Chapter 1: The Beginning

[Cat]

From Tyria to Cantha - Changes

“Mother, why are you sending us away? “Cat softly inquired.

“I must, Cat, it is for your own good. I can’t seem to control you girls. I fear for your future. Your uncle is eager to have you live with him. He says that it will be good for Amy to have you girls there.”

“What will you do? We can’t leave you all alone.” Cat replied.

“I won’t be alone. Meredith is alone now that Alan is gone. She has asked me to live with her. She can use some help with her daughter’s children. You know she tends them during the day. I will sell the farm. It will provide money for you girls to travel to your uncle.”

“I will think on it”, Cat answered.

This could be good. Meredith is Mom’s youngest sister. Mom will be in a safe place. And she can help, she always wants to help. And Amy, my spoiled Canthan cousin, Cat chuckled. Perhaps it would be good for the amok only child of her favorite uncle to have to live with her cousins.

It is settled, Cat decided. The Mackenzie sisters will start anew in Cantha. She goes to inform her sisters.

[Cat]

From Tyria to Cantha - A rough beginning to the journey

This was supposed to be simple. Cat chuckled ruefully. It never is. She glanced at her sisters, making sure they were hidden from view. Kenzie had informed Cat that she was on watch. That was fine with Cat; she preferred her perch in the tree to setting up the camp.

Good thing Kenzie went all military on us and made us take an emergency pack. What was mom thinking? Making us wear our best clothes. The ones we never wear, the ones we wouldn’t be caught dead in. Ah, but we almost were. It was a miracle we survived the bandits.

Cat’s gaze moved to Kenzie who was “securing” their camp. Maybe not so much a miracle at that; she hadn’t been giving Kenzie enough credit after all. She is good, really good.

Kenzie, unaware of her sister’s musings continued to prod her sisters to set up a proper camp. "Did you pack everything I told you to?" She looked pointedly at Ice. "Or did you fill your pack with useless fancy clothes?"

"Why are you looking at me? I’m not a total idiot you know", retorted Ice. She ignored Kenzies 'you could have fooled me' look, and glanced at Angel. "Oh stop it Angel", she snapped.

Angel looked up, "Stop what?"

"Stop feeling guilty……..you couldn’t save them all, no one could have."

Ice smiled to herself as Kenzie’s attention shifted to Angel. Kenzie moved to Angel’s side. "She’s right you know. You saved us. If you hadn’t concentrated on us, everyone would have died. Better to save a few, than have us all die."

Angel shrugged her shoulders, unconvinced.

[Cat]

From Tyria to Cantha - Earlier that Week

Angel thought back over the week’s events.

The morning started uneventfully enough. Mom sang softly, cheerfully, and off- key as she stirred the pot of oatmeal. I don’t think she is even sad to see us go, Angel thought glumly. Doesn’t she care?

"We should check our packs", Kenzie said. Cat rolled her eyes behind Kenzie’s back and Angel mouthed “humor her" with a pleading look at Cat. The last thing she wanted was another fight between her two older sisters. Not today. Not the last day they would spend together at the only home she had ever known.

"It’s important", Kenzie insisted. "We must be prepared. Besides, we should throw a pitcher of water on Ice; she can’t sleep until noon today." As Kenzie headed out to the well to fill the water pitcher, Angel hurried ahead of her sisters to awaken Ice before Kenzie had time to follow through on her threat.

"What’s that for?" Ice suspiciously inquired as she saw the pitcher of water in Kenzie’s hand.

Kenzie grinned and said, "I knew you would want to wash your face before breakfast."

"Put some sensible clothes at the top of your pack," suggested Cat. "As soon as we get to our first stop we can change to traveling clothes. These are, she said as she looked at her attire, just plain silly."

"No harm in humoring mother," Angel quickly said, before the 'silly clothes' conversation could get started again. The only one, it seems, that was comfortable with the current attire was Ice.

The girls quickly ate their breakfast and said their goodbyes. They didn’t want to keep Fergensen, their neighbor, waiting. As they placed their belongings in Fergensen’s cart, Cat gave the yaks a pat on the head and some carrots to snack on. She was looking forward to the journey and eager to see the sights in Cantha. Home, it seems, was very boring.

