Private Tales Far from home

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer

Cassia

Member
Messages
17
Character Biography
Link
The known world was a large place, everyone knew that. Merchants and explorers alike told tales of grand and arduous adventures. For most, the true vastness of the known world was truly lost on them until they experienced it themselves. Oh how few did experience it for themselves though. Many who ventured forth did so with their own purposes in mind, but others did so without a choice.

Cassia fell into the second category. Snatched from the streets of Alliria and taken far from the only home she knew, far from the winding streets and safe hidden warrens her and the other orphans called home. She never truly knew how big the world was until bandits put iron shackles on her wrists and ankles, then carted off with many others. For days they traveled till they finally made camp in the Taagi Baara Steppes, a few days west of Bhathairk.

Small bare feet kicked up dust and sank into soft sand, carefully stepping around or over the sharper looking of rocks. The task was a little difficult for the young girl as she carried a water jug almost as big as herself. Luckily the job could have been worse, the bandits were "nice" enough to remove the chains that normally attach to the shackles on her wrists and ankles. Probably figuring she wouldn't make it far if she tried running away. Which was more than likely true.

She scooted in and around carts, animals, other captured folk and, of course, bandits. Very few even bothered paying attention to the young girl who made her way across camp, other then the occasional berating of tell her to watch where she was going. She was doing her best, honestly! Especially with such a heavy object.

The large jug finally made it to its destination and hit the ground with a soft thump. Which was followed by another thump as Cassia sat down beside it. Her green eyes cast about the scene before her. Quite honestly, it sucked. She knew bad things happened to people all the time, anyone living on the streets could tell you that, but this was a whole new level of low for her. They had been walking for days, fed next to nothing and she still had no idea where they were going, not that she was keen on asking. Things were looking pretty bleak, and chances of escaping even bleaker.

Weylin Kyrel Zeri Rekani
 
Last edited:
Home would soon be on the horizon.

Yet Zeri did not think that she would be returning so soon after she had left. True, she knew why they (herself and Weylin Kyrel) were returning, but she had an impression in her mind that she, like her sister Paola, would be away from Bhathairk for years before seeing it again. It had just so happened that circumstances made it so that her journey from home--which had in earnest begun, of this she was certain--happened to buttonhook around. A brief passing through the stronghold that she called home, seeing once again the ravages left by the Great Dragon Neha and the continuing efforts to rebuild, before her path led her much farther afield than she'd ever been before.

They, she and Weylin, had come from deeper in the Steppes, a place of meeting called Arrow's End. The battle between the coalition of nomads and the centaurs who had taken Weylin captive had been harrowing, but they had gotten through it. Only just, but they had. A stroke of good fortune had followed during the week Zeri needed to rest her severely wounded leg: a small clan of nomads passing through Arrow's End was making a pilgrimage eastward toward the Bystra River, which they held to be sacred, and they were willing to take both Zeri and Weylin along with them. All the better to not travel alone, and not on foot--her leg was still quite tender, and everyday she applied ointments to her wounds to alleviate and eventually smooth out the nasty scarring.

The Steppe passed by during the eastward trek to the Bystra (and for the two of them a bit further on to Bhathairk) in that ceaseless and unbroken sea of rolling green, this in all manner of shades. Some more distant mountains and greater hills stood as dark blue sentinels at various points along the distant north, separating this green from the lighter blue of the sky.

A few days west of the Bystra, said the chieftain of the pilgrim clan. That was the report this evening.

And Zeri sat on the ground outside her tiny tent, a shelter barely large enough to fit her lying down. Her legs were outstretched before her, and she had dabs of the ointment--what little remained in the jar--on her fingers and was presently massaging it into the now hardly noticeable jagged ring of scarring where she'd been pierced through her thigh with a spear.

She, nor the pilgrim clan of nomads, did not yet know of the other nearby encampment...just beyond the tall snaking ridge to their northeast.

Cassia Weylin Kyrel
 
The events following the raid on the Sri'aht tribe were not pleasant for Weylin. His body was already bruised and fatigued before he fully awakened. After he was it had only gotten worse. The constant twisting between his two forms had seen his muscles torn apart, his bones bashed to the point of a near constant ache, and a hard time grasping the physical shape of his form.

The effects on his mind were worse, but there was no telling what all damage had been done. Occassional confusion over if he was a man or dog would pop up in their travels. He had that same aversion and avoidance towards centaurs as he had with most orcs. And Zeri no doubt had heard him speak, bark, and howl in his sleep near every night during their travels.

