"Hullo there, Rangers!" the Little Flier hollered down to the two Sea Marines. "Sure be taken your sweet time gettin' down here did ya! Don't mind me, I just be hangin' around waitin' for a wee bit a help. Bet your glad me and me sis didn't take our time comin' ta your rescue! Ya wouldn't have thought ta bring a wee bit 'o' rope with ya? Unless you two fellows see a different way down that I be missin'. Well...? " From behind goggles of crystal clear quartz the Little Flier glared down at the two. His fists were on his hips as he hung swinging in his harness.

The twins sat on their War-horses looking up at the little dangling body. Both had their hands resting, lax, on the pommels of their saddles, their mouths were open and a look of surprise was on their faces at the reception they had just received.

"I'm thinking we leave him up there," Kaleb said quietly to his brother.

"Well, he did help in saving our lives," Kal whispered back. "Maybe he'll be a little politer once we get him on the ground. Let's see if he finds some manners, if we leave him hanging just a little bit longer."

"We don't have a long enough rope," Kal yelled up to the little man. "My brother will stay here in case the Grim Wolves return. I will be right back," Kal turned Brandy and nudged the big War Horse into a gallop back up the hill.

"Don't go anywhere!" he yelled out as he left.

"Don't go anywhere! Bloody hell, very funny that one. Very clever he is," the Little Flier shouted down to Kaleb. "I thought Rangers had more of the manners and always be prepared."

"Well, to be fair, we thought you were dead," Kaleb said. "My name is Kaleb and that was my brother Kal. We are not Wolf Pack Rangers, we're just wearing the armor. We're Sea Marines along on the journey to help Natalia, and we are at your service!"

"Oye, don't you be the talkative one," the Little Flier said. "My name be Tac, Tac Wind, and that be me sister flying up above, Till Wind. We be told 'bout you two by the Wizard Loke. It be he sending us to be watchin' over you. Seems like we found you just in the nick 'o' time, never seen so many of them black devils in all me life! Oye, looks like me life be saved, here be your brother now."

Just then Kal came riding back holding a burning torch in one hand and his bow in the other. Slung across one shoulder was a thick coil of rope. A handful of arrows he pulled from the bodies of dead wolves poked out of the quiver on his back. As he rode up to his brother he started tying one end of the rope to one of the arrows.

"Why, you took your sweet time Marine, lost all feeling in me legs! Hey now, what's that bow and arrow for?" Tac asked.

Kal was pulling at the bow string while aiming it up towards the Little Flier, he then nocked the arrow with the rope tied to it and aimed it at the Little Flier. He smiled and handed the bow to his brother saying, "Lucky for you Kaleb is here. He's a much better shot than me."

Kaleb took the bow and aimed the arrow at a branch just above the Little Flier. He pulled half way back and shot the arrow in a gentle arch up and over the branch. The coil of rope that Kal laid upon the ground let out quickly as the arrow came falling down to the earth. Kal held onto one end of the rope while Kaleb went and took hold of the end with the arrow. They each pulled the rope tight and walked it close to the Little Flier.

"Think you can get yourself down with that little man, or do you want one of us to climb up there and get you?" Kal said once they had the rope in place.

"Oye, little man is it! I can manage on me own, thank you, you big lug, make no mistake. We be having' words when I get down there, that be for sure," the Little Flier mumbled the last part under his breath as he pulled the rope close.

It did not take him long to pull himself up and cut his harness free from the bit of wreckage over his head. In just a few minutes he was grasping the rope hand over hand as he made his way down with a crossbow and quiver of darts strapped across his back. He stopped for a brief moment to put items in a satchel at his side he picked from the wreckage hanging below him.

"Oye there, Mr. Kal sir? Would you be so kind as to catch me bag? Here it comes," Tac said not waiting for Kal to answer.

The Little Flier tossed the satchel down to the big Sea Marine who still had one hand on the rope while he brought up his other to catch the bag. He did not look too happy to be having it thrown at him so unprepared. Kal emitted a "woof" when he caught the satchel, for it was much heavier than it looked. It surprised him that the Little Flier was able to move it around so deftly. He sat the bag on the ground and kept holding the rope while he watched Tac climb the rest of the way down.

Once Tac reached the ground Kal picked up the satchel and handed it to him. "What's in the bag little man? It's a bit heavy for your lunch and a change of clothes," Kal said.

"The name's Tac! Mr. Kal, sir, and me bag has me sword, some more darts, some nick-knacks and... oh yes, these," the Little Flier looked up at the big Marine holding one of the ceramic globes holding the Wizards-fire. If the pottery were to break the contents within would ignite causing quite the blaze. Kal looked down at the Little Flier, who was still wearing his goggles and leather helm, in disbelief and with a little nausea realizing the dangerous contents of the satchel.

"Thought they might come in handy some where's down the trail, don't ya think so Mr. Kal," Tac said looking up at him smiling. "You ok there Mr. Kal, sir? Beggin' your pardon, but you don't look so good."

