PRIVATE PLEASE MIA, 81378, (4) For at least the fourth time in his life, Djaus Tokkattyj awoke on the hard ground. A groan escaped his lips, and he sowly pulled himself to the closest tree. Not that there was much of a tree to hold, little more than the trunk was left. The smell of smoke was very thick in the air, the ground was charred, and Djaus' robes were in no better condition. I must work on that formula, were the only thoughts running through his brain at the moment. Instead of conjuring up a fire elemental, he had unloosed a delayed fireball. Thankfully, with a quick run and good luck, he had gotten far enough away to sustain only minor injuries. He looked to his home, which had taken much more damage than he had. The roof, now smoking badly, would need repairs sooner than later, and the support beams holding the overhanging deck had been all but blown away in the blast. "Oh well, this is the life of a wizard!" Djaus said in a merry voice. He walked (more of a hobble to some) over to his now semi-condemned home to investigate. Small animals were beggining to come out now that they knew the wizards magic practice was over for the day. They had become used to the routine of getting far enough away from the not so effective wizard. Still though, the squirrels screeched in obvious anger when they found their homes obliterated. Djaus turned to the poor creatures, gave a quick chant and a flick of his wrists, and continued walking. The ground where the wizard had landed began to glow and rumble, and in the place of a sooty patch, a tree rapidly grew. The woodland animals looked in amazement at the wizard they were so used to with a little surprise. He always seemed to have tricks up his sleeve. A smile was spread wide and far across his face, even as he pulled open his door to have it fall off the hinges. He reitereated with a whole hearted laugh,"The life of a wizard!" His words echoed through the woods, leaving any damp mood behind with the smoldering smokey trees...
Djaus awoke the next day, sun glistening in through his window, one of the many hanging crystals sending dancing rays of spectrum light across the walls and throughout the room. A soft breeze came through his door, sending dust into the air, slicing those magnificent beams in an intricate pattern. He slowly opened his eyes, and rolled towards the front of the house. A large set of eyes sent his heart into his throat, and a shrill scream that should have shattered every window in his home. The small monkey like creature fled back into the wild jungle, whooping and wailing in protest, “That door has to be fixed today…" Djaus puffed as his eyes trailed to the half hinged, splintered door. He hopped to his feet and shuffled to his bureau. He pulled out a large robe, its twisting patterns and elaborate stitching catching light from the crystal, and twinkling for all the world to see. The charred garments he had worn yesterday were balled up in a corner, more than likely never to be worn again. Until he would try his next spell. With a grin, he spoke aloud, "Why ruin another set of robes?" all the while flailing his arms in one of his usual hand motioned conversation. He knew that mistake was inevitable, and that all wizards started out more than a little accidental. Unfortunately, he had stayed a little accidental. He walked into his den, a large rug taking up the entire floor, and an oversized couch lying lazily in the corner. The floor by the doorway was a little scorched, but some sanding would fix that. He branched of to the kitchen area and sat down at a small table, strewn about with scrolls, herbs, and writing he had yet to complete. A pipe lay beside him, full to the brim. He picked it up and pointed to the bowl. In an apprehensive movement, he chanted and poked the herbs, his finger glowing brightly and igniting into flames. A sigh of relief flew into the air when the spell worked. Puffing on his favorite pipe, he failed to notice his still glowing finger as he traced his hand across the table. The nearest scroll to him exploded in flames, licking across to another, and each scroll after that igniting two or more. In the confusion, he jumped back and gasped at his clumsy mistake. Trying to vanquish the flames, which were now burning quite high, he produced his wand and chanted. “Wincarto le veldor!" His wand sent ice towards the table, and he smiled at his quick and effective thinking. What he failed to notice was how the ice gathered in a large mass, just above the table. He put his wand away, causing the magic to stop. The chunk of ice was about a foot above the table, and was about three feet wide, and taller than that. It dropped before Djaus realized his foolish action. The table splintered under the weight, ripping the few scrolls that were left unharmed, or legible enough to read. Momentum was on the ice blocks side, and it continued through the table, straight into the floor, and landed in the cellar on top of a wine rack. A pained expression was painted on Djaus’ face as the sweet smell of his prized wine wafted through the air, and the gushing sound of the ancient drink echoed into his ears. He promptly fell to his knees, and slinked carefully to the large hole in his floor. The sloshing liquid bounced into the walls, the waves reflected off what looked like an iceberg in his basement. “At least the meat is pre-marinated…and possibly tenderized…" He choked in what sounded like a chuckle. Always an optimist, Djaus had let similar situation roll off his back, just as he would do with this one.