The hunter stuck close to the orcess, as if he feared not having her in his sights for long. Be this for his or her sake was unknown. His demeanor reflected his own uncertainty in this as well. Even at night he would just sleep outside of her tent as he didn't possess one of his own. All he had left was the clothes on his back and those precious items left of his parents. So out on the ground or under a wagon if the weather got bad was how he spent his nights sleeping.

Not once had he changed from a man to a dog as well since the raid....

Zeri Rekani Cassia
 
A sharp commanding voice rang out across the camp. The young girl jumped at the sound, her eyes snapped open as she scanned for danger. Luckily whoever was yelling wasn't aiming it towards her. Cassia had only closed her eyes for what seemed to be a second, only for that second to turn into a few minute nap against the water jug. Grumbling, she stood up on tired legs and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. After a moment she realized that people were hurrying about to get the camp ready for something....wait...were they packing things up to move? Already?! They just stopped to rest!

She couldn't believe that they were already breaking camp to leave. The bandits may have been pushing them hard, but in the past week or so of travel, they were never this eager to leave. The entire packing process didn't take very long. Carts were loaded, oxen hitched up and began to move. She watched a guard pass by her as she fell in line with a wagon. He seemed...on edge, like he was watching for something. Her attention turned to the horizon as she scanned for anything out of the ordinary. There, in the distance, thin trails of smoke rose up from beyond a nearby hill. Another camp?! And one that made the bandits nervous. Was it possible that there were people who could help her? Maybe there were, but currently she was unable to find out. She would need a miracle or....

A loud crack followed by a crashed from up ahead caught her attention. The back end of a lead wagon was almost touching the ground, with cargo scattered all around. The culprit? A broken axle. Not the best distraction, but one none the less.

Cassia scooted closer to a wagon as guards hurried by to try and get the wagon repaired in a hurry. She truly didn't have a plan, because escape in of itself isn't a real plan. The small girl slid around the backside of the wagon unnoticed before ducking into the tall grass. She was on her hands and knees crawling away. Hopefully she could get far enough to hide and wait for them to pass, then head for the smoke.

Almost there....just a little farther. Then she heard it, angry shouts. Her stomach dropped as she believed she'd been spotted. Fortunately and unfortunately, she wasn't but several others had made their own run for it. She had no choice now but to run as guards began to head in her direction. And run she did, as fast as her short legs and bare feet could carry her. Up the side of the grassy hill, all the way to the top.

Below was a camp, and the source of the smoke. She was so close, just a little further. A dreaded sound rose up from behind her from the bandits caravan. The yips and howls of dogs eager for the chase reached her ears. Heart pounding with fear, she pushed herself even harder as she ran down the hill. Cassia had no idea what was happening to the others that ran, she was more focused on her own survival.

Zeri Rekani Weylin Kyrel
 
  • Wonder
Reactions: Zeri Rekani
"Papa's going to be surprised," Zeri said to Weylin as she dabbed a little of the ointment here, a little there. Striking up a conversation. Not...not about his...shapeshifting thing...but about something. "I, um, ha ha, kind of got swept up in it all and forgot to tell him that we'd be coming back to Bhathairk briefly. But he's going to be happy to see us! I know you and him haven't really had...you know, the chance to meet and all. And I mean really meet. Not with, gosh, all kinds of...well you know. Bad things happening. That sort of thing. But he's going to happy, you'll see." A small sigh. "I should have thought about this though. It's...going to be hard to say goodbye again. I just hope my wounds are fully healed before we arrive, I-I wouldn't want him to worry."

Before she could say anymore, however, the sound of something distant, carried through the air. Once. Another. Some more. Zeri's brow furrowed. Were those...dogs? She, in the slow manner of incredulity, turned her head toward the far away yips and howls and barks.

And she saw, painted black against the deepening orange of the evening sky, shadows and silhouettes emerging from the crest of the hill and then sinking back down into it. Disturbances among the darkened hillside that faced them--movement.

"Do you see that?" Zeri said as she started to stand up, squinting her eyes and looking toward the sound and the movement descending the hill. Others around the pilgrim nomad's camp had begun to take notice as well, standing from around their fires and speaking amongst themselves, pointing, laying hands on swords and axes and bows warily.

Zeri, knowing all too well the reason she'd come out this way to begin with, what had happened with Weylin's caravan, stooped down and reached into her tent and came back out with her quiver and her shortbow, strapping the quiver about her waist and keeping the shortbow in hand.

She didn't know what, exactly, was coming, but it was definitely coming their way.

Cassia Weylin Kyrel
 
  • Wonder
Reactions: Cassia
Hearing the songbird chirping put the half wild dog at ease. Knowing Zeri was well enough to talk was calming for Weylin. After all that time being yelled at and beaten by the female centaur, a friendly voice was the greatest gift he could ask for.

