Private Tales On life's wayward trails

[Divina Rosenstern]

Sitting, she watched Tzuriel for a time, and though she knew the irony of the situation--had she not said yes to their engagement, nor said yes to this trip, she wouldn't have been in this sort of situation--, she had to admit she was thankful to any Gods that listened that he was alive, and that she was alive with him. Truthfully, she was grateful to be with him, even though circumstances not too long ago were dire. She wished she could be of more use, but the cold waters had sapped her strength.

She wished she were more knowledgeable in the ways of the woods, but she had lived a life partially shielded from the harsh realities outside of Alliria's ports and the Shallows. The savageries of the woods were an acquaintance, and often protected by guards and hired adventurers. She knew of plants, of herbalism and their healing properties, but she had never had to survive like this. She hated feeling so helpless.

"It hurts all over, but I can feel again. I think that's a good start. How about you? do you think you're up to using more of your magic to dry our clothes?"

She glanced down at the underskirt she held. Even now, with the slight breeze, the clothing was slowly beginning to dry. Thankfully, it was not a colder season, it wouldn't take long. She shook her head once, brows drawing in with worry. "No. I used what little I had on the cloak... I am sorry, my love. I have never felt so..." She lifted a hand. The palm was scraped red from carrying rocks, from the gravel. From use they seldom saw. "...Drained."

Weak, useless woman.

The voice hummed through memory; she gritted her jaw a moment, shutting it out, forcefully closing it down. But the cold face wouldn't leave, it surfaced as though to spit more venom at her--

"Eat this, we'll have to be sparing with it until we find another source of food."

She blinked up at him, then nodded once, taking the ration carefully. Perhaps she could be of use after all; despite her ravenous hunger, she nibbled at the jerky, glancing up at him through thick dark lashes. "You must be cold. Come closer, so I can share the cloak and it's warmth." She spread out her free hand to him, and offered a worn smile.

No. She refused to let the past have its' voice now. She would prove herself a useful companion. For Tzuriel, and herself.

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

"No. I used what little I had on the cloak... I am sorry, my love. I have never felt so..." She lifted a hand. The palm was scraped red from carrying rocks, from the gravel. From use they seldom saw. "...Drained."

She was indeed having a hard time and he could see it. He knew he couldn't expect everything from her, she wasn't used to life on the road after all, she's not been hardened by it.
"I understand, it's alright, just take it easy."

"You must be cold. Come closer, so I can share the cloak and it's warmth."

He met her eyes and met her worn smile with his own. Everything was set out to dry and the sky was noticeably darker now, but they had a larger fire now which now offered some appreciable warmth, a shelter which would do at least a better job of containing the heat of the fire, and enough wood to last them the night.
He accepted her outstretched hand and joined her under the roof of their new makeshift shelter. He opened the cloak and put himself next to her before closing it around his shoulders.
He found her fingers and cupped them in his hands, bringing them to his mouth and blowing in them inside the shelter of his palms to trap the heat and warm them.

Even though she was cold and exhausted he couldn't help the feeling that something was eating at her. Granted, he wasn't all that familiar with her magic, perhaps it was a side effect?
"I'm sorry, Divina. I should have been more prepared for something like this... You don't deserve to sleep on the dirt with a cloak as the only dry thing between the two of us."
He sighed and rested his head on her shoulder, closing his eyes wearily.
"Something is eating at you... Do you want to tell me what it is now? Or perhaps the morning? We can spend the rest of our energy "warming up" tonight..."

In spite of his exhaustion he could feel a fire building within him, the heat of passion that they could use to warm their chilled bones. Her naked body pressed against his and vise versa, somehow he found the energy.

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

He had done so much. She was proud to be his, that they were here together. Her heart warmed looking at him while he cupped her hands. She also couldn't help but admire him as he moved; most would have been embarrassed to be walking around without clothing, but he had confidence enough to not care and even to consider her.

"I'm sorry, Divina. I should have been more prepared for something like this... You don't deserve to sleep on the dirt with a cloak as the only dry thing between the two of us."

The smile brightened, widened at his words, and when he rested his head against her shoulder, she brought one arm free to wrap it about his waist, pressing a light kiss into his shoulder. "You don't deserve this either, Tzuriel. How could we prepare for something we thought we already adequately had?" She pressed another kiss, this time against his throat. "And next I go with you, we shall be better prepared. Together." Her remaining hand between his pressed against one of his own hands, giving a light, tender squeeze. But... he was perceptive. She knew it was part of what they were, but being perceived so clearly was a surprise; she blinked a moment.

"Something is eating at you... Do you want to tell me what it is now? Or perhaps the morning? We can spend the rest of our energy "warming up" tonight..."

A low chuckle slipped past her lips, and she shifted, pressing another kiss against his neck, her voice low and soft against his ear. "Tomorrow. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Meantime..." She pressed her lips further up until they met his, moving her free arm until her hand settled on his chest, blue eyes glinting with a smile. They were both exhausted, but this would help ease their stresses and anxieties, and was indeed a way to warm up... but truthfully, she just wanted to be with him. This passion was always a way to do just that.

"I want you, Tzuriel. Let's 'warm up'." Full lips curved into a grin, and she leaned back, lightly tugging at his hand and fully admiring him in the ambient firelight.

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

"You don't deserve this either, Tzuriel. How could we prepare for something we thought we already adequately had?" She pressed another kiss, this time against his throat. "And next I go with you, we shall be better prepared. Together."

Next time... Sometimes Tzuriel wondered if Divina was just a beautiful dream, how else could someone like her really want to put up with any of this?
But he could tell that she was being brave, perhaps for his sake, nearly everything she's done since their engagement has been for his sake.

