Private Tales S.A.P.

[Kiara]

Kiara didn’t waste much time shopping, if the store didn’t have what she was looking for, she would be on her way, searching somewhere else. Although she was a girl, shopping was not something that she would appreciate. Her plan was: enter the store, buy what she needs and then out. Simple. If the store didn’t have the items, then there was no use trying to persuade her to buy other things, some storekeepers tried and failed, since she would not even waste another second in there. She was like this mainly because of how Hellius had raised her, and well, the elf did not have any female friends so, some traits of the male elf had rubbed off on her.
After a few stores, Kiara had everything she needed. The elf had bought a fluffy light grey, long coat. It was perfect, since the coat could be turned into a long winter dress, if the elf wished that way, all she needed to do was buttoning up the coat. She could not deny, the winter dress/coat was beautiful, it also came with a little cape over the shoulders and a big hood decorated with white fur. To complete the set, she also got a scarf, gloves and tight-high stockings. Once she was done, both, spellsinger and bounty hunter, went for supplies that would be needed during the trip.

Back at the motel room, Kiara packed her things, she didn’t have much, to begin with. All her stuff had been left on her bedroom in the college, not even her money, she was able to grab before she was thrown into the dungeons. As the elf listened Jaken’s plan, she crossed her arms, she didn't like it, not even a bit, but still, she listened until the end, then she started in a small voice.
“I... I don’t really like that plan of yours, like you said, it’s dangerous." She lowered her head. "I know that since I left the college, I have not been a great help, and I also promise you, to pay you back every single gold coin you have spent with me." She lifted her head, a sad expression taking over her face while she looked into the werewolf's eyes. "But... resort to steal… You are a bounty hunter not a thief. You are way better than that.” She stopped, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry… I know that you have your own ways, but you are not alone anymore, if both of us do a brainstorm, we might find another….” The elf fallen silent, not even finishing her sentence, something popped into her mind, her eyes now filled with a renewed hope. “I think I have a solution for our problem! Take me to the city gates. If my plan does not work, then I will not complain about yours.”

After a long walk, the city gates were already in sight, from afar it was possible to see a stable with horses for travelers to rent. Inside of it, it was possible to see an orc, brushing and taking care of some horses. Noticing the potential client, the orc left what he was doing and came near the stable door, then something caught his attention, it was the hairpin that the elf carried on her head.
“Kiara? Is that you?” Said the orc with a deep strong voice.
Now the duo was close enough the see the orc’s features, he was tall, passing the 2m mark, with strong arms, filled with battle scars. But the one that would catch most people attention, was a nasty scar that he had on his left eye, leaving him blind from that eye.
“Yeah, it is you, damnit, you were so little, last time I saw you were still a child.” He said now seeing the elf up close. “Now look at you, hmm wait… you are still small… didn´t you eat properly? Or you are still growing?” He finally said, scratching the back of his head.
“Hi Gunthor, it is nice to see you too, you look the same as I remember, and as for your question, I don’t think I will grow any more than this” Kiara said with a childish voice, giggling a bit.
“What brings you here? Don’t tell me you had come to rent a horse? If that’s the case, then you came to the right place, I will even do you a great price. And who is this guy?
“Oh, I´m sorry, this is Jaken, he is a friend. No, well, yes, you are not entirely mistaken, I came here so you could rent me a mount, but not a horse. I was thinking if you could rent me Fafurion… Please…”

 

[Adriwolf]

Jaken heard Kiara's opinion about his plan. He was aware of the dangers, the Black Market was a place were if you trip with business, you are most likely to be chased down and get taken care of. But he knew his way around such place, he had studied it closely and know most of the people working there, he knew exit points, hiding spots, ways to escape if he got discovered, or at least, that's how it was on his own. A hipogriff would make things more complicated: a big beast, with wings, high screeches, it might wake up anyone in an opened radius, he had to study some more to make an exit like that.
"I know I'm not a thief." he said to Kiara's comment "But sometimes, things must be done to have success, sometimes when you have to do good, you have to be the bad guy. As I said, I don't know for how long will we stay over there, what if I spend all of my money? What if I end up owing the guy that could rent me the hipogriff? Any person that works in the Black Market takes money seriously. If I have a debt that might take me some time to pay off, they could send anyone to talk about business, and dare I say, not in the friendliest of ways.... besides.... it is said that hipogriffs are not treated kindly over there. Not enough food, little to no clean space, maybe some beatups by their master, if you think about it, I'd be doing a hipogriff a favor, well, that is if what they say turns out to be truth."

“I think I have a solution for our problem! Take me to the city gates. If my plan does not work, then I will not complain about yours.”

Jaken sighed "If my plan makes you uncomfortbale or worry too much about me, and you have