The laughter echoed in Wispra's mind, her face trying to form a smile as she remembered all the happy times with her father. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for games with his only child, games that proved to her now to be life lessons. The sorrow washed back into her heart as the happy memories faded, as they seem to always do, and the cold realities crept their way in.....

The young girl gazed out the window through the drizzle, looking for signs of his return but seeing none. It was fast approaching winter and just about time for the grapes to be harvested. Her mother called to her, "Wispra come away from that window and help me finish making dinner." Normally she would have been out in the fields along side her father helping him tend to the grapes, but she was just getting over a cold and with the drizzle and the chilling wind she was forced to stay inside. Something had been unsettling her for days and today it was the worst it had been yet. She thought she saw something moving near the edge of the forest, but when she tried to focus on it, she could make out nothing. With a reluctant sigh , she did as she was told and joined her mother in the kitchen, her mind still wondering what was going on outside. When her father didn't show up for dinner, her mother tried to reassure her by saying, " He probably had to run into town and get the orders straight with the tavern owner and the Innkeeper. Don't worry about it child." Her mother was a very caring woman, never a mean or harsh word crossed her lips. The next morning she awoke to see her mother at the kitchen table, hands holding her head as violent sobs escaped her body. She walked over to her mother trying to comfort her and asked, " What is wrong, mother?" Her mother weakly replied, " There was an accident out in the fields...... Tears flowed down Wispra's face as she remembered that day, the day the world as she knew it changed forever. They said he must have sliced his arm on one of the wires that held the grapes tied in place. When he couldn't stop the bleeding he grew weak and fell, hitting his head on a rock. The head wound was the more severe of the two and he eventually bled to death all alone out in the fields. The raccoon in her lap sensing her unease cuddled closer against her as she continued to stroke his fur absently, lost in her world of memories....

She and her mother had settled into a routine they were both comfortable with and used to. Wispra took care of the grapes as best she could, her mother the house and out of necessity a job at the Inn in town, cleaning up there a few days a week. Not long after, her father's death, a group of outlaws began raiding the town. Frequently at first, then as there was nothing new to pillage in the town they seemed to move on. Rumors spread through the town that these outlaws were destroying whole towns and that there were refugees seeking help from anyone that could. Then they came. People of looks she had never before seen in her life. Her father told her stories of S'kra Mur and Gor'tog but she only thought them to be myth, not reality. Her mother had one of the most kind and caring hearts of anyone she knew. When the refugees started arriving in town, most of the townspeople tried to ignore them, hoping they would wander along their way, but not her mother. She tried to give assistance to any she could, even though she did not have much to offer. The day she came home with the young S'kra girl, Wispra could only gawk at her. Her mother couldn't possibly mean to have her live there with them, but that was exactly her mother's intention.....

Wispra smiled. A true smile, one with her mouth and eyes, as she remembered the happy times she and Ailea had. Her mother continued to take in refugees of all races but the S'kra girl had quickly become her true sister. Ailea taught her things she had never know about such as weapons and armor, as she would recount the battles they had before she had to flee her homeland. Then the day came. Ailea turned 19 and decided it was time for her to go, to head for one of the larger towns, to find her fortune and her calling in life. She thought back to how happy she was to recieve the first message Ailea sent from her new home......

The messenger delivered a hand written message and currency of a foreign appearance. Ailea had made it to a town called The Crossing and had joined a guild there. She was learning the ways of magic and had found others of her kind. There was plenty of danger in this town but groups banded together and helped each other to try to cleanse the lands. They needed more people with brave hearts and strong wills to help in this cause. It sounded so exciting. Ailea sent the money along to fund Wispra's trip there and would meet her when she arrived. She thought about it, the responsibilities here that would need to be take care of, who would watch out for her mother in her absense, and then, as if the gods intervened, it all fell into place. There were plenty of girls living in the house now to care for it, the grapes, and her mother. She was almost 52 and had never left home yet. It was time. She packed up few items dear to her, kissed her mother on the cheek and waved goodbye as she set off for her new adventure.....

Wispra remembered all the enthusiasm she had back in the days when she first arrived in this town. Finding out the only sister she ever knew had been slain just a day before she arrived was a huge blow and almost forced her to turn and go back home, but the people that knew Ailea helped Wispra start out. The ranger guild became her home and never had she felt such a sense of family as she did around these other rangers. Something awakened inside her at the flood of all these memories, good and bad. She stood up, slowly wiped the remaining tears from her face and dusted herself off. She smiled at her companion and the raccoon chittered back at herand she said, "C'mon Makro, let's go home." The elf walked away from the house and towards the direction of the Ranger guild.....