This woman was definitely choosing the short end of the deal to be with a doomed man, consigning herself to carry on his legacy. Granted their combined businesses brought unimaginable wealth, but that was a secondary consideration.

"Tomorrow. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Meantime..." She pressed her lips further up until they met his, moving her free arm until her hand settled on his chest, blue eyes glinting with a smile. They were both exhausted, but this would help ease their stresses and anxieties, and was indeed a way to warm up... but truthfully, she just wanted to be with him. This passion was always a way to do just that.

"I want you, Tzuriel. Let's 'warm up'." Full lips curved into a grin, and she leaned back, lightly tugging at his hand and fully admiring him in the ambient firelight.

"Tomorrow, then." He smiled as he met her kiss halfway, the glow of the firelight highlighted her peaks and cast a deep shade on her curves giving her a warm and inviting appearance. He followed her down and they made love well into the night until warmth was no longer an issue.
It was fast and passionate, as they moved together and their blood began its regular flow once more.

He watched the fire throughout the night, getting up occasionally to stoke the embers and add a few more sticks to the blaze. Again it was a huge risk to have a fire in the first place, even a smokeless one, he could only pray that the light wouldn't attract their assailants.
He would quickly return to the shelter and the arms of his fiancée so that exhaustion could bring him to sleep once more.

Morning came slowly and broke in a grey dawn. The fire had gone out at some point in the night and Tzuriel slept through it, clinging to Divina for warmth.
There was a thin layer of frost on the ground around their shelter, but their clothes miraculously remained free of frost and dried in their proximity to the fireplace.
Tzuriel didn't want to get up. He was sore and his muscles kept wanting to cramp up, the cold air was unwelcome on his bare skin. His sexy fiancée was warm and in his arms, they were safe for now and things seemed less dire.
But he also didn't want to get within bowshot of their assassins, he also didn't want to starve or freeze to death again.
He reluctantly peeled himself away from Divina, doing his utmost to not wake her as he crawled out of the cloak and checked over their clothes. A few were slightly singed from the fire, they were cold but dry. He brought them inside the shelter, set Divina's clothes beside her within reach, and clenched his teeth as he pulled on his stiff and chilled clothing.
Perhaps he could sponsor some enchanters to start a business creating magical winter clothes? Especially for winter treks like this... If they survived this, that will be his next business venture.

He got dressed and went out of the shelter to see if the fire could be salvaged and to gather more wood. Everything was covered in white frost, but that will likely melt later in the day. He brushed off the wood and found some still dry twigs and firestarter. With that he got enough of a blaze going to start working on the wetter pieces of wood.
He went to their food supply and began cooking some mutton over a spit he made for the fire.
Meager by his standards, but sufficient to keep their energy up.

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

Her bones were on fire.

Her lungs burned, like a great hand wrapped around them and squeezed in an inferno-like grip. She found herself gasping for air, the pain knifing through her ribs. She could hear her mother's voice, see her figure vaguely, but the fever burned in her brain, making her hazy. She could hear her voice, talking to someone, but another person paced into the room, his normally pleasant face taut with anxiety and frustration. She could see them talking together, but he broke away from her mother, stalking towards her bedside. She could see his hands as they gripped her shoulders, and began to shake her, her body limp as his frustration finally seemed to break something in him.

"---Weak!"

"Child... not a son... Divina!..."

She woke with a start from the nightmare but did not gasp. At first, she couldn't register her surroundings; the bite of the chill, the dampened earth, the scent of pine. But slowly, images, memories came back to life, and she realized her arms were empty. Tzuriel. Did they take him?

She could hear sounds behind her; slowly, she eased over onto her back, seeing him tending to the fire. For a moment, she could only stare at him. Another shaft of guilt poked at her, reminding her of her own ineptitude here. Between the two of them, he knew how to survive better. He might have fared better without her own dead weight dragging them both down.

Swallowing it down with the relief he was fine, she began looking around and noticed her own clothes were set beside her. Smiling with relief that they were dry, she didn't mind so much their chill. With time, they would warm. She caught a glimpse of the dirt smearing her arm, and suppressed a grimace. She didn't want to know what her face looked like.

She dressed quickly, grimacing at the cold clothing. But the cloak was warm enough; quickly, she wrapped it around herself, shivering as the cool morning still nipped through her dress. "Anything I can do to help?" she asked him, crouching down next to him and eyeing the spit. Perhaps she could forage for something as they would make their way back; a small way to being useful. "Smells good."

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked him, crouching down next to him and eyeing the spit. Perhaps she could forage for something as they would make their way back; a small way to being useful. "Smells good."

He looked over his shoulder as she crawled out of the shelter and joined him. He could only smile at the sight of her, tousled and dirty in wrinkled clothes, yet she still managed to pull off that sleeping beauty look so well that he hardly noticed, "Good morning, Divina. If you want you can tend to the food while I sort through everything again. You can talk, I'll listen if you're ready."
He stood and went to the pack, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he walked by her.

He began sorting through their supplies, throwing out a few things ruined by the water. Their map was a lost cause, their food was mostly salvageable, so long as they ate it soon before it spoiled. They might have enough for three days, perhaps four if they can make it stretch. Some strong twine which could be used for making snares, a small medical kit that would only be good for disinfecting and cleaning wounds
He had his enchanted sword still, which he didn't need to worry too much about. Magical items tended to survive far better than normal things. However he would need to make sure their hunting knife didn't rust, their whetstone was fine. Flint and steel were good, though he would need to keep the steel from rusting as well.
He set up the Whetstone and went to work sharpening the blade of the hunting knife.