Kal did not reply to Tac who was still looking up at him with an expression of mirth on his face. Kaleb was standing behind the Little Flier pulling on the rope to bring it down while softly chuckling and shaking his head. He was laughing at his brother's discomfort while making a mental note not to mess with this little man.

Tac pulled his goggles down around his neck and took off his leather helm, and both brothers got a good look at the face of the little fellow they rescued. Songs were written and sung about the raptor stare of the Little Fliers with their large magical eyes, and the brothers could see why. Tac's gaze was intense as he looked up at them and then scanned the skies for his sister flying above. The songs told about the beauty of their eyes, but all Kal could see was the look of a crazy man as he decided he would keep his distance from this one.

The Little Flier came up to just past the waists of the tall Sea Marines and he looked much younger than the way he talked to the two brothers. His skin was smooth and a soft brown which was just a tad bit lighter than the flying leathers he wore. His long dark-brown hair hung loose about his face and almost covered the points of his small, swept back ears. His dark eyebrows protruded over sharp cheekbones, a small-pointy nose and a small-firm mouth.

His eyes were the most amazing feature about him. They were large almond-shaped orbs with earthy brown irises in which emerald-green flakes floated around black pupils. As the little man looked about the flakes seemed to swirl around causing a dizzying effect for those that stared into them. Long elegant black eyelashes feathered out over the eyes and were quite beautiful to look at when the Little Flier blinked. Both Kal and Kaleb thought the songs did not do the eyes of the little Dorians justice as they watched the little man move about.

As they came away from the tree line Tac's sister flew over at tree-top height wiggling the wing tips of her glider and sounding out a shrill whistle. The three large Red Wing Hawks were hoarsely screaming 'kreeeeeee-arr !' as they followed close behind. Tac ran towards the Smallhenge excitedly jumping and waving his arms while he whistled back. He stood in the middle of the meadow for a moment with his head down after they flew by. It would be quite some time before he would be able to fly again. When the twins caught up to him he was rubbing his eyes and complaining of dirt being blown into them from the hawks flying by. The brothers gave each other knowing looks but decided not to say anything. Both were feeling sorry for the little fellow.

Even though Tac spent most of his life looking down on the ground from up high he was not ready to ride one of the big War Horses just yet. So the three walked up the hill to the Tallhenge with the horses trailing behind. Half-way up the hill Tac started pulling arrows from the dead black wolves lying about. Before long it became an undeclared contest as all three ran around pulling arrows seeing who could collect the most before they reached the top. Tac started announcing every arrow he pulled and keeping a running count. Both brothers, and not for the first time, decided that Tac was an annoying little man as they silently kept their own arrow count and started to panic looking for more arrows as the Little Flier started pulling ahead.

The twins had not realized how quiet the forest was until it started to come alive again. It was another good sign the Grim Wolves were gone from the area. They heard insects buzzing and whizzing around, birds calling to each other as they do in the wee hours of the morning and small furry things coming out to dig and scrape about looking for a snack to begin their day. The twins had no idea how much they missed the noises until they started hearing them again.

During their walk up the hill Tac's sister, Till, still rode the thermals above them along with the three Red Wing Hawks. They flew through the air doing slow, lazy spirals while keeping a sharp eye out for any build up of Grim Wolves. In the cold light of the full moon they made several passes over the forest surrounding both of the standing stone sights. Once Till was confident there were no more black wolves about she made a change in her flying pattern. She banked her glider in a wide circle and came in low over the meadow, flying up the hill towards the Tallhenge. The three Red Wing Hawks screamed in alarm and frustration behind her. Tac turned to see his sister coming in low, just above the grass.

"Oye! What's this all about now? What's she up to?" Tac said as he watched his sister. "She'll never get back up in the air from here or anywhere around. The thermals be all wrong!" He ran back down the field a ways waving his arms in the air. He looked so small in the tall grass with the large black mounds of the dead Grim Wolves about him.

Till gracefully brought her glider lower and lower trailing a wake of agitated hawks behind. She flew just over her brother's head and came to a gentle stop right on top of the hill. The glider fell back on its tail while the Little Flier kept moving forward smoothly unbuckling out of the harness that held her in one fluid motion. In seconds, she was walking on the ground towards the twins with the craft sitting perfectly still in one piece behind her. Kal and Kaleb stood with their mouths open having never seen such a landing done before by a Little Flier.

"Why, Till, why? You know you can't get back in the air from here!" Tac demanded to know from his sister as he ran up the hill towards her.

The twins ran to see if any assistance was needed, even though it was fairly obvious from the landing they witnessed this Little Flier was very skilled. As they got a little closer they were amazed at the craftsmanship of the glider. They could see it was a beautiful piece of work as the moonlight reflected off the polished surfaces of the gossamar wood and the shimmering sail cloth. Kal was especially enthralled with how delicate and well-constructed the glider was, having dreams of being a Sea Lord ship designer some day. He wondered if the Sea Lords ever worked with the Dorians and designed something together. If he ever got the chance to live his dream he would have to look into that.

The two brothers walked up to the Little Flier and watched as she took off her leather helm and blown glass goggles. They stopped in mid-step as the wee girl, a bit shorter than her brother, shook out her long brown, sun streaked hair from the confines of her helm. They were not prepared for the beauty that assaulted them in the cold crisp moonlight.