And so the Mackenzies headed to town ….to begin the journey to Cantha.

[Cat]

From Tyria to Cantha - Two days into the journey……

Everyone is so irritable, it’s this heat, and the dust, and the fact that we haven’t stopped anywhere appropriate to change our clothes. Sleeping in this wagon, eating in this wagon, I’m surprised he doesn’t make us……. "What’s that?" Angel yelped as she heard a bawl from one of the yaks…….suddenly the yaks were stampeding out of control. Her sisters woke with a start; they had been drowsing in the heat of the day.

"Hang on", shouted Cat as she made her way to the driver’s seat. "Everyone, grab your weapons", she yelled as she saw the arrows in the driver and his assistant. Cat tried to get the yaks under control but it was no use; the straps that controlled them had fallen out of reach. Not good, not good at all. In desperation she began to concentrate on the yaks, calm down, slow down, she thought over and over…..it had only worked on small creatures before….it had to work now….they were in great danger.

"Cat, what’s wrong, why do we need our weapons?" Angel shouted as she frantically looked for her smiting rod.

"The driver is dead from arrows", Cat replied, "The other one looks near death."
Ice and Angel looked at Kenzie in shock and fear. "We’ll be fine,” Kenzie said. Balthazar let us be fine.

"What’s that?" Angel looked at the side of the wagon apprehensively. She heard voices, shouting, she couldn’t make out what they were saying …but they sounded fierce.

"Bandits", Kenzie replied, "it has to be." "Strap on your packs, we may have to move quickly." She moved to Cat’s position. "Cat, we need a plan."

Cat replied, "The yaks are slowing, calming down."

"Slowing may not be so good", Kenzie said as she looked behind them. She looked at the terrain ahead of them. "I have an idea." She quickly told Cat, and then went back to inform Angel and Ice.

Ahead, the road turned sharply by the edge of the forest. Stop! Cat sent the command to the yaks, and they abruptly slowed down. The sisters dove off the wagon into the trees and Ice sent a firestorm right behind the yaks causing them to stampede out of control again.

"That will only buy us a little time", Kenzie whispered as the bandits continued their pursuit of the wagon. "We must move quickly. I will take point, Cat you watch the rear flank."

Ice raised her eyebrows as she cradled her broken arm. "Point? Flank?" Angel shrugged her shoulders.

Cat impatiently said…"Don’t worry. I know what she means. Angel, heal our injuries, then follow Kenzie, and keep out of sight."

[Cat]

The Journey Continues……..

"Angel? Angel!!!!"

Angel’s attention snapped back to the present. "What?!"

"Its time to go", Kenzie replied. Angel grabbed her pack and jogged after Kenzie.

The bandits hadn’t followed them…..either they had hidden their tracks well enough…or the bandits were satisfied with what was in the wagon……or …as Ice claimed…her yak-scaring firestorm had convinced them that pursuit was going to be dangerous. Whatever the reason, Angel was relieved.

"So much for mother paying for the ride to Lion’s Arch", Kenzie remarked.

Ice looked at Cat, "are we going to have to walk the entire way to Lion’s Arch? I’d just as soon turn around and go back home."

Cat shrugged, "home is in Cantha now…..we just as well get used to taking care of ourselves. At least the boat ride is still paid for; all we have to do is get there in time."

'I don’t think we can do that by walking", Ice snorted.

"Yak’s bend isn’t far", Cat replied. "If we’re lucky we can hire on to a caravan."

Ice looked at Cat, "I beg your pardon?! Me? Hire out to a caravan? I think not."

"Rather walk?" Cat snorted.

"Umm..no.."Ice said.

To Angel’s relief and Kenzies disappointment, the walk to Yak’s bend was uneventful.

The girls looked around Yak’s Bend in bemusement. "Look at all the people", Angel said excitedly.

"Don’t wander off" Cat said with a smile, "Kenzie and I will look for a caravan."

Angel enjoyed herself watching the group of people around Ice.

"Shoo", Ice said to the group, she rolled her eyes at Angel. Angel grinned back; Ice always pretends to be annoyed by the attention.

"Found one", Kenzie yelled at Cat. "We need to hurry, they’re leaving now." The girls trotted over.