But he made sure to pay close attention to Divina.

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

"Good morning, Divina. If you want you can tend to the food while I sort through everything again. You can talk, I'll listen if you're ready."

Her shoulders stiffened at his mention of her talking. Truthfully, she had hoped he had forgotten already, or would have asked later. As it was, the usual cool calm the Allirian woman maintained cracked, and he would see a momentary flicker of rare anxiety, before it smoothed over once more.

She loathed talking about herself. It was a weakness, exposing doubts and fears. If they had still merely remained business partners, she wouldn't have talked about it at all. But... she glanced up at him for a moment. This was Tzuriel. Though they hadn't had much personal time to spend with one another, she trusted him. They both held secrets of each other, but it was more than that. Dropping her eyes, she exhaled, listening to the scrape of the knife to the whetstone a beat and the crackle of the fire before speaking.

"I want to be useful."

She continued, looking at the meat, but her jaw was set, not allowing a flicker of emotion to penetrate through while she spoke. She could surely keep calm while discussing this. "You would know this. But the patriarch of Rosenstern, Ricard, married above his station. His wife, my mother Amelia, was the heiress to the Gilded Fleet Merchant company. He married with the promise to her family to produce sons for the Gilded Fleet to continue its' legacy. But all he had were girls."

Her lips twisted in a bitter smile, but her eyes glinted coldly, watching the flames lick the wood, and then the meat. "I was the oldest. The most responsible. I never hesitated to tell him how I felt he was squandering our wealth away; though he was a noble, he was a squalid one. And my mother was caught in his poverty." Her hand trembled a moment, but she buried it into her cloak, continuing on numbly. "They still love one another. But he nearly cost us her entire fortune; when I was nine, I overheard him discussing with his creditors how much he owed, and I tore into him about putting us into poverty. I was furious with my mother for letting him tear down her legacy, but I was far angrier he was denying us girls what was also rightfully ours with his need to impress his 'friends'." The bitter smile dropped, and her eyes narrowed.

"You might remember this. There was a plague in Alliria, of a fever. It didn't kill many of the nobility, but it killed many of those who lived in squalor. I lost two sisters to it, and caught it myself." Her voice dropped, and for a moment, she was still.

"I remember the burning, the agony. They didn't send for a physician because we were almost destitute. But he came into my room one day, when I was on the verge of giving up. I remember all of it."

Her other hand rested on the shoulder he touched, then glanced up at him. Features calm, but in her eyes was the slightest wavering. "He shook me. Hard enough to make my teeth rattle, for me to feel like he would have shaken me to pieces if he kept it up. Then telling me I should have been a son, that I should be useful and die." Even saying those words was bitter, and she scowled. "I know he was drunk. That he truly didn't believe that... but I did. So I survived to spite him." Blue eyes flashed, momentarily, in anger. Not at him, nor even her father, just some directionless fury that faded within a moment. "What I do is for my mother. I inherited all so that she could live in comfort, and my surviving sisters as well. I just... want to be useful." She turned her face away again, her voice quiet once more. "Out here, I am not. I am a noblewoman, adjusted to fine things and a soft life. I wish I could do more; you've done so much already."

She set her jaw, shoulders still tense, embarrassed at all of that pouring out, feeling her face flush. It was clearly just the heat of the flames. She could blame it on the fire.

"That's all."

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

"I want to be useful."

Not the start he was expecting. He hardly considered her useless. Her efforts in the river probably made the difference between life and death for them.
But he listened patiently, she needed to get this off of her chest.

"You would know this. But the patriarch of Rosenstern, Ricard, married above his station. His wife, my mother Amelia, was the heiress to the Gilded Fleet Merchant company. He married with the promise to her family to produce sons for the Gilded Fleet to continue its' legacy. But all he had were girls."

Her lips twisted in a bitter smile, but her eyes glinted coldly, watching the flames lick the wood, and then the meat. "I was the oldest. The most responsible. I never hesitated to tell him how I felt he was squandering our wealth away; though he was a noble, he was a squalid one. And my mother was caught in his poverty." Her hand trembled a moment, but she buried it into her cloak, continuing on numbly. "They still love one another. But he nearly cost us her entire fortune; when I was nine, I overheard him discussing with his creditors how much he owed, and I tore into him about putting us into poverty. I was furious with my mother for letting him tear down her legacy, but I was far angrier he was denying us girls what was also rightfully ours with his need to impress his 'friends'."

He nodded along as he sharpened and cleaned their blades with long smooth strokes on the whetstone. This was not an uncommon story, he'd heard a few different versions of it from several suitors. Families brought to destitution because of poor decision-making, the foolish fathers then try to marry off their heir to a wealthy and influential partner in hopes that their family will be restored to its proper status through that union.

But he knew that Divina's story of the past had a happier ending, she had married and done her best to support her family, but after two marriages had failed her she came into her own strength and forged her own path... At least, that's how he understood it, she's been the most prominent provider for her family and even her surviving sisters didn't find half of the success that she has.
She successfully charted the choppy waters of merchant and noble politics and navigated the rushing rapids of the merchant counsel. Like the water she controlled she was ever changing and adapting, flowing around obstacles and rushing relentlessly towards her goals.

"You might remember this. There was a plague in Alliria, of a fever. It didn't kill many of the nobility, but it killed many of those who lived in squalor. I lost two sisters to it, and caught it myself." Her voice dropped, and for a moment, she was still.

"I remember the burning, the agony. They didn't send for a physician because we were almost destitute. But he came into my room one day, when I was on the verge of giving up. I remember all of it."