He was a bit slow at first but quickly picking up to a proper pace said, "Aye. He will be. His daughter started another raid and got herself hurt."

There was a playfulness to his tone. A slight grin on his lips. It was obvious he was aiming to tease her. But he also was somewhat serious. The orcess had a way of getting others to do things with her words. He never was able to do that himself. Even White barely listened to him, but she barely listened to his dad too. That girl just did what she wanted....

His heart sank a bit thinking about how White must be doing without him. How he was doing without her. Hopefully she had stayed behind to watch over Zeri's dad. He was in no physical condition to be independent when the mistake with the travel stone was made.

All the sounds that the orcess mentioned reached his ears before he own. By the time she had asked if he could see that, the hunter already had the only weapon he had in hand. His father's longsword felt odd in his grip. Even now it didn't feel like it was truly his and as if he was just borrowing it from his dad. But it was all he had to defend them with. His bow broken during the fighting. His knives and hatchet stole long ago. His only other option was a small utility knife and he didn't want to be that close to danger in his current state.

Then the barking began. Since his transformation he had yet to be around any dogs. Now he was and he somehow understood what they were saying. Not the rough understanding one developed being around animals all the time but a deeper more exact understanding as if one was listening to a variant of their own tongue. These dogs were throwing out threats and communicating where their prey was headed.... And what their prey was....

"Dogs are chasing a child. Need to hurry." Weylin said to Zeri with his eyes locked on the area the dogs indicated the child was at.

Without waiting for her reply (he already knew what she would say and do), the hunter began to hurry in the direction that the child was heading in. The area the dogs were herding her towards to circle and trap her at. His only hope was his body would hold together enough to for them all the survive this sudden chaos.

Zeri Rekani Cassia
 
Her lungs felt like they were on fire as they drew in ragged breaths. Each step brought the threat of her tired legs giving out from under her. The young girl had never ran this far or this fast in her life. Right now she had every reason to as the dogs drew even closer.

Cassia hopped a small stream and hit a patch of mud. Small feet slid across the surface, causing her to stumble and nearly fall. Luckily she caught and righted herself in a hurry. She had spun enough to look behind and see the animal chasing her. Well, the one that had been chasing her. The dog had stopped a short distance from the stream and was carefully watching her.

The young girl stared back at the dog, frozen in place. Why did it stop? She shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, both had sunk up to her ankles in mud. The terrain was unfavourable for her, but the dog still hadn't moved. Then she heard it, movement from her right and from her left. She cautiously looked in both directions only to see more dogs a short distance away beginning to circle her. Then she realized what they had done, they had chased her into a trap.

She didn't know what to do, but she had to do something. The girl wasn't a fighter and it's not like she could fight one dog let alone several. Running was no longer an option, cause that worked out well the first time. Maybe she could scare them, but with what? She knew some magic, so maybe that would work.

A list of her very limited, none healing, spells ran through her mind. Animals were afraid of fire, so hopefully the dogs were to. Letting out a slow breath, she tried her best to focus. Think heat, like a campfire or a hearth, or something wild and fierce as it devoured everything around it. Honestly she didn't know if it was going to work, but she had to work fast as the dog across the stream began moving towards her. Cassia started to panic at the advancing animal, but she could feel the magic building up quickly within her, not strong but it was there.

Time was up as the dog lept across the stream. Cassia stretched her hand out in panic and released what magic she had built up. Instead of the burning roar and heat of fire, there was a loud crash like a tree splitting in two, a blinding light filled her vision and the smell of ozone filled her nose. The dog gave a loud yip as it was tossed across the stream before turning tail to run. The rest of the dogs quickly following.

Several panicked heartbeats later and it dawned on Cassia what she had done. Instead of fire, she hit the animal with a weak bolt of lightning. While she was standing in mud! She could have killed herself! She....oh..oh no! Her body suddenly felt very weak, stomach turning and vision blurred. A shaky hand covered her mouth as her stomach threatened to lose its contents right there. Cassia tried her best to unlodge herself from the mud and keep moving. She couldn't find the strength to do so, that spell had taken to much energy. Those dogs could return, she had to move!

Zeri Rekani Weylin Kyrel
 
Last edited:
Zeri had replied with a lighthearted "Heeeyyyy-uh!" to Weylin's remark, daintily giving his arm a little push. There was a lot she wanted to say, and not just on those particular topics. On the big one, the one both she and he had been avoiding. Yet then came that barking, those silhouettes on the hill, Zeri wondering aloud, and then Weylin's response.

Dogs are chasing a child. Need to hurry.

"What? W-what? I mean, how do know tha--?" Weylin started running, and Zeri just cut herself off and started running after him. Slower than she usually could. There was still a small lingering tenderness in her once wounded leg, and more so than that was a kind of instinctual reservation not to work that leg so hard.

