Marshal's Treehouse

[Marshal]

After moving from Paz to a new town, a new country, Marshal elected to avoid living within the boarders of the town as he had in Paz, where he lived in a castle. Instead he felt he should re-join the roots of his race, and once again become one, or more attuned to nature.

He spent several months living under the open skies of Widu, building his home in the forest where he would be alone and undisturbed by the daily living of the folk of Widu. Hand-building all of his furniture, carving his home out of a giant tree that had been thousands of years old.

Stepping outside, with his worn, splintered, tired hands, he stepped away from the house and looked at it from afar.

He was pleased with his work, and decided to return back to his home. Just before he got to the front door, he heard his trusting companion in the stables built to the side. He smiled, and walked toward her. Arabella, his trusting horse, stood in her stall enjoying her evening meal, and welcoming her master into her abode.

Hello Arabella. He said as he stroked her mane. I am glad you are happy here. I do hope all this building was for not. he spoke again, patting her on the side, and leaving her to her meal, and headed back inside.

As he entered the door, he whispered to himself.....Home sweet home....

[Marshal]

The dew was still fresh on the blades of grass at sunrise when William stepped outside of his tree-house wearing his shorts. He had a quick look around and saw that Arabella was already out of her Stable grazing around in the fields of grass, licking the dew off the green shrubs. He stepped off the front porch and into the foliage, his feet getting wet and he walked toward the neat stack of gathered wood. Picking up an armful of sticks and logs, he headed back inside, leaving his door open to allow the cool and scents of nature to engulf his living quarters.

He stopped at the basket he kept the wood in, and placed his armload within it. Taking only a few pieces with him to the kitchen, in order to start a fire in the stove. After a few minutes of careful placement, and a bit of magic spark, William had a small fire going in the oven. A grin crossed his face, and he gently closed the door on the oven, allowing the heat to rise. From the cupboards he removed a kettle, and filled it with water from the river not far from his home, and placed it on the oven, which by then had gotten nice and toasty.

Waiting for the water to come to a boil, he then prepared himself a quick breakfast of bread, butter and honey. As he had finished preparing that, a faint whistle emanated from the Kettle, letting William know it was hot. He then removed the kettle and poured himself a cup of tea he made from the herbs of the wild.

Moving to his den, he sat, looking out the window, enjoying his breakfast, and the view of the wild, the life he preferred. William, for a long time now, is finally happy with where he was.

[Katie]

Katie picked up pace as she scurried further and further into the forest for she noticed all the forest animals had become silent. She could have heard a fresnic pence drop, she thought. Panic began setting in as the forest became darker and eerily quiet. Her tag along, Gretel, nudged Katie and then showed Katie it wanted to turn around. The unicorn and Katie were on a mission and Gretel was the cart which was taking William's gift while Katie was on foot taking the lead. Again, Gretel nudged Katie trying to lead Katie back toward Widu. Katie would have none of it from Gretel. Even though her heart was pounding wildly, she unsheathed her arrow, pulled out her poison vile and quickly dipped the tip of the arrow within the vile while continuing her same gated walk. After allowing the wooden tip to soak up the poison, she carefully corked the vile, pocketed it and pulled her bow in the proper aim and shoot position. (Katie 'felt' she and Gretel were being preyed on, but she wasn't completely sure of it, however, she was now ready.) She was determined and yet willing to go down fighting. Gretel gave her a third nudge to turn around as she quietly advanced through the dense, dark forest.

"Gretel, be a good girl and behave. Come on" she said hastily yet softly as she scouted all around her surroundings cautiously. "William's home is suppose to be around the bend" she whispered. Tugging on Gretel's reins, she advanced onward even though her heart felt as though it may explode from raw fear. Suddenly she dropped Gretel's reins when she saw the big hungry cougar jump thirty paces in front of her in the middle of the trail. For a split second, there was a stare down between Katie and the cougar; then the cougar lept with the fastest of agility and dexterity- lunging straight for her! Although she knew she was in trouble, Katie was trained never to panic, but to think under stress. She pulled back her bow string until it was taut and without taking a breath, she aimed... steady, steady, steady.... she released the poisoned arrow just in time for it to strike the bullseye! The animal fell to it's death 7 paces in front of her. Within a split second, she had another arrow set up in her bow, this time without poison as she continued heading onward while Gretel obediently trailed behind. After passing the bend, she relaxed and sheathed her bow and arrows for there in front of her was his home.

After knocking on his door, she fetched the basket from the sack on Gretel's back and placed it at the door. It was a gift from the cathedral specially for him.



She would have loved to visit, but she had much to do so she whirled around and grasped Gretel's reins. She then bounded onto Gretel's back and jabbed Gretel to let's fly. The unicorn understood it's master's commands and flew homeward over the forest.

[Calysta]

Calysta had been home shopping after the fire. In searching for homes, she had stumbled upon Marshal's. She had never known where he resided, and at first, she had no idea who the home might belong to. In fact, it seemed so serene, that she could not have believed anyone was living there if it were not for the fruit basket sitting outside. Calysta rapped on the door then stepped back to look through the window. She wanted to double check and be sure someone lived there. If not, she was taking the fruit basket as a gift from the mages.

As Calysta looked through the window and jumped back seeing Marshal staring out. "Ho! Marshal!" Calysta cried with surprise, "I didn't know that this was where you lived!" She stepped back up to the door, hoping he'd open it for her. While she waited to give him time to come around to open it, she picked up the fruit basket. "Did you know you had a basket of fruit outside your door?" she asked. Calysta wondered why Marshal would set it there or if he had merely forgotten it.

[Marshal]

Hearing a knock on the door, William quickly glanced out the window and saw a figure looking back at him. The sun had created a glow around the person so he couldn't identify who exactly it was. Puzzled, he looked onward. He then heard the shadowed figure speak, and he grinned. Placing his tea cup down, he rose from his seat and moved to the door, and gently opened it.

Good morning, what brings you to this neck of the woods? he grinned, and looked down at the basket she had previously mentioned. I didn't know the basket was outside. I did hear a noise earlier, but assumed it was just wild life outside. Someone must've dropped it off. He said and took the basket and stepped inside the door.

Please come in if you'd like, it's always nice to have a visit from the Mayor. he spoke, inviting her in as he placed the basket of fruits on the handmade table in the dining room, hoping she would accept his invitation, he quickly shifted his attention back to the door.

[Calysta]

Calysta smiled as Marshal opened the door, "House Hunting, but it appears I've wandered off the beaten path. All the better. I didn't know that there was such an enchanting house here." Calysta passed him the basket and stepped into the house. For a fleeting moment Calysta remembered Rieron's cautions against going into strangers homes. It was sound advice, but Marshal wasn't a stranger. He was an upstanding citizen of Widu, and she trusted Marshal was an honorable person.

Calysta moved out of the doorway, so as not to be in Marshal's way. As she did so, she was able to view the inside of the house for the first time. "Your home has such fine craftsmanship, Marshal. Did you build it yourself?" Calysta asked, taking everything in. The house seemed so in tune with nature. Calysta had never seen a home like it in all of Secfenia.

"You must be a wood elf?" Calysta hazarded her guess out loud. She knew there were many types of elves, and that Marshal was one, but Calysta had never gotten the hang of telling which race of elves one belonged to from looks alone.