Her other hand rested on the shoulder he touched, then glanced up at him. Features calm, but in her eyes was the slightest wavering. "He shook me. Hard enough to make my teeth rattle, for me to feel like he would have shaken me to pieces if he kept it up. Then telling me I should have been a son, that I should be useful and die." Even saying those words was bitter, and she scowled. "I know he was drunk. That he truly didn't believe that... but I did. So I survived to spite him." Blue eyes flashed, momentarily, in anger. Not at him, nor even her father, just some directionless fury that faded within a moment. "What I do is for my mother. I inherited all so that she could live in comfort, and my surviving sisters as well. I just... want to be useful."

He'd heard of that plague. His empire was much smaller at the time but he had his feet under him and plenty of capital to back himself. While he wasn't in Alliria or the Reach at the time he received the news and immediately sent word that his employees would be taken care of, he had secured emergency relief supplies from some of his allies in Elbion who immediately sent them on to Alliria to aid her in its time of need... Many still died in spite of their efforts, a knot formed in his stomach to know that Divina suffered through that ordeal.

"Out here, I am not. I am a noblewoman, adjusted to fine things and a soft life. I wish I could do more; you've done so much already."

She set her jaw, shoulders still tense, embarrassed at all of that pouring out, feeling her face flush. It was clearly just the heat of the flames. She could blame it on the fire. "That's all."

He set down his blade and whetstone, got up and went and knelt to one knee facing her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned down, kissing her on the forehead.
"Put all thoughts of inadequacy out of your mind, Divina." He said in a low, gentle voice, almost a whisper.
"Your magic brought us through the river, I merely used the advantage you provided. Allow yourself this little bit of selfishness, do you sew your own clothing? Or do you call the seamstress? Do you mint your own coins? Or do you let the minter do it?"
He gave her his best reassuring smile.
"We have different skills, that's a fact. If you see something you CAN do, go ahead and do it, otherwise you shouldn't bemoan not having skills you haven't had the chance to develop. I'm not requiring you to be useful, in fact, allow me this opportunity to protect and provide for you."

He let his smile soften.
"Thank you for telling me what was on your mind, I'm sure it was difficult for you to speak of your past. I'm thankful for your trust. But, allow me to be honest, we must put ourselves aside for the time being, switch back to the mind of merchants and speak clearly and logically."
Almost on command his face was emotionless. His next words weren't said harshly but with a snap of logical analysis.
"We are currently trying to survive in the wilderness and we must assume that we are still being hunted by assassins. We must recognize our inadequacies and do our best with what we know, if you don't know what to do please recognize that and allow me to take the lead, I promise to do the same. If we lean on our strengths instead of our weaknesses and remain logical and aloof from ourselves, we can survive with the greatest efficiency and make it home alive."

He kissed her and allowed the mask to drop for a moment to give her a look... A mixture of love, reassurance and apology. He would have liked to have been more sensitive to her feelings, but these feelings could get in the way and lower her spirits which could effect their chances of survival. He needed her to get back into the right mindset, to not see her inadequacies as a barrier but an opportunity to rely on him if he was capable of it... After all, wasn't that how a team worked? How a partnership worked? How husband and wife worked?

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

He set down his blade and whetstone, got up and went and knelt to one knee facing her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned down, kissing her on the forehead.
"Put all thoughts of inadequacy out of your mind, Divina." He said in a low, gentle voice, almost a whisper.
"Your magic brought us through the river, I merely used the advantage you provided. Allow yourself this little bit of selfishness, do you sew your own clothing? Or do you call the seamstress? Do you mint your own coins? Or do you let the minter do it?"
He gave her his best reassuring smile.
"We have different skills, that's a fact. If you see something you CAN do, go ahead and do it, otherwise you shouldn't bemoan not having skills you haven't had the chance to develop. I'm not requiring you to be useful, in fact, allow me this opportunity to protect and provide for you."

He let his smile soften.
"Thank you for telling me what was on your mind, I'm sure it was difficult for you to speak of your past. I'm thankful for your trust. But, allow me to be honest, we must put ourselves aside for the time being, switch back to the mind of merchants and speak clearly and logically."

He was right. Dwelling on these thoughts would only be detrimental... she had to be more tired than she thought to allow such thoughts a breath of consideration. But when he mentioned protecting, her heart did another strange lurch. When was the last time she allowed someone to protect and provide?

There had always been guards, once House Rosenstern fell into her hands. But she had always protected and provided for herself, never allowing any other an inch, because there was always the risk of failure. But... she would still do what she could.

Watching the cool mask click into place, she nodded once. They had both navigated rough tides alone before, and just because they survived this initial attack, didn't mean that it would be the only one, especially now. She doubted whomever financed these assassins had shallow pockets; the suggestion of death wouldn't be enough.

She had no doubt the ones in charge would want proof. Well, she'd be happy to disappoint that.

She rested her hands over his own, leaning up when he kissed her, then nodded once. "You're right. Thank you, love." However... the barest hint of a smile touched her lips, and she leaned back. "Let's eat, then. There isn't time to waste."

There was no luxury of wallowing now; she could rely on him. She would do her best by her own strengths, but she could allow him to protect and provide, and do what she could in return. Thankfully, they were warmer now, and had survived the freezing water and cooler night. Now there was just the time ahead.

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

"You're right. Thank you, love." However... the barest hint of a smile touched her lips, and she leaned back. "Let's eat, then. There isn't time to waste."