Some of the nomads calling after them in accented, imperfect Common:

"Wait! Do not foolhardy!"

"It could be trap!"

"No go!"

The pilgrim nomads all stayed by the light of their fires, ready with their weapons and wary and eyes cast into the dimness of blackened hills against the blazing orange of the sunset sky, watching as Zeri and Weylin became indistinct motions in that sheet of pre-night dark, and among the nomads the collective thought that their fate was their own now.

Zeri ran, huffing heavily as the uphill began in earnest and following as close as her legs were able behind the billowing of Weylin's cloak. She didn't know what to expect once they got closer, other than wild dogs. They were certainly after something. Or someone. It had honestly been difficult to tell what exactly had been--

A flash. Brilliant in the dark. Briefly illuminating the hillside, and close thereafter a crack of thunder to accompany that lightning. Small and muted, that thunder, more like the thump of something falling over in an adjacent room rather than the fury of a storm.

Magic? What was going on here?

And when Zeri and Weylin got closer, close enough, her eyes could see better what had been revealed fleetingly in that lightning flash: a girl, human girl, with her legs caught in the copious mud of the downhill stream. Zeri came to a halt at the edge of the mud, glanced about; she couldn't yet see where the dogs had gotten off to, but she pulled out an arrow and preemptively nocked it anyway.

Then to the girl she called out, "Hey! A-Are you alright? What happened? What's going on?"

Cassia Weylin Kyrel
 
The hunter rushed forward. Each new bark. Each new howl. Each updated him on the situation. They were having no trouble corralling and trapping the child where they wanted her. Each spurred him to move quicker, although he was already going as fast as his legs could carry him. Muscles and bones ached and screamed at him with each step. Yet he still compelled them for more.

If he was a dog would he run faster?

The thought caught the hunter off guard. A deep well of fear bubbled up inside of him. He tripped, sword in hand....

He was lucky, sort of. None of the dangers of the bare blade came to pass, but he felt stones and exposed roots dig into him. The worst being one of the rocks stabbing into the side of his gut and breaking his skin. Warmth flowed. The scent of iron began to seep into the air.

The orcess was able to catch up to him as with too much effort he got himself back onto his feet.

When they arrived something happened. Fearful sounds came from the dogs. Something shook them to their core after they had the child fully cornered and were making their approach to get her. The flash and boom stunned him, his senses having become stronger of late. He stumbled and had to brace against a tree as the orcess spoke.

A ringing in his ears and a haze of light covering the edges of his sight, Weylin pushed himself off the tree and made his way down to the girl. As he past Zeri he left his father's sword stuck in the ground by her. Then he began to wade his way through the mud barefoot to get the girl before something else happened to her.

Zeri Rekani Cassia
 
Her mind was in a fog, exhaustion wracked her body and her stomach turned from fear. Even still, she needed to move, which was proving more difficult than necessary. New voices caused her to freeze in place. Slowly she turned to face where it was coming from.

Standing at the edge of the mud pit was an Orcess. She called out to Cassia, asking if she was alright and what happened. All the poor girl could do was shake her head no. Her voice seemed to have all but disappeared and she hadn't quite found it yet.

The second person was a man of tall height. He wasted no time wading out into the mud pit to rescue her. Cassia stayed frozen in place, not sure what to do. They weren't from the bandits caravan and they seemed like they actually wanted to help. Maybe her luck was finally turning around.

The sound of distant dogs drew her back to the danger at hand. They seemed to have regained some of their courage and decided to return to investigate what had happened. Cassia's body put in a little extra effort as she started to slowly moved towards the man wading out to her. She didn't want to be the reason they got injured.

Weylin Kyrel Zeri Rekani
 
The girl didn't speak. Or couldn't. Oh gosh, what if she couldn't? Shock or injury or something that Zeri couldn't even think of in the moment. Whatever was going on, it was clear that something had gone very, very amiss in this girl's life. Zeri's Pa would never have let out go so far out on her own when she was this girl's age. And now, however she had ended up here, she'd the misfortune of being chased by dogs (or wolves?). It was a stark reminder that nature, while beautiful, could as well be terrifying.

Weylin waded immediately into the stream and toward the mire of mud the girl was stuck in. Zeri kept watch, flicking her eyes from Weylin and the girl to off in the enshrouding darkness, toward the sound of the dogs barking, the silhouetted movements that her eyes sometimes registered. She pulled the bowstring back a little more taut.

"You're safe, okay?" Zeri called out to the girl, knowing for a certainty that if she were in the girl's spot that she would want these selfsame reassuring words called out to her. "We're going to get you out of here. Don't worry. We don't want to hurt you. We're here to help."

