Records of the Forest (Completed)

Emergency Measures

With a slight sense of unease Rowan followed Haider and Anne up the staircase. Looking at him now, hearing him now, it seems like he hadn't aged a day since Ian's recording. Grey hair, slightly wrinkled skin, strong back and caring aura. All this sent a multitude of questions through Rowan's head. How long has he been alive? Did he simply stop aging when he reached this point? Or had he just aged extremely slowly? How old was he?

Haider turned around. "Just watch out for Ernie. He's in one of his moods today..."

"Who's Ernie?" Rowan looked around, not seeing anyone.

"Probably like a cat or something," Anne whispered. "Or like an imaginary person. Haider's probably a bit crazy, being as old as he is..."

Rowan's eyes landed on something over Anne's shoulder. "I don't know... Do you see those vines closing in behind us?" Anne turned to look, but Rowan just kept walking. Best to avoid things like that. "Twenty bucks says that's Ernie."

Slightly perturbed, the two girls walked a bit quicker up the stairs and around the upstairs hallway. "Ewww..." Anne groaned. "Ernie just touched my leg."

"Don't worry!" Haider called from the end room. "Ernie can be a bit grabby, but he's never done anything bad to anyone. Well, actually, he did get into a bit of a spat with some fraternity boys two years back. Heh, initiation party will they?" As the two girls entered the warmly decorated room, Haider gestured to a great horned owl perched by the window. "This is Ioyni, mother-guide of the owls. Her riders, Ash and Allois... they seem to have stepped out. They should be here soon though."

Anne, not knowing quite what to do, gave a curt bow to the bird, but quickly began to snoop around the room. "So who exactly is Ernie?"

"Ernie? Well, he's the whole building, save for the windows." Haider gestured around the room. "His name's not actually Ernie, granted, his real name is entirely unpronounceable. But he likes Ernie well enough. He's perfectly nice, but don't touch anything on the shelves. He keeps those safe for me."

Rowan walked up to the owl. It looked back at her softly. "And what do Ioyni and Ash and Allois have to do with anything?" She moved to pet Ioyni, much to Haider's alarm.

"Oh, I wouldn't- oh." He moved to stop Rowan, but stared blankly as Ioyni happily accepted the pets, fluffing up happily as Rowan gently scratched her head. "Huh, that's... bizarre. She's normally much more hostile towards humans."

"I have a way with birds, apparently."

"Fair enough." Haider looked around. "There's been a movement within the Foraoise creatures. The majority, the Shifters, have joined Dieserair and the Shadows in their movement. Granted, their loyalty is to power and no more. Allois and Ash were, last I checked, listening in on a meeting.

"What kind of meeting?" Anne slowly asked.

"Not of the good sort, I can tell ya that. The Shadows are getting more and more powerful and are thusly making more and more promises. And it's beginning to look like they can actually follow through with those promises... Heck, if they get what they want they'll have no problem starting a war."

"Speaking of war," Rowan looked around a bit. "Jack mentioned you'd have weapons or something here?"

Haider nodded hesitantly. "Yes, in all likelihood I do. I'd have to find them though, in all this mess. Currently the only thing I have out are the Niari seeds."

"Niari? Like the flower you planted with Ian?"

"So you've listened to all the tapes," Haider commented, almost to himself. "That's... good, that's good. Yes, they are the seeds of the Niari flower. The flowers give life to the creatures of Foraoise, but the seeds are extremely dangerous. They take that life away. But, to use that on any living thing, even one like Dieserair..."