So strong... How she managed to pull herself together just like that was certainly unprecedented in his life, Divina is unique, she's unclouded and sees things clearly.
He put away his tools and set to taking the meat off the spit, using two flat rocks as plates.
"We should gather our supplies and leave immediately after eating," He said between mouthfuls, "We shouldn't even spare the time breaking camp or covering our tracks, I fear we've lost enough time as it is just trying to recover."

One direction was as good as any at this point, they just needed to create as much distance as they could from the river and hopefully lose any pursuers in the process. But ideally they needed to head north towards Mardania, making their connection with the tradesmen there wasn't so important now, but it was the closest city... Provided they hadn't drifted too far down the river.

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

She was hungry enough, that the lack of flavoring added to the meat didn't bother her. It almost reminded her of her younger years; a time she never thought she'd view with any nostalgia. But they were dry, warm, and they had enough food between them hopefully. She nodded along to his words, not even wasting her time to talk. Truth be told, he had given her much to think over. His own strengths, and abilities to focus and prioritize, make her consider him. Not for the first time, was she impressed with his agile thinking and ability to adapt to the situation.

But... she had no idea where they were. She could still hear the river, but beyond that, there was no noise.

No, it was more than that.

There were no animal sounds. No birdsong, no sounds of creatures splashing or crunching through the underbrush. The hair prickled at the back of her neck, and she glanced about very slowly. She couldn't see anyone... but she could almost swear that there were no sounds.

She shook her head once.

"We'll have to leave, now."

Almost as soon as she said it, there was the sound of a twig snapping.

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

The lack of noise wasn't easy to miss, especially for Tzuriel's senses. It was as if the forest was holding its breath.
A feeling of dread crept up his spine, the forest never went quite when normal people or creatures passed through it, humans didn't normally register as predators to hide from unless they were so malicious that animals could sense their intentions, animals in the forest used to silence their voices for him when he used to be a supernatural creature.

"We'll have to leave, now."

And then the twig snapped and he knew it wasn't an assassin that was approaching.
"Move!" He whispered urgently.

Immediately Tzuriel was on his feet and throwing everything he could into the backpack. He grabbed his sword, pushed the pack into Divina's arms, he then took her by the hand and began to quickly lead her away from the camp.
It was difficult to tell how far away the sound was, with the forest so quiet such a loud sound could have traveled much farther, but it didn't matter, near or far they had stayed in one place for too long... And that could be a fatal mistake.

He quickly headed northwards at a brisk trot helping Divina along, he brought up the rear to present himself as a target before Divina, looking back the way they had come every few seconds trying to spot signs of pursuit. Their boots crunched in the frosted ground, leaving clear tracks, Tzuriel knew it was only a matter of time before whatever it was caught up with them.
While they moved he belted on his sword and kept his hand on the hilt, being watchful he would occasionally catch glimpses of something moving between the pines, or hear the sounds of something large crashing through the brush.

They climbed up a small draw and Tzuriel allowed a pause to catch their breath, still watching behind them, trying to track their pursuer.
"How are you holding up?"
He asked with concern.

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

She couldn't explain it, but that cold feeling of terror was an alien one. Never before had she experienced it as much in a scant few days as she had now. But being tracked by assassins was one thing.

Being tracked by something she wasn't sure of was an entirely different situation.

Her lungs burned and legs ached as they fled deeper into the woods, trying to outmaneuver whatever tracked them. Every now and then, she would get a glimpse of fur, a glowing red eye, but aside from heavy footfalls, she couldn't quite get a glimpse of their pursuer, nor what beast were they.

When at last they paused for breath, she leaned over, a stitch running a jackknife of pain up her sides with every breath. Grimacing, she rubbed at her side, trying to gain enough breath to answer.

"I'm... alright," she managed, giving a slight nod.

But she could still sense it was out there. Once, as before, there was silence. But if it was behind them, the wind would have blown their scent away. Her eyes scanned the dense trees, , and she shivered despite the heat in her face and her pounding heart.

It wasn't far away.

A long, low howl suddenly broke the quiet, and she whiteknuckled the fabric of her dress, wishing like mad they were closer to the river. She had their waterskins, but that wouldn't be enough. Not for long. What if it was wolves? Or... something else?

Whatever it was, it was still looking for them.

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

"I'm... alright,"

"Good..."
He took a deep breath to calm himself and quiet himself so that he could listen. He reached out with his senses, trying to detect anything he could about their pursuer.
The howl was definitely disconcerting, lupine yet like no wolf that Tzuriel knew of.

He lowered his voice to a whisper, "If it's a wolf or dog of some kind it can track us by scent... And unless it's vastly slower than us it's trying to toy with us..."
He was sniffing the air, trying to catch something familiar. Nothing was tracking, he couldn't find a familiar baseline to identify anything besides the pines around them.

He caught sight of a bush suddenly jostling a good fifty yards away. He didn't like running if they couldn't shake off pursuit, they will just end up tired from running while this things tracks them down and kills them at its leisure.
But was this an enemy they could fight? His sword was enchanted, that should be able to be used against most magical resistances of monsters... Hopefully. Their disadvantage was not knowing what it was that was chasing them.
He turned to Divina, "My love, We can't keep going like this if we can't lose it. Should we make a stand?"
He drew his rapier, the blade shimmered slightly in the morning light.

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

Could they fight it? She wasn't sure what it was; there were suppositions, a hypothesis or two in place, but they couldn't run from it forever, if it was even alone. That last bit made her bite her lower lip, dark brows creasing in self-consternation.

She could hear something moving, howling still. Pulling one water skin open, she nodded at him once.

"We might not have a choice."

She trusted him. She would also do her best to protect him. This was not managing a river, but even she had a few tricks up her sleeves.

It didn't take long to reveal itself.