As soon as Djaus had emptied his flooded basement, he began pumping out the wine and now semi-melted chunk of ice. It took him the latter part of the morning to dispose of his favorite drink, using only a small bucket to transfer the contents outside. He had given up on using magic for the rest of the day, but more as a punishment for his idiocy in the use of magic. The hole in his kitchen looked better by afternoon. Djaus had already propped up a small support beam under the floor, and was laying adjacent planks to cover the temporary window to his basement. The only advantage to the hole was the amount of light in the usually black atmosphere. When the task had been finished, he sat down on his puffy couch, and popped open the only bottle of wine left from his collection. He had found it bobbing in the basement, and Djaus thought it to be lucky. Maybe it would lift his spirits a little too. The sight of his lovely den filled with wine soaked boxes and barrels did nothing to lift his mood. The wine had a beautiful rich flavor to it, not dry, but not to sweet either. “Aged to perfection! This wine would have sat for much longer had it not been for my catastrophic magic!" The words rang truth, but the only purpose of them was to mask his foolish mistake. He released a heavy sigh into the air, breaking the inevitable silence that always followed one of his statements. How long had he been living in these jungles, only venturing into civilization a few times a year? What he would really enjoy was a companion to speak with and laugh. Someone to poke fun at his mistakes and share his life with. Of course, his erratic ways had always puzzled others, even made some avoid him altogether. Most of his old acquaintances had seen him as too clumsy, a hindrance more than help. Before he had realized, much of the wine was gone, and he was still pondering his remote life in the jungle when something made a large thud outside. A smile crossed his face, “Those nosey little squirrels, must have found the entrance to the shed!" With that, he sloppily rose to his feet, and stumbled to the door, which was still not fixed. A miniature version of his home stood to his left as Djaus walked outside. Something was still banging around in there, but now that he was closer, it was obviously larger than a squirrel. He cautiously, (as cautious as a drunk could be) walked off the deck and towards the small shed. His staff was held in both hands, his knuckles white from the tension in his grasp. An almost rumbling noise could be heard upon further investigation of the ruckus just beyond the doorway. Instead of reaching for the doorknob, Djaus grabbed about four feet left to where the knob seemed to be. His hand touched something solid, and the mechanics of a lock clicked as he turned the knob. Instead of wrenching open the door, he listened for any noise. All he heard was the whistle and chirp of exotic birds, and the lulling sound of wind through the leaves and vines in the jungle. He inhaled what just may have been his last breath, and swung the door open wide. His stance was wide, and the staff he held was being held in front of him, in a strange sort of block position. Items lay strewn about, a shelf was knocked over, and something was huddled in the corner. All to be heard was a shaking noise as the creature leaned against bottles and tools. The only other sound was the sniffle and soft whine from the pathetic little creature.
A stunned look of amazement crossed over Djaus delicate features for more than an instant. He had heard of these creatures, even was denied the privilege of studying their natural habitats (his fellow companions said he was too loud, and would spook any creature within a hundred miles). He laughed at his luck, for now in front of him, huddled in fear was a Qereniath, other wise known as a little pendragon. Djaus slowly closed the door behind him, taking care not to slam it or make any more noises too scare the poor little animal. The only light in the room was coming from the window, and its rays ended just short of the Qereniath’ feet. It turned to see what had entered, and its eyed jumped wide at the sight of the wizard. A row of white teeth were now bared at him, a soft hissing noise rising through the air. Djaus thought this quite a spectacular sight, even went as far to think it was cute. “Shhhhh…. It’s ok little one, I’m not going to hurt you. I was just curious as to why…." Upon taking his first step towards the hostile intruder, his foot caught something on the ground, and in his rather intoxicated state, fell straight at the Qereniath, all the while loosing a scream in his downward fall. The Qereniath, taking no chances, let loose what sounded like a miniature war cry, and leaped at Djaus. For the next few minutes of his life, the pain of tiny raking claws was all he could hardly register. The Qereniath was doing quite a formidable job on Djaus, when finally the creature was grabbed from the back of his neck. Thankful he had pulled the creature free, Djaus bellowed forth, “ STOP!" The Qereniath abruptly stopped in mid swipe, claws poised inches from Djaus’ face. “Dear god, you things are quite hostile aren’t you ?!" Djaus slowly lowered the mini pendragon to the ground, and jumped back as he released his soft grip from its neck. The Qereniath was still upset at what had conspired, and stood defiantly towards Djaus. The creature puffed a few quick breaths, and promptly brushed the dirt off his dark brown fur, and leaned to the side and picked a little pack off the ground. To his surprise, the Qereniath looked to Djaus and spoke, “ I am quite sorry. I have heard of strange meddling in these parts, and wished to see what was causing grief for my people’s." The small catlike pendragon gave a courteous bow, and Djaus rocked back on his heels, leaning awkwardly against the doorway.