And Zeri kept a vigilant (and trepidatious) eye out for the possible return of the dogs. One arrow--all that she'd likely be able to loose in time--probably wouldn't do a lot, but it was all she had.

Weylin Kyrel Cassia
 
The extra height the hunter had to wade through the mud was helpful where it was not for the girl. Like a stork, he just had to take it one step at a time with care. So while slow going he eventually made it to her. But by then the dogs had started to return. Their bark signalling each of their intent to cautiously investigate what happened to their earlier trap.

A frown formed as his attention was focused on the dogs. The orcess to the girl as he did this, although her words were somewhat ignored by him. She was much better at talking between the two of them. He was much better at tracking things. Best they let their talents shine right now.

He didn't like how persistent the dogs were going to be from their barks. They had their prey still in mind and were going to stubbornly pursue her even though she had dangerously injured one of them and made just a scary scene doing so. There had to be something he could do to get them to stop or at least pause....

Instinctively his beastial side acted. Weylin let out a loud bark warning the dogs not to come or face certain death. Immediately after he realized what he had done. He froze and panic swelled up in him. Fear that he may turn again and not return this time was beginning to take him over.

The girl was still right there with him as this happened. All he had done was move her so she was between him and Zeri before he made that barking sound. If she wished she could flee to the orcess away from him. At the very least he was between her and the dogs now.

Zeri Rekani Cassia
 
Safe, that was a word Cassia hadn't heard in what felt like forever. A luxury that was rare when orphaned on the streets and even rarer with recent events. She didn't resist when the hunter freed her and moved her between him and the orcess. All she had to do was follow the mans tracks back to stable ground.

What the man did next made her pause for a moment. He barked. Not like someone trying to imitate a dog, but an actual bark. The small girl didn't know what to do or if it really happened. However, the dogs pursuing her seemed to hesitate, as if unsure themselves what just happened. Shaking herself free of the surprise, she began to wade her way back to shore.

The short distance to the orcess was still a bit of a struggle. By the time she reached shore, her arms, legs and most of her clothes were covered in mud. She almost fell to her knees beside the orcess as she tried catching her breath and speaking all at once. "Bandits! Lots of them....took people...took me. Some escaped, I ran with them....they released dogs. Too much running....hurts to breathe....so tired."

Zeri Rekani Weylin Kyrel
 
Zeri was as surprised as Cassia, and as fearful as Weylin himself when she heard him bark. The sight of him, shifting uncontrollably, grotesque and amorphous, a nightmarish blend of man and canine whose constituent parts churned like the waters of the Ra Gnamh Sea in a storm, this came back to her in an instant and frightened her. That it could happen again. That it would be worse. That it was, perhaps, inevitable.

But, at present, it was nothing more than a bark, and Zeri could assuage her worry by convincing herself that anybody was capable of such imitation.

When the human girl made it to the shore and stumbled, Zeri swept her arrow off of the bowstring and held it to her palm with her thumb, such that she could still hold it whilst reaching out with a reassuring touch to the girl's shoulder. "You're okay, you're okay. We're with some people. Good people. Our camp is--"

Zeri didn't get to say just down there, for the girl voiced urgently what had sparked her flight.

"Bandits? Oh spirits, oh gosh." She spun the arrow around in her hand and nocked it again on her bow, looked about the dark hillside with a concern that was now larger than the pack of dogs.

"Weylin," she said. "W-We have to get back to the pilgrims. Warn them. Maybe--I don't know, maybe--um, if they're fast enough, they can move camp and we won't have to fight?"

Even as she said it, this felt horribly like reaching for lofty wishful thinking.

Weylin Kyrel Cassia
 
The hunter felt torn. Not metaphorically, but literally. The wading through the thick mud felt as if it might have retorn one of the muscles in his leg that was still healing. The pain that was starting to surface now that he froze up was a likely indicator.

But the pain wasn't enough to keep his mind off the action he had taken to cause the panic within him to grow. Each step the girl took towards the safety of the bank felt like a step she was taking to flee from the monster that he felt he was right now. Some mandog or dogman thing betraying the identity of both....

The orcess' words shook him out of his own mind. He only caught half of what she was saying, but he did catch the part about moving camp. He agreed. Now wasn't the time to stop.

So he began to wade through the mud back to his dad's sword....

Yup, he had torn a muscle in his leg again.

Even before making it back to the bank, Zeri would likely notice the way Weylin was limping. Once he was back to solid ground and stomping the mud off his legs, his movements were very clear about him favoring his injured leg now.

Weylin pulled the sword out of the ground and wiped it off on his shirt. "We need to move. Do what you said."

