaining two.

Jena and Morhau waited for Leonis to descend, and showed him the wounded elf. Leonis inspected the wounds, and looked over the lady. She lay motionless on the ground and appeared to be unconscious. Leonis took her by the sides and carried her over to a tree. He laid her down and grabbed the arrow that was in her hip. He gave it a yank and it came free, but not before the elven lady gave off an infernal shriek and jumped with her good leg and climbed the tree. Leonis looked up at her, and Jena came to the tree. Mohau kept his distance. The lady looked at Leonis with a mixture of terror and anger, and he realized that she was less alarmed over the extracted arrow, and more over Leonis' unusual appearance. Leonis realized this and began to laugh.

"Do not fear me, fair lady." he said. "I mean you no harm."
"The arrow..." she mumbled, breathing quickly. "That hurt!"
"My apologies," Leonis said. "But it needed to be remoed before it could be infected."
"Come!" Jena said. "He's harmless! A lion outside, perhaps, but a timid kitten within!" she started to laugh, and the elven lady forced a smile. Leonis came up the tree and helped the lady down. Morhau had a few healing potions that helped her to heal, and she quaffed them quickly.

"What is your name, and why were you attacked?" Morhau asked.
"I am called Mirabel," the lady said. "and I am an ambassador fom the merchants' guild in Waterdeep. I was on my way to the nearby village of Emerald Vale, to investigate the disappearance of our caravans, when I was ambushed."
"Ah!" Leonis said. "We just came from there, and we regret to say that the village itself was attacked. Thankfully, we came in time to drive off the invaders." He gave the lady a wide smile.
"My young friend," Jena said. "You need a lesson in modesty." She turned to Mirabel. "Perhaps you would like to travel with us?"
"I would be honored." she said, extending her hand to Jena. Jena accepted the token of friendship and pressed Mirabel's hand.

Thus, the company made off with their new friend, to hunt for the cause of the land's troubles.