Unfamiliar Waters

Tidas has never been the type of leader to stand by and do nothing while his tribe needed him. Standing up he towers over the half dozen boats or more. While looking down at Lace he gently placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her.

"My people, I know you are frightened but we have been through tough times before and we will overcome this terrible attack of our people. We must keep calm and try to work together to get our people to a safe place."

Tidas is interrupted by a voice somewhere in the darkness of the boats. "Where would that be my lord? We are out here without food, fresh water and no blankets to keep warm. Many of us have suffered injures that still need to be taken care of. How can we leave our tribemates not knowing whether they are dead or alive?"

Tidas looking back in the direction they must have drifted from has a troubled look on his face. How could he possibly inform his people that he has been receiving sendings from his tribmates back near the holt, sendings so weak but so far away that the senders or message cannot be made out. Those same sendings awoke him from his sleep.

Merle's thoughts wandered and swooned as she swam in her newly discovered forth form, a true wave dancer (dolphin). Her sleek gray form cut through the water as she mingled in and out of the boats keeping them close together as Moondove was resting from her watch over the rag tag group. She could not here Lord Tidas's spoken words, she did hear Lace's sending once more calling out for still missing tribemates. Merle did not know the red haired elftess very well but understood her fears and distress very well. Merle's own Lovemate Vaun was still missing as was her soul sister Taeza.

Her thoughts drifted back to the fight that had broken out when the trolls attack was made known. The celebration had been going so well and everyone even Chief Raven seemed to be having fun. Vaun still had his sword on him when the attack commence and was protecting Merle who only own a dagger and her bow bow of which were back at their den. Vaun killed a couple trolls but their were to many, Moondove had been fighting next to Raven arguing they should retreat and regroup to plan a rescue. A troll rushed Vaun and herself knocking her Lovemate to the ground and about to kill him she could only assume. that was when all her years of feeling so helpless when she wished she could do something, not just run or be protected changed. Her form shifted into a wolf with a brown and black coat and her icy blue eyes. Much after that was a blur, she remember being covered in blood as she helped shove the boats out to sea. She had lost track of Vaun when he said he was going back for Raven.

Her thoughts returned to the present she needed air and was getting used to this new form that she had intentionally tried to change into. Breaching the surface her ice blue eyes taking in the scene Tidas was awake that was good. With no healer she was concerned for their only Chief, they needed his leadership now more than ever.

Lace felt the comfort of Tidas' hand and words. She could hear elves sent, some loud, some faint. She wanted to offer comfort herself, but as long as her heart was troubled she couldn't.

"Where did those Trolls come from?"

In the distance she heard a voice "....I mean you no harm!" She looked around, the voice was familiar, like a long forgotten memory.
"There! Tidas, I see someone in the water, I feel I must know him...."

Kelp was anxious, he could smell blood in the water and that would attract sharptooths. He tried to send to the leader,

*I only want to help, the blood will attract sharptooths. You must get everyone into the boats quickly! May I approach your boat and come aboard? There is not much time.*

Kelp hoped his sending was true and clear to the leader. He started to swim towards the leader's boat with urgency, though still wary of these stranger's response to him. Obviously they were injured and suffering. Would they welcome him? He'd try and help them as best he could. What could one elf offer these people in the way of aid? In his mind's eye Kelp quickly reviewed the plants and animals he has seen in this area under water. Clams could be used to close wounds, there were also certain algae that could numb pain or clean a wound when applied to one. He had a few of these sea weeds in his carry net, his spear wedged between it and his back. As he neared the leader's boat, and asked to come aboard, one hand grasping the gunwale to lift himself out of the water and into the ocean going craft. He looked at the leader, one of his eyebrow raised in question. Would they accept him or spurn him?

"My name is Kelp. Please, let me help you!"

Kelp looks at Lord Tidas for a moment, replying to him, " I come from north of here a long way and a long time I have traveled alone. My tribe , an offshoot of a larger tribe fled from humans only to encounter them once again, and they were all slaughtered as far as I know. I have been alone for almost five eights of the turns. You and your tribe are the first of our kind I have seen in that time." Kelp chokes up a bit. "To know finally, that I am not the last of our kind." A few tears run down his pale greyish cheeks.

Reaching out a hand to touch Tidas' arm, and speaks, "I see and touch you with joy. Now, Lord Tidas, what wounds or needs do your people have? They MUST get into the boats. the blood your people have shed will attract many sharp tooths and quickly. They are not safe in the water."

Kelp looks around and spies a few dorsal fins of the dreaded predators circling the boats already. not yet close but too close for comfort. He points them out to Lord Tidas. He looks to the female elf nearby Tidas, sitting in the boat. He scans her face, she seems familiar. How does he know her? Her name flitters out of the grasp of his mind, teasingly. He looks back to Lord Tidas, expectantly, thinking this mystery can keep for now.

After listening to Kelp reveal his short but brief history of where he and his people come from Tidas offers his hand as a friendly jester to the newly discovered stranger. "I'm very pleased to know that others of our kind are still out there. But I'm afraid that our meeting isn't entirely a happy one. Our people have recently been the victims of a viscous attack from trolls come to slaughter and steal rock shapers and slaves. Our healers are also missing and as you can see many of us have injuries some that must be taken care of. We have little happiness to offer you at the moment stranger Kelp.

Not receiving a response back from Tidas ShineBright sends again to Tidas. *Where shall we go my lord?* In an attempt to reply to ShineBright Tidas has to close his eyes due to the throbbing pain he still feels in the back of his head he places both hands one on each side of his head and repliies with difficulty. *I may have an idea ShineBright but I'm not sure at the moment.*

Before Tidas has a chance to ask Kelp his next question he is interrupted by a weak but urgent desperate scream from Coralscar as she falls overboard and disappears beneath the water. Leaning over the edge of the boat trying to see Coralscar in the water Tidas finds himself also dizzy and sits down and holds onto the edge of the boat to prevent himself from falling overboard.

Screams once again fill the air as others cry out to Coralscar that still hasn't responded to their sendings.

Gasping for air Coralscar makes her way back to the surface of the water away from the reach of the boat. The water around her is blood red from wounds to her head has brought unwanted attention from Sharptooths that come to investigate small vessels that have invaded the open water of their domain.

Tidas shouts because sending is difficult. "Coralscar are you able to swim to the boat nearest to you? Sharptooths are circling you closing in on you. They smell the blood in the water."

Others closer than Tidas quickly tie together cloaks and other varies pieces of clothing and throw them into the water hoping Coralscar can grab and they can pull her in safely before she is attacked. Coralscar weakly tries to keep her hold on the rope made of clothing and keep her head above the water at the same time to prevent drowning. The Sharptooths senseing their meal is about to be taken from them closes in for the kill.

Those watching from the boats are horrified as they frantically try to pull her to safety. Fearing defeat the onlookers are surprised as several of the Sharptooths are ejected from the water from an unknown force allowing Corslscar to be pulled out of the water and to the safety of the boat.

Tidas watching from the boat is just as surprised as the others at what they just witnessed. 'How could this be? What has come to our aid at a time of need?'