A handsome ranger looked at Ice and smiled. "You can ride in my wagon anytime hun."

Ice smiled and said "sure". The ranger frowned as she pushed Angel onto the wagon’s seat first. Angel smiled shyly at the ranger while Ice laughed to herself at his annoyance.

Kenzie and Cat walked ahead of the slow-moving trader caravan, yaks never moved fast, unless they were being chased.

[Cat]

To Beacon’s Perch

The caravan job turned out to be almost training for the girls. The caravan leader knew the area well, and had prepared for the dangers by having the right kind and ample numbers of guards. The girls added enough extra to the fire power and defense to make the journey a bit easier than typical for the guards. On the other hand, this advantage was almost offset by the distraction of certain young guards trying to get the girl’s, primarily Ice’s, attention.

Cat was thrilled that the caravan had several seasoned rangers. The rangers stayed a little ways out from the caravan, ahead, behind and to the sides. Cat saw more different types of bows than ever before in her life. She spent most of her down time in the evenings by the campfire asking the advantages and disadvantages of the different bows, strings, and grips. She particularly enjoyed the ongoing argument that two of the rangers had on the merits or lack thereof for sundering strings. She determined that someday she would try one of these sundering strings and make up her own mind about them.

Some of the rangers were from far away lands and it was here that Cat first heard of Amnoon Oasis and the desert cities nearby. One ranger was a bit older than the rest and Cat would see him occasionally looking at Kenzie with a thoughtful expression. On one such occasion, she decided to ask why.

"Well, he said, I know it must just be a coincidence, but I met a man once, same last name as you girls, and your sister there reminds me a bit of him. He was a warrior like her with the same light hair as her, and you for that matter. But the way he moved, the way he talked…….just funny how she reminds me of him."

Cat looked at Kenzie thoughtfully. "This man", she asked, "where did you meet him?"

"Amnoon Oasis" he said. "He was traveling with a guild….don’t remember the name, Scars….something." Unfortunately that was about all he remembered of the man.

Kenzie was equally enjoying her time with the caravan. The swords, oh the wonderful, glorious swords, never had she seen so many swords. She coaxed the guards into letting her try their swords. Somewhat amused at her obvious enthusiasm, they began to spar with her in the evenings, showing her stances, defensive moves, offensive moves, and giving her advice on how to use her shield and sword to her advantage. They explained to her how to get the attention of attackers to keep them from attacking her more “delicate” sisters.

"See here girl," said one, "your little sisters there, that little monk and the other one, the elementalist, they aren’t as strong as you. It’s best that you block the attackers, you having the better armor and the stronger arm. Then that little elementalist can help you out with her spells while the little monk can keep you healed. That works best." Kenzie saw the logic in that and decided to try and remember, although, in the heat of battle, it was hard to remember anything other than fighting the one in front of her.

Ice watched Cat and Kenzie in amusement as each sat in a different group, Cat with the rangers, Kenzie with the warriors. Silly girls, it’s like they are at school, except it’s a school for teaching fighting. Ice on the other hand, spent her time keeping an eye on Angel. It was clear to her that Angel was attracted to the handsome ranger. She is too young and way to innocent for the likes of him, Ice thought. She would die before letting her sisters know she was protective of them, but nevertheless, she felt she knew more of the ways of the world. The rest of them were a bit too trusting, she felt. One thing she knew for sure, she would not end up with a houseful of children left behind by a man with no responsibility for his offspring. And if she had her way, neither would Angel. She is much too much like mother; I won’t let her make that same mistake. Ice decided the best thing to do was distract the ranger. Too easy, she thought, as she with one glance in his direction, caught his attention.

Angel looked on in resigned amusement as the ranger began to flirt with Ice. He will get exactly nowhere with her, she chuckled to herself. Actually, Ice needn’t have worried. Angel liked the ranger’s wit and charm, but only wished to have him as a friend, nothing more. Angel had one thing very much in common with Ice; she did not want to end up like her mother, alone with all the responsibilities and duties. She thought of the journey ahead, and of their new home in Cantha. Cat had told her that there was a monastery there that had excellent teachers. She was a little bit disappointed that Cat and Kenzie were learning so much, and yet the only other healer on the caravan wouldn’t even talk to anyone. All he would do is walk around muttering “No respect, no protect.” What was that all about?