Tac's sister was one of those rare people, much like Natalia, that made every movement look like a carefully planned dance step. She moved on the ground with just as much grace as she did gliding through the air.

As she moved closer to the bonfire in the center of the Tallhenge they could see her face had the healthy glow from being kissed by the sun. Her skin was perfectly smooth and just a tad bit lighter in color than Tacs. Her nose was small with a perfect little arch that flowed into her high cheekbones. She had full, red lips with plenty of laugh lines at the corners of her mouth. Her chin would be considered pointy and harsh but there was a slight dimple right in the middle that softened it up and delightfully added to her beauty.

Her most striking feature, as it had been with her brother, were her raptor eyes. The eyes of a Little Flier usually looked a bit big for their head, but her almond-shaped eyes sat perfectly under her fiercely arched, sun-gold eyebrows. Tac's eyes looked like gale-force winds blowing green leaves through a brown earthy forest. Her eyes were the color of a blue-gray sea in the morning in which dark-gray storm clouds swirled around. They were absolutely lovely in their fierceness.

The two brothers were just amazed at the grace, beauty and charm that had dropped in on them amidst all of this death and carnage. They did not see the problem of Till landing in the meadow with them at all.

"It is so very obvious who got the looks in the family," Kal said under his breath. It was loud enough for Tac to hear as he came running up.

"Tac, calm yourself my brother," Till said as she turned towards him while walking back to her glider. She went and removed a pack that was tied to the frame and started filling it with items that were hanging about.

"You were at the same meeting as I with the Wizard Loke and Sergeant Gilgarhad. We are to escort Natalia and her friends as a pair, a team. You lost your glider, so I must do the same. Remember your warrior training Tac, we can still be a great benefit to these warriors with our grand sense of smell and our far-seeing eyes. And no one is more dangerous with a knife or more accurate with a crossbow as you. We will be a great help and a huge asset to these people my brother. And we must fulfill our oath to the Wizard and the Ranger, no matter what it takes," Till said.

"Oye, as you say, sis," Tac said sadly.

She put her hands on Tac's shoulders and said, "I am so happy you were not hurt in your mishap. I was very worried." Water teared up in the corners of her beautiful eyes.

She then turned to the twins who had been walking up slowly together, "These must be the brave and famous Sea Lord Marines whom Gilly told us about! Till Wind of the Little Fliers at your service!" she said performing a deep bow. She gave them each a big smile that must have been magical because it warmed the hearts of Kal and Kaleb and endeared them to her forever. She seemed to be more of a Fairy Princess than a Dorian Warrior. From that moment on they would do anything for her, they just did not know it yet.

She finished loading her pack and strapping her crossbow and quiver of darts to the outside of it. The last thing she liberated was a small bundle of armor made of fine Manser steel. It was packed up in a tight little ball much the same way the Sea Lord Marines would do when they were on their long ship. She set her things on the ground and then directed Tac to the other side of the glider.

"Are you sure about this Till?" Tac asked as he made his way to the other end of the glider's wing. The hawks screeched from their perches in the tall larch trees along the tree line as they watched the Little Fliers move about the glider.

"If you cannot fly, then neither will I Tac. Now, help me pull it upright and cut the cord," Till said taking hold of one end of the big wing.

Tac cut a cord that went around the frame and Till pulled it towards her. The gossamar sail cloth came undone from the wooden frame in one fluid motion. Till wound up the cord while Tac folded up the large piece of sailcloth. For such a big piece of fabric, it folded down to a nice little square that hardly took up any room in her pack. The twins knew that to be the beauty of the gossamar cloth, what looked like a little went a long way.

Once the cord and sail cloth had been removed the wooden frame of the glider fell to the ground like a children's set of wooden blocks. Apparently that was all that had been holding it together. Till picked up her pack and armor and walked towards the twins not once looking back at the pile of gossamar wood. Once her mind was set on a plan of action she moved forward with no regrets.

"You must be Kal and you must be Kaleb," she said with a smile. "Sergeant Gilgarhad and the Wizard Loke told us all about you. We are honored to be joining you and your comrades on this quest the Wizard gave you."

"My Lady!" Kaleb said. "We are the ones that should be honoring you! If not for the timing and bravery of you and your brother, I think our little expedition would have ended inside those standing stones. May I be the first to thank you on behalf of myself, my brother and my friends for saving our lives. We can never repay you but if there is anything that is in our power to give you only need but ask."

"That one's a talker for sure," Tac said beneath his breath as the four new friends made their way to the Tallhenge to find Natalia and Alvari within.

The three large Red Wing Hawks flew to the tops of the standing stones. Each took up a new perch so they could look out at the tree line around the stones. Even though the Little Fliers were grounded the three hawks would not abandon them, they would stay watching over them and assisting them any way they could no matter where they went.

Brandy and Copper, who had been grazing on the sweet grass of the meadow, followed behind the four at a leisurely pace. The two War-horses had not a care in the world.