Not only had he never imagined a Qereniath to sneak into his home, especially a talking one, he now knew a colony of some sort living close to him. It seemed absurd to him, he had lived in these areas for many a year, and never came across any signs of these magnificent little creatures. “Wha, what do you speak of by meddling? Has something occurred in the jungle I am unaware of?" The Qereniath now smiled back at Djaus, “No, as far as I am concerned you are quite aware of it. I have been observing you since late yesterday. We got reports of a large explosion in the morning. I set out immediately to check out the situation, and found you lying unconscious next to a tree." “I have since then been justifying whether or not you were a force to be reckoned with, you must have met my friend, he visited you this morning. Even so, after today’s events I have come to the conclusion that you are merely, well….. a Putz." The words rang truth, but even still a gasp escaped Djaus lips. “You little bastard! I have never been so insulted by another, let alone one who was a fifth my height." “I would be insulted as well if something one fifth my size made short of me in combat." The Qereniath was obviously enjoying the tense and nerve racking situation. “ But, in all seriousness, I have concluded my scouting expedition, and must return to my people." As he tried to leave, Djaus looked down equally defiant to what he considered a rude little thing. “Look at what you have done to my shed! Why would you ransack this place?" A wave of his arms towards the room revealed tipped over shelves, broken bottles, and a few shreds of clothe, which were torn from Djaus’ newly ruined robes. A sour look was on his face when the Qereniath gazed upon him again. “I had to make sure you kept no hidden items around here. Wizards can be an iffy bunch sometimes, and believe me, you are NO exception to my procedures." The last line caught Djaus off guard. “ Procedures? What do you speak of procedures for?" A shifty look around from his invader only strengthened the notion that something was amiss about the whole thing. “You speak as though this is a somewhat regular occurrence to your folk." “What I mean was, my, tactics. Yes, my tactics, everyone knows that if one does not do things in a proper order, they can become confused about their information. I have an order for things, and I stick to my schedule." The sketchy speech from the Qereniath did little to relieve the weighing stare it was receiving from Djaus. Djaus now loosed another load of questions upon the little one in front of him. “If you live in this area, or claim you have, how could you have never heard of some of my magic. Yesterday was not the first time I have blown up the surrounding woods in the area. Believe me, I have done it before and will do it again. Furthermore, how could I have never heard of your kind near me? For 5 years I have resided here, talked with animals, heard the tales and lore of the lands from the mouths of more than fifty different species. Yet, never have I heard of your kind anywhere near my home. Your story would never seem to hold water in any case." The Qereniath’ small voice rang in a comical laugh, "Well wizard, there is one simple explanation to those questions!" Djaus was still looking for the answer when the Qereniath ran between his legs and sprinted out the door. Still far to tipsy to chase onwards, Djaus fumbled down the steps and after the animal when he heard a voice in a distant shout, “You’ve been had by the infamous Zinsaba Montycro! Farewell wizard, shall we meet again some day, I hope it is over a good glass of wine!" Djaus’ head spun from the excitement of the chase, and he soon found himself far from his home. The trail had faded away behind him, and many more minutes passed before he realized the chase was futile. A grumble filled the air, and an even louder one after that. He began to walk for quite sometime, travelling sometime before admitting to himself he was lost. Djaus reached for his wand, and now finally realized that his pockets had been cut out, his few coins ,and even his wand, now gone. A scream rang out in the night air, sleeping birds panicked into the air, animals jumped from slumber, and Djaus fell to his knees. For the first time in his life, Djaus felt pity on himself.
holy crap to long since I have been here..... I'll reply in a little while! FAUCK, man why haven't I added on to this story!