[Cat]

Beacon’s Perch

What a wild place, Angel thought in delight, so interesting, so many different people here. Beacon’s was a crossroads for caravans headed either to Kryta or to Camp Rankor. Angel found people fascinating; she wanted to meet as many as she could. She took people as she found them, was tolerant of their faults, and always looked for their virtues. Her sisters seemed to think that she was unaware of faults in others. It wasn’t that, it was just she enjoyed the differences in people’s personalities.

"The world would be a very boring place if we were all alike", she once told her sisters.

They only looked at her in puzzlement, "what does that mean" they asked each other?

Angel explained, "People who are different than me are interesting to me. Besides, as long as you aren’t doing actual harm to other people, why can’t you just act how you want?"

"Because some of that interesting behavior might get you killed", Kenzie bluntly replied. "Remember that guy Leroy the guards on the caravan kept talking about."

She has a point, Angel thought back to yesterday, when they entered Beacon’s, the entire town was talking about that brawl last night….the one between the human and the . She wished she knew what had happened to them. Some said the human died, some said the died, some said both died, some said neither. As far as she could tell, no one that she had overheard seemed to know for sure. I wonder why they were fighting. I wonder if I could have saved them. Her curiosity was driving her to distraction. I wish I knew what happened. While Angel sat deep in thought, her sisters talked of the journey ahead.

"It’s unfortunate that this caravan is going the wrong way" Cat said, "We must find another."

Ice glanced at Angel; "I will stay with her while you two find us another one."

Again, Kenzie and Cat split up to talk to the caravans. This time Cat found one, a bit smaller than the first, but the guards seemed competent enough. The journey to Kryta was uneventful except for the cave full of ugly trolls. The girls arrived in Lion’s Arch just in time to board the ship bound for Kaineng harbor. They were happy they didn’t miss their boat, yet disappointed that they hadn’t had time to explore “LA”, as the guards had called it.
~~~~~~~~~
Footnote: look here for the account of the fight between the and the human - Endless Travels www.miumu.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=636&mforum=scarsmeadows

[Cat]

The Boat Ride

"I’m glad you find this amusing", Kenzie groused to Ice and Angel. And they did, in fact, find it immensely amusing that Kenzie had such distaste for the sea. It could have been worse though, Angel found a little mending would take care of the worst of Kenzie’s seasickness, not enough that she actually enjoyed herself, but at least she wasn’t miserable.

Cat on the other hand, took to the sea immediately. She was soon climbing the rigging and acting as unofficial scout. Ice chuckled as she craned her neck to try and spot Cat up high in the crow’s nest. She remarked to Angel, "You know, I think she would be a given half a chance."

Angel raised one eyebrow and said “Awrrrrr”. Kenzie looked on in annoyance as Ice and Angel collapsed in gales of laughter at the thought of their proper oldest sister becoming a .

After a few days at sea, Kenzie had adjusted enough to make use of her time. She decided that the one thing of use to her would be to learn to tie the different types of knots. She found a couple of sailors that were willing to teach her as long as she would listen to their endless tales of their adventures. A good trade off as far as she was concerned as their tales were very entertaining. She became particularly interested in one tale they had of guild they transported to Amnoon once.

"Come to think of it, said one of the sailors, there was a soldier in that group by the name of Mackenzie. Said he had visited his brother in Cantha before boarding the ship with his guild mates."

"What guild", Kenzie asked quickly.

"Something…..meadows", they replied. As they had argued over what the “something” was, Kenzie found they had little other information to offer on the soldier named Mackenzie. She decided to not mention it to her sisters.

Cat looked down from her lofty perch at her sisters. She was pleased to see that they looked like they were having fun. This was the right decision after all, she decided. We are all getting along with each other now. She had noticed the easy banter between Ice and Angel. She had also noticed that she and Kenzie hadn’t fought once since the bandits had attacked them. She concluded that the fighting between her and Kenzie was mostly her fault; I should have respected her choice to be a warrior instead of fearing it; and I guess, Ice fought because she was bored. Now she isn’t bored. She began to consider the possibilities of Cantha. I need to let our uncle know from the start that we won’t be quiet and stay at home. No more boredom for us.