What had all she said? He still was a bit fuzzy on the details of the plan the orcess had laid out for them. But he was fine following them regardless.... Even if the fear and panic was still ever on the edges of his thoughts....

Zeri Rekani Cassia
 
Cassia didn't flinch when Zeri touched her shoulder reassuringly. There was something about the orcess that made the girl feel safer, for one she wasn't one of the bandits. The feeling of safety was short lived as the news of the bandits brought Zeri to quick action.

When the orcess mentioned camp and others, Cassia perked up. Maybe the bandits would think twice about attacking another camp, they were in a hurry after all. The fact that the camp was made from pilgrims, by the sound of it, how well could they defend themselves?

Her train of thought was broken as Weylin rejoined them. The taller man agreed with Zeri, they needed to move. Although....something seemed off about him, like he was momentarily distracted from the conversation.

Her gaze turned back to the hillside she came from and her breath hitched in her throat momentarily as she saw torches. She wanted to start running again, but she was barely standing as it is. The young girl scooted closer to Zeri. After a few moments, the torches disappeared back over the hillside. That's when Cassia let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "M...maybe they're leaving. They...they were in a hurry to leave."

Weylin Kyrel Zeri Rekani
 
The torches at the apex of the hillside stood out like tiny, terrestrial outposts of the ochre evening sky. There were other people, and they were close. And, given the fright of the girl now with Zeri and Weylin, they were sure to be the bandits that she had spoken of.

"I hope they do leave," Zeri said, her voice a little more hushed now. "But I don't want to take a chance."

A quick glance to Weylin. To the favoring of his leg. Something had happened--stepped on something sharp, rotated his ankle, something, Zeri wasn't sure. But they couldn't stay. Not with the hunting dogs and the bandits with the torches just uphill on the ridge. They had to get back down to the nomad pilgrims' camp and warn them that those very torches were not harbingers of anyone friendly.

Zeri started to backpedal, bow with nocked arrow still in her hands, looking to Cassia, saying to her encouragingly, "Come on. You must be exhausted and scared but it's just downhill. Downhill is easy! As easy as can be. We can do this!"

Zeri turned to her side, skipping down the hill in such a manner to keep an eye on both Cassia and Weylin, an eye on the pilgrims' camp below, and to not be completely walking backwards. She kept alert. Maybe the dimness of the evening mostly obscured their movements from the bandits, maybe the dogs will have backed down, but she couldn't be sure. A single arrow might make a big difference if it came down to it. She just had to remember everything her Pa taught her about hunting, about keeping calm under pressure and composed under danger. She wasn't the greatest at it, but the world wasn't going to wait on her. And to be a capable adventurer, these were things with which she needed to better herself.

Down the hill. Down the hill.

Zeri kept going.

Weylin Kyrel Cassia
 
Things done by Zeri and Cassia were in a haze for Weylin. His mind was a jumbled mess. Ever on the edge and constantly threatening to invade his thoughts was that creeping anxiety of turning forever into a dog. It was a struggle for him to keep pushing them back. He felt injured, weak, and vulnerable. He was injured, weak, and vulnerable. Both mentally and physically. He was all too aware of this fact and it only made the anxiety worse.

Yet in all of it was an odd blessing. His senses were alert and working at their best. He could hear things the orcess and girl wouldn't. His eyes could catch things their eyes would miss. His bare feet could feel the vibrations of large numbers of stomping feet if they came near. Their scents on the wind as clear a fragrance to him as incense in a temple. His inheritance from his mom's blood was kicking in.

He followed Zeri, but remained silent. The pair of them could easily pick up that even if he was so close he was not with them mentally. And for the orcess his favoring of his leg and the effort of his movements would be even clearer now that they were getting further from the mud. He was not his usual self. The focus and calm the hunter would normally have was missing. Instead there was a nervous energy about him was likely to draw out their own fears in the moment as uncontrolled as he let it come off of him.

Zeri Rekani Cassia
 
More running wasn't exactly what Cassia wanted to do. The adrenaline running through her small body was starting to wear off. She had to do it though, she had to make that final push. So down hill, she could do that, down hill was much easier.

Her eyes landed on Weylin as he passed by. The first thing she noticed was the limp in his leg, to her that could have been an old injury bit it seemed to be bothering him a lot now. What really got her attention was his eyes. The look of someone lost in their own thoughts as if they were half a continent away. That wasn't her primary focus or any real focus of hers. Right now they had to get down the hill.

The young girl chased after Zeri as the orcess lead the way. Each step was tiring and every breath burned her lungs, but each one of those steps brought her closer to safety.....hopefully. luckily the sound of dogs and bandits was fading into the distance. The tracking dogs seemed to have returned to their masters and the bandits must have returned to their camp. Whether that was a good sign or not had yet to be seen. For all she knew they could be regrouping in order to plan their next step. That was a problem for later, right now she had to get to that camp.