A massive, shaggy creature, bent over. At first, she would have thought humanoid, were it not for the long muzzle. Fangs, bared from within a lupine face, bloodied saliva dripping from its' lips. She noted in shock that the tatters that barely clung to it were similar to one of the assassins that had pursued them from the river.

It wouldn't allow her to stand like that for long, though. With a snarl, it charged forward, raising a razor-clawed paw towards the immediate threat of Tzuriel. She lashed forward first, the water forming an ice spear that caught it in its' shoulder, making it cry out in pain and tumble short of its' goal. It wasn't enough to stop, however, as it began to try to claw itself to rise, snarling at the pair.

She began to melt the spear from its' flesh, to continue using the water until the beast was downed. She was grateful, at least, that she did not have to directly touch such tainted water, but she would have to keep an eye out for any other enemies.

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

"We might not have a choice."

"Very well... I love you." He kissed her on the cheek before turning to face the creature now coming into full view.
He cursed then and there as soon as he saw the creature standing below them. He expected a troll or a dire wolf or maybe a wendigo... But that was a damn werewolf!
He knew of them from his time as a vampire but he never had the misfortune to meet one.

As the creature charged he braced with his sword ready to meet the beast, fortunately he didn't have to face the brunt of a charge, the ice spear Divina summoned caused it to stumble and took the momentum from its charge. He'd never seen her use her magic for combat, that was an impressive application!
"Keep up a ranged assault, keep it off balance, we could overwhelm it!"
He advanced quickly as the wolf got its feet under it to continue its climb.
His rapier was a lighter weapon, better suited for sword duels and quick thrusts. Still, he was proficient in its use and this wasn't his first rodeo fighting a brutish or animalistic opponent.

As the wolf recovered it was suddenly faced with a glittering flurry of steel flashing in its face, Tzuriel sent a swift barrage of thrusts and slashes towards the beasts face, drawing blood quickly in his attempt to bedazzle the wolf. The magical sharpness enchantment dealt far deeper wounds than the cuts would have warranted.
The wolf winced and yelped at the sudden assault on its face and muzzle and sent a wild swing towards his attacker, Tzuriel met the paw of razor claws with the point of his sword, the wolf drew back again and yelped is if it had just stepped on a nail.

Tzuriel stepped back quickly to avoid the second swing. Always he kept his sword pointed at his enemy. He needed to assess whether the magic of his sword was being effective against a creature who's only popular weakness was silver, magic was generally a good substitute but not always. The wolf now had a hole in its torso and several bad cuts on its face and paws...
"Hit it again!" He called to Divina.
From what Tzuriel could tell the wolf wasn't healing very quickly if at all.

He dropped into a duelist stance, free hand behind his back and his body turned sideways to his opponent, blade pointed at the werewolf's heart. His confidence was growing, they had a good chance to survive this!

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

I love you.

Such small, simple words. And yet, when he said them, they burned through her. Did he know how much it affected her, to hear such a simple declaration? A sudden, fleeting smile touched her lips, but she didn't have time to reply, not immediately. She could trust his ability to fight, but nonetheless her heart leapt to her throat when he came closer to the beast to parry it. She wanted to reply to him as well, but in that moment, she needed her focus. She would not sit idly by and play the victim; if the assassin was still attempting to kill them based on employ, or animalistic need, she would fight by Tzuriel, just as she promised she had on the ship.

She would go with him.

The water began to crackle as it once more began to turn to ice, but she had a different idea. Planting her feet firmly in the ground, she whipped it forward towards the creature's eyes, attempting to slice and blind the being. It yowled in pain and fury as the ice-razed water slashed, swinging its' other paw out in an attempt to bat away the mage's effect. Blood dripped, and it let out another howling snarl, swiping again at Tzuriel and growling deep.

"I love you too," she managed to utter out, calling the water back once more. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out using strictly magic; though she had skill, she rarely had to use these abilities to this extent. But she wouldn't worry him. She had to keep pushing on to keep him safe.

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

That was a good hit, a good tactic especially if it's not healing so good. Now their opponent was blinded with blood running down its furry face.

"I love you too,"

He gave a brief smile to himself in silent acknowledgement, the beast was flailing now, trying to get him to keep his distance so that it might have a chance to recover.
Tzuriel moved in anyways, the swings were wide sweeping and heavily broadcast, he could react to them as if they were moving in slow motion.

He was confident in his skills and now with their situation, He ducked under a wild swing and drove his sword upwards into the beasts chest... Through the creature's heart.
His eyes flashed gold as he felt the powerful heartbeat reverberate through his sword, he felt a thrill go up and down his spine... It's been quite some time since he's reveled in the death of something like this.

He was just about to pull out when he suddenly realized he couldn't. He blinked once in confusion, it's like something held him by the shoulder and wouldn't let him withdraw.
He looked at his right shoulder... That's when the excruciating pain kicked in.
The werewolf held his shoulder, locked in the jaws of death.

He cried out when the pain registered. He drew the dagger and jammed it into the werewolf's jaw, in a burst of adrenaline he pried the jaws open which released his shoulder, he bled from the deep wounds from the wolf's jaws, it's mouth was big enough to bite all the way from his shoulder to the bottom of his shoulder blade.
He staggered back and landed on his rear as the werewolf collapsed.
"Cut its head off... We need to be sure it's dead..."
He gritted out between clenched teeth.

Fear... He felt fear now... And it was greater than any pain he now felt... He'd been bitten by a werewolf.

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

At first, she was beginning to feel relieved. The beast was starting to die, surely they could defeat it together. She had faith in the both of them, they would survive regardless. But when the creature's jaws suddenly snapped around his shoulder, she could feel herself freeze.

