From: jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.)
Subject: Re: [Ga] At Camp, Mathew disturbs Brent
Organization: Harris Corporation - ISD
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 22:33:04 GMT


>>"Are you oka..." Mathew began when he noticed the cut drawn across
>>the inside of Brents arm with an blooded arrow in his other hand with a bit
>>of bluish pigment on the arrow tip.

>>"What in the name of Tyr are you doing?!" Gathering his wits about him he
>>remembered Zebron's lesson about jumping to conclusions and calmed himself
>>waited for some kind of explanation for such odd behavior that resembled
>>self mutilation.

Mathew awaited an answer as he watched Brent's look of surprise turn to one
of concern.  Brent hastily grabbed for a vial in front of him and nearly
dropped it, but recovered with amazing dexterity.  Brent brought the vial to
his lips as he watched a small purple splotch in his arm grow where the arrow
point had pierced the skin.  He then lowered the vial from his lips without
taking a sip and the look of concern was replaced with one of satisfaction
when the purple spot started to recede again.

>"What I WAS doing, was making myself immune to the poison that..."Brent
>paused, not wanting to mention the farmers again "... er, our enemies used."

Mathew looked at Brent skeptically.

>"Come on, it's not THAT bad of a thing!" Brent said in retort. "Not compared
>to a number of events that occur in the world."

Mathews view of the world was much brighter than Brents', so he had nothing
to identify with the last statement either and continued to wait for an
explanation.

>"But I can see you're not interested in it. Not that I would suggest that
>YOU do it. So let's change the subject -- you MUST have some more
>'important' questions than those involved my finished activity.

>"So, while we're both still awake, how about asking those questions that have
>been nagging you, or maybe telling me what YOU know about the ... 'unfortunate
>incident' as you said, such as how you found us?"

Mathew could see that Brent was not going to give him an answer that would
satisfy his code of ethics.  "Who am I to judge another," thought Mathew
to himself.  He shrugged his shoulders at Brent as if to say 'You don't need
to answer to me, and let's drop the subject'.

"Sorry about disturbing you.  I got an overgrown concern for others well
being, and I thought you were in trouble.  Well... never mind."

"If your feeling okay, I do got a lot of questions.  Like, who are we up
against, you all speak like you know?  And where are we going?  And I know
why I'm going but, why are you all?"

"Sorry, that was too many questions at once, besides you asked first.  I'll
answer yours if you help me out with Phillepe's horse?"

Brent nodded acceptance and got up with only a slight wobble.  Mathew
reached out to give him a steading hand, but Brent waved it off.
Mathew led Brent out to were the horses were, and picked up the hoof with
the split shoe.

"This is the reason you were so easy to track."  Mathew picked up his
tools from where he had dropped them and proceeded to pry the two pieces of
the shoe from the horses hoof.  "The tracks were pretty muddled at the
scene of the battle, and apparently thats when the horse cracked the shoe.
He must of landed funny on a rock or something hard.  The cracked shoe was
quite evident when you all left the carnage though.  You all should take
better care of your horses, he could have gone lame."

"Here hold on to his hoof and don't let him put it down.  I'll be back in
a bit with another shoe."

Brent took the horse's hoof as Mathew headed towards the fire.

Zebron was still on watch, and Mathew could barely make him out since he
was still in his Drow guise.  Mathew scowled a bit in irritation, and bent
to retrieve the shoe from the fire.  It was glowing red.  He compared it to
the split shoe on the grounded, now laid out like a puzzle.  He proceeded
to pound the shoe into the proper shape until it matched the split shoe well
enough and cooled it down with water from his skin.

He returned to Brent and hammered the shoe back into the horses hoof using
the old nails.

"It'll have to do till it can be done right, but at least she won't go lame."

He then returned to the fire to replace his tools and waved Brent over like
a long lost friend.  "Come on over here and tell me your tale, it's still
early.  If it won't ruin you resistance ritual, I might be able to do something
about the gash on your arm"

Mathew laid out one of his blankets for Brent to have a comfortable spot to
sit and waited expectantly for him to come on over.
--
Joe Carl Jr.               "It ain't what a man don't know that makes him a
jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com   fool, but what he does know that ain't so."
                                                           -- Josh Billings
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