Zeri Rekani Weylin Kyrel
 
  • Yay
Reactions: Zeri Rekani
The campfires of the pilgrim nomads down at the bottom of the hill. The shapes which would sometimes cross in front of them, black and indistinguishable, blotting out in a fleeting second the flame-orange and drawing long shadows which swept across the ground like the slash of a sword. There was the safety--the closest notion of it--that Zeri sought. For her and for Weylin and for the girl they had chanced upon.

She hazarded a look back over her shoulder. And saw nothing at the crest of the hill? "Where did they go?" she said, whispering the words to herself as if the thought had spilled out from between her lips.

A good fortune. Maybe. Hopefully. If the spirits were with her and the pilgrims. Still she kept her bow in hand, even as she turned to run facing forward rather than strafing down the hill for the remainder.

As Zeri came into the glow of the campfire, and as the wary and startled pilgrims regarded her with weapons still quite at the ready, she held up a hand and then bent over for a moment and panted. When she caught her breath she stood up straight and said in general to the pilgrim clan, "There were bandits up on the hilltop! We don't know where they've gone."

The pilgrims, all thirty of their number, shared glances among one another and the murmur of discussion joined in with the crackling of their evening fires. In tones fearful and in tones stalwart, they set to talking of what they ought to do: stand fast with sentries throughout the night, or tear down and try to slip away once the full dark of night drenched the Steppe.

Zeri slipped the arrow she held back into the quiver, keeping the bow yet at hand. She turned about to face Cassia and Weylin. And Weylin seemed...unsteady? Like a loose tether, frayed all along its length, about to snap under some tension. Why? Why was he anxious? The simple fact that he was tangibly nervous about something was making Zeri nervous, and spirits knew what it might do to the girl if she were to look to him for a pillar of strength and support and see him so.

So Zeri stepped in. Came forward and held the girl's shoulder and crouched down a little to be more on eye level with her. And she said, "Everything's going to be alright. Okay? Don't worry. We've--" A small burst of high-pitched, embarrassed laughter escaped, as if Zeri knew she couldn't stop herself from saying, "--Weylin and I have been through worse."

She regarded the girl up and down, the state of her. "Oh gosh, you're filthy. You've got mud all over you. We'll have to do something about that."

Then she smiled. As reassuring a smile as she could muster. "I'm Zeri. What's your name?"

Weylin Kyrel Cassia
 
  • Bless
Reactions: Weylin Kyrel
They finally made it, and that alone seemed to bring a little life back to Cassia. Her green eyes scanned the small gathering of pilgrims before her. There numbers were small, much smaller then the bandits, and not the most well equipped for battle either. Even in the limited light of the fire, she could see the nervousness in their eyes, some curiosity but mainly worry about the news of bandits.

Her gaze turned to Weylin Kyrel as Zeri Rekani explained to the pilgrims what was going on. Even in her tired state, she could tell that he wrestling with something internal. With what, she didn't know. Maybe it had to do with the bandits or.... Then a she remembered what happened earlier when he barked. Perhaps she hadn't imagined it after all. But why would....

Zeri's voice brought her back to the present. Cassia turned and was face to face with the orcess. The statement she made about both her and Weylin had been through worse things before definitely caught Cassia's attention. "You've...been through worse?" Her voice was quiet and somewhat hoarse. Cassia was unsure if being through such things before was good or bad. Guess it meant they had experience.

The young girl looked down at herself when Zeri mentioned how filthy she was. Which was true, considering all the mud caked to...everywhere on her. Her clothes, hands, feet, face and even her hair. Although it was kind of expected since her trip through the mud pit. She looked back up to Zeri when asked her name. "I'm...I'm Cassia."
 
  • Yay
Reactions: Zeri Rekani
Wrapped up in his thoughts, trying to push out his anxiety and fear, the hunter didn't realize they had returned to the camp until the orcess was speaking with their travel companions. This brought him back into the moment with everyone else. The last place he had remembered being was at the muddy bank and now they had returned here. That was some distance for him to have just missed.

He frowned deeply. Anger mixed with disappointment in himself and fear at being so distracted.

Weylin was all too aware of how dangerous his current state could prove to be. If he stayed like this it could easily get them killed or captured. It was his job to keep his senses sharp and looking for dangers. Neither he nor the orcess were in any condition to fight. Not well at least. And their weapon options were limited. She had her spear and bow, but he was stuck with his dad's sword. A weapon he could barely use in the most minimal sense of proper.