Her lips parted, but she wasn't sure if she uttered a sound. Her heart stilled, her hands suddenly grew cold as she watched blood well where the beast's maw was. And then, she could feel it, startling even herself.

Fury.

Red swept her vision, making her hands shake, but suddenly, her eyes blazed a brilliant, icy blue. She was numb, number than after being free from the river, but she felt power suddenly pulse to life in her veins, and when he fell she gritted her jaw.

"You fiend."

Her voice dripped with icy, disdainful venom. Water droplets began to rise, from around them they pulled free, even from the ground where the beast's blood pooled. She stepped forward, but seeing the light fade from its' eyes wasn't enough. It wasn't enough. It wasn't revenge enough. If that thing cursed him...

That thought was enough to make her snap.

Suddenly, she lashed her hands out, and its' limp body and twisted. A strange sound, snapping and tearing, emanated from the body as suddenly its' own head seemed to sever by itself, the pressure of the liquid within its' own noose and guillotine. She flung its' head far, far away, and only watching it sail off did she remember.

Seeing Tzuriel fall snapped her back, and she flung the tainted water away, seeing him bleed. Her hands trembled, and she took a deep breath, reaching for the other waterskin. "I need to clean the wounds," she spoke at him, trying to keep her mind focused. "Stay with me, darling. Focus on me. Tell me what you feel." She began to massage the water around the wounds, to cleanse them, to hopefully wash out the saliva of the cursed creature in time, before tearing strips of her own skirt, and binding them. She'd have to find more water, herbs to stem the bleeding and hopefully slow, if not cease infection. But to bind them would be enough.

"Tell me about this trip. What would you like to see?" Her own words were meant to keep him focused, and herself as well. If he fell to this curse... it would be her own fault. She would save him no matter what, but for now she had to treat the bite.

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

The werewolf certainly met a gruesome fate. He watched in awe as Divina's magic ripped its head off internally and sent it flying over the treetops.
He breathed a sigh of relief when the remaining corpse began to further twist and transform back into its human form. All he had to go on was hearsay when it came to killing werewolves, but this seemed to be a good sign that the beast was sufficiently dead.

Divan was by his side quickly and she began checking him over.

Seeing Tzuriel fall snapped her back, and she flung the tainted water away, seeing him bleed. Her hands trembled, and she took a deep breath, reaching for the other waterskin. "I need to clean the wounds," she spoke at him, trying to keep her mind focused. "Stay with me, darling. Focus on me. Tell me what you feel." She began to massage the water around the wounds, to cleanse them, to hopefully wash out the saliva of the cursed creature in time, before tearing strips of her own skirt, and binding them. She'd have to find more water, herbs to stem the bleeding and hopefully slow, if not cease infection. But to bind them would be enough.

"Tell me about this trip. What would you like to see?" Her own words were meant to keep him focused, and herself as well. If he fell to this curse... it would be her own fault. She would save him no matter what, but for now she had to treat the bite.

He chuckled, which made him wince in pain, "Hurts like hell, but I'm not losing consciousness." He gave her a panged smile, "I'm fine, all things considered..."
He took off his coat and shirt to allow her to clean the wound. There was plenty of bruising and several punctures, but it wasn't a horrible wound or crippling injury... What made it dangerous was that it came from a werewolf, which could allegedly infect others with a single bite.

Knowing that he instinctively looked up at the sky, it was still morning, he didn't remember what phase of the moon was out last night... He didn't check any lunar charts recently, was a full moon coming on soon? Was a full moon even actually required? He hadn't done enough research, he knew that not all vampiric curses were the same, were all lycanthropic curses the same? This werewolf was out and about without a care for the moon, so did that even matter? There was too much he didn't know.

As Divina cleaned his wound his mind was racing. Were there any cures on the market for lycanthropy? He might be able to go to a church that could do it, he'd heard of a vampire that found a cure for vampirism through their piety, Heike Eisen... The one who brought him to task for his sins and convinced him to accept punishment.
It was so hard to separate what was fable and what was fact, Wolfs Bane came to mind, but was that a cure for lycanthropy or a poison for werewolves? Both?

He sighed, "There's no fooling ourselves around this. It happened, I've been bitten by a werewolf... What do you know about them? I don't know what legends about them are just that or which ones have grains of truth."

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

"There's no fooling ourselves around this. It happened, I've been bitten by a werewolf... What do you know about them? I don't know what legends about them are just that or which ones have grains of truth."

Her hands stilled over his shoulder. How could he seem so calm about this? Though he had been a vampire previous... couldn't they have any peace? Or would every night be like this? Would she never have a moment in life where something good came with a dark side and heavy secrets attached?

She sighed for herself... and gritted her jaw, lowering her hands once she finished wrapping his shoulder. "...Only legends," she replied quietly, forcing herself to take a deep breath. It was her fault. If they had kept moving, they could have outran it, or outsmarted it, or even---

No.

She gave herself a firm mental shake, scowling. She didn't have time for doubts and anguish to drag her down again; she would have to face this squarely.

"When we meet with our caravan, we will find the answers... and the cure together." Her eyes blazed with determination, squaring her shoulders. "And deal with what happens. If you've been infected..." she closed her eyes once, letting her shoulders drop as a slow exhale slipped from her lips, "...then we'll adapt. We will find a solution. Meanwhile, do you feel up for further trekking?" She stood, then brushed off her skirt and held out her hand. "We'll have to find the river again, I need to locate more water."

