A return

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ripshaw
Posts: 32
Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2014 2:09 pm

A return

Post by ripshaw »

A first step on a new adventure always brings with it the excitement of the unknown. A giddy feeling of anticipation and expectation that fills the senses with a vibrant light. Throughout a persons life, this feeling is right on the edge of awareness. With a life full of mundane responsibilites, one easily gets caught in the loop of the same old routine. Always thinking about, but never daring to take that first step in a new direction for fear of failure. Never let it be said that the mundane is bad. Its adult, its responsible. Work, children, marriage.. All honorable decisions common folk make in their quest to do what is right for themselves, and those they love. A comfort zone built on years of the same old, same old. No decision is right or wrong because noone out there has the right to make that judgement. Your life is yours to lead, no matter what steps you take.

Ripshaw was never an elf of a set routine. He never felt comfortable in the same place for very long. He was and ever will be, and addict for adventure. He never had one ounce of trepidation upon taking the path less traveled. He lived for it, in fact. Whether sharing a soft bed with a lovely lass or sleeping in the mud on a cold night under a tree all alone; he was content. After 350 plus years of life, that feeling never ebbed. Hes charged into the fray ahead of the pack countless times. Hes scouted areas of the wide world where others dare not tread. Hes looked mad gods in the eyes without fear and lived to tell the tales. In short, hes LIVED his life. Yet, for all that.. His hands now shook, with thoughts of coming home.

As his first step fell upon the worn wooden floors of the redwood, he already knew something was different. Where before laughter and merriment would greet him at the door, now there was silence. His footfalls echoed in an eerie way around the tree that reminded him of places dark, not of home. Never in all his time had he found the forest so desolate of ranger activity. He found himself tiptoeing around the common area as if in a tomb and he feared to disturb it. The practice yard was clean swept, Targets and bows sat in their places looking sad and forlorn. Gambling hall silent, tables covered. He felt as if it was all looking at him in anticipation; begging to be brought back to life. Sighing to himself, he completed his homecoming tour. The years have not been good to the Historic guild of the rangers. Zero disrepair, no dust, everything where it should be. A world of meticulous care, just without life to give it color. Then he looked upon the boards.

A smile. Slow in spreading, but once started it was beyond control. He could feel it building within him. Barely anything new has been written in some time. Old clips of paper faded or torn. Nothing most people would think twice on. Yet in the center, in beautifully written script was the ranger charter. As he read over the words, he closed his eyes. Reciting the credo, charter and mission statement in his mind. Smile growing, heart filled to burst. At the bottom of the page was her signature. Sylvanna! One of his oldest and dearest friends. Posted recently with the stamp of GM beside her name. Some things never change. Looking around the area again, he saw it differently. Still drab without life, but now with a different understanding. He knew why everything was perfectly kept, nothing out of its place. She has always been one for details. Steadfast in her care of the forest and the Redwood. A woman who inspired pride in anyone who knew her, rangers most of all. With one last scan of the rangers credo, Ripshaw found his excitement growing once again. He may not get the welcome of a guild full of people he was expecting. But he was happy enough to just see her.

Her office was dimly lit. Spotless floors and dustless pictures demonstrated the greatest of care. Papers on her desk were in perfect order, all straight and neatly stacked. He could smell her scent strongly in the room, as if he had just missed her. Slight disappointment dimmed his smile for just a moment. Knowing her to be a busy woman, he planned for her a suprise. Grabbing feather pen and ink, he snatched up a sheet of paper from her neat stack and begins to write. "I am home. Should you have need of me, you know where to find me." Smiling as he writes, he does not sign his name. Instead he unpacks a bright yellow sunflower and places it beside the note. He removes a fresh snifter of his favorite cherry brandy and places it with the flower. Unable to help himself, he grabs the brandy and takes a long pull. Wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve he replaces the cork and leaves it again, beside the flower. Smiling to himself he walks from the room. Moments pass and he returns. Giggling like a child, he pushes one neat stack of papers so that it is slightly out of line with the rest. After all, some things never change.

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