The girl they had saved and Zeri were speaking to one another. Names were given. He needed to refocus himself. Enough of worrying about himself. Right now he needed to protect the two of them. He couldn't do that if he let fear of something that might not even be happening control him.

"Weylin. Dealt with trolls, giants, and an evil tree."

He turned his attention to the darkness around them. Already his eyes had gotten use to it faster than normal. His ears seemed to be picking up on things even better than usual. And his sense of smell was sharper....

He cast the thought aside. It wasn't helpful right now. Watch for threats.... Watch for threats.... Watch for threats....

Zeri Rekani Cassia
 
  • Yay
Reactions: Zeri Rekani
You've...been through worse?

Zeri offered a smile tinged by guilty regret, her hand sliding up seemingly of its own accord to scratch the side of her neck. Weylin went on to elaborate--briefly, and for that, at least, Zeri was grateful. Still, a small bout of awkward laughter escaped her lips when he spoke. Ahh...she didn't want to worry the human girl. Cassia. Cassia was her name. And it just felt like conjuring up the suggestion of worse things than bandits--whether or not she and Weylin prevailed over them--wasn't going to do Cassia any good.

From around the camp, pilgrims started to move. They were packing traveling bags, gathering their horses, beginning to tear down tents, this all to the tune of hurried and serious instructions to one another, curt commands that left scarce time for lingering. The campfires they left lit for now.

Zeri glanced about at the pilgrims. None needed to speak directly to her or Weylin or Cassia--their intent was clear.

"It, um...so I guess we're gonna be leaving now." Zeri nibbled nervously on her bottom lip for a second. It was a good thing and, with one look to Cassia and Weylin, not a good thing, both at the same time. To Zeri it seemed that the two of them barely made it down the hill, and now they would have to move again. Maybe even through the whole night. Weylin was favoring his leg and was troubled by something, and who knew how much rest Cassia had had in the past few days.

Yet staying, especially with the pilgrims now resolving to move on, didn't seem like a very good idea.

She looked apologetically to Cassia, "I'm sorry. We don't have our own horse for you to ride. We've been walking this whole time."

Hopefully the girl didn't have any wounds, anything that would make the nighttime trek more arduous than it was already promising to be.

Zeri looked to Weylin. Said, "I need to go pack up my tent and things. Maybe...m-maybe Cassia is hungry? Or thirsty? I know we don't have much, but--"

We've been through worse. She almost said it. Again.

"--we'll be fine. Of course. The spirits guide us."


And she jogged the short distance across the camp to her tiny tent, and got to work.

Weylin Kyrel Cassia
 
  • Bless
Reactions: Weylin Kyrel
Cassia gazed up at Weylin in surprise at his explanation. "An..an evil tree?" Was that really a thing? How could a tree be evil? She never got to ask the question when Zeri spoke again. They needed to leave, Cassia understood that but she wished she could rest for a while. Safety was priority and she wasn't going to risk getting caught again. "It's okay that there's no horse. I've never ridden one before, so I'm not sure how'd that go."

Food? Water? Honestly she hadn't really eaten much the past few days and all that running did make her thirsty. She listened as the orcess paused for a brief second in her speech, as if she was going to say something else, then saying they'd be fine before going to pack her tent.

She watched the woman go before turning her gaze back to Weylin and began to study him some. His thoughts seemed to be elsewhere, possibly on the forest by the looks of it. There was also something distant about his gaze, but she couldn't quite place it. There was one thing she did notice from the man as they made their way into camp.
"Your leg is injured, isn't it?"
 
  • Yay
Reactions: Zeri Rekani
Watch for threats.... Watch threats.... Watch for threats....

The only words that came through were those of Zeri. For some reason her words had a way of being able to make it through the chaotic winds and flurries of his thoughts. A good thing but still concerning for him. What would he do if she wasn't here with him right now?

The subject shifted to feeding the girl. That was something he could do. Food was important. Food was necessary. So he limped over to their bags. He rummaged through them for some food and produced hardtack and jerky. The hardtack was put away. It would likely be too hard for her. Even he and the orcess had to stick it in some water or crumble it up to add to stew to be edible. The jerky would be easy to eat by comparison.

With jerky and a waterskin in hand, he returned to the girl as the orcess got to her task of taking their camp down. He offered the drink and food to the girl as she asked abut his leg.

Silent for a moment the hunter eventually replied, "Maybe. Might feel better after resting."

An attempt at a reassuring smile was made. It likely only half worked out. "Here. Eat. Drink. You will feel better if you do."

His thoughts had finally settled and gotten distracted from earlier. As such the distance in his eyes would lessen considerably.

Zeri Rekani Cassia
 
  • Yay
Reactions: Zeri Rekani