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

"When we meet with our caravan, we will find the answers... and the cure together." Her eyes blazed with determination, squaring her shoulders. "And deal with what happens. If you've been infected..." she closed her eyes once, letting her shoulders drop as a slow exhale slipped from her lips, "...then we'll adapt. We will find a solution. Meanwhile, do you feel up for further trekking?"

He let her see the pride on his face, she was taking this seriously which meant she wasn't losing her head.
"I can walk easily enough, it's a fairly shallow wound. As far as bites go I've been through worse."
He took her hand and let her help him to his feet. The worst of the bite had already dulled to a steady ache. He was glad the werewolf was dead when it bit him, otherwise he was sure it would have started shaking and twisting to take his arm off.

"We'll have to find the river again, I need to locate more water."

He considered it for a moment, her magic was useful and also water was necessary for survival... "We'll look for a stream along the way," he finally concluded.
"We shouldn't go back the way we came and we can't get drinkable water from the silt in that river."
He winced and put a hand to his wound as some of the muscle action in his shoulder antagonized the cuts.

He used his left hand to sheath his sword and switched it to his right hip for easier use. He favored his right arm, moving it as little as possible to not antagonize the wounds. He put on his shirt and coat, using one of the inside pockets to help as a sling for his arm inside his coat. He looked northwards and nodded to Divina that he was ready.
"We can readily assume that if they thought we were dead before they won't think so any longer when they find their dead associate and his wounds. We should consider ourselves in constant danger from this point forward."

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

She loathed seeing him in pain. Every wince, every grimace, she wanted to ease somehow; but given their current situation, she was helpless. She wished she had her books with her; she could somehow piece together a way to fight the curse... perhaps even alleviate it. But what troubled her most was that their antagonist had been in broad daylight. Granted, these were deep woods, but...

What if they were more than werewolves? Shapechangers?

She saw the pride glowing in his face, but a flush of shame darkened her own cheeks. However, she didn't look away. Now wasn't the time for self-pity or pointing a finger at herself to blame; he was right, they were only somewhat in danger before.

Now, it was a constant threat. Perhaps it was wrong... but part of her hoped he was infected. It could be useful, to become a creature stronger than---

She clamped that thought off before it could finish with a scowl. That was dangerous thinking. Werewolves had little to no awareness of their human selves; they acted on instinct. If Tzuriel became one of them, he would be no different. And...

That dream haunted her. She couldn't help but lift her hand slightly, as though to cover her stomach... then she stilled, slowly lowering it once more. She couldn't be bearing a child now. It was too soon. And they first had to survive the journey ahead.

Taking a deep breath, she gathered her skirt in one hand, and left the other free in preparation for finding cleaner, drinkable water.

 

[Tzuriel Alanthis]

He started ahead, leading the way through the woods... Yes, this was more a wood than a forest, it had more trees than underbrush and they grew close together so they often had to step over, duck under, or squeeze between the frequent birch and pine trees.
He led at a slower pace to take his time climbing over fallen trees or through thick growths in order to guard his shoulder, there were twinges of pain in spite of his efforts, but overall the pain has reduced to a dull ache. Especially with Divina's skilled tending, he was healing quickly.

They pushed their way along and as the sun climbed the frost began to melt and the sod began to dry, making their passing far more difficult to track. They continued on and Tzuriel noticed their elevation was increasing, the trees grew farther apart and the ground opened up a bit more, he became very conscious of open spaces and did his best to avoid them, a newfound sense of vulnerability seemed to caution his actions.

After a few hours he motioned for a halt. He let out a long sigh as he found a patch of moss under a tree and sat on it.
He spoke low, to keep his voice from carrying very far.
"They most certainly found the body by now, if they have a decent tracker they've guessed which way we went. We should rest for a minute, gather our strength for another push..."
He took a swallow from his cantine and handed it to Divina. He didn't show it, but he was concerned about her current well-being.
"We should also plot our next move."

 

[Divina Rosenstern]

She didn't want to show any weakness. But between the survival of the glacial river, running from their previous assailant, and now trying to keep up with Tzuriel's long strides, her normally limited stamina was severely taxed. She did manage to find some water, enough clean water to refill, but not enough time to linger. And now they had to take a brief breather.

She tried to sink gracefully next to him, but the moment her knees bent, she collapsed almost bonelessly, barely managing to suppress the grimace that touched her lips. Part of her wanted to ask if he knew where they were headed, but exhaustion, and a willingness to believe in his own woodsense, kept the questions at bay. Wordlessly, she accepted the cantine with a nod, only sparing a few swallows.

She didn't look at him straight away, but kept her features neutral, looking out into the woods. It was hard to tell how many hours of daylight they would have left, or if they still had pursuits in these woods. But if there were more like that previous assassin, being on the move would not help their situation.

"We should also plot our next move."

Finally giving him a sideways glance, her own voice was quiet, leaning against him briefly. She couldn't help herself; now that they had a moment, she wanted to touch him, mindful of his other, injured shoulder, before straightening again.

"I agree. We don't have much light, and we need to regroup with the caravan, if there are any survivors." she wasn't going to soften her words; he knew her too well for her to be anything but brutally honest. "Hiding in the forest is a good strategy, but we need to find the direction for our end point of the journey. Hopefully, there will be some of our company remaining, and looking out for us. If not..." she let the words fall briefly, for a moment concern flaring to life in blue eyes, before veiling it once more. "If not, we seek the exit portal and return home. One step at a time."

Truth be told, she wasn't sure if she could trek further. She was already near her physical limitations. She was no knight or hardy woman; her life had been one of luxury and, for the most part, minimal physical labor. But so long as she was by his side, she could bear it.

Just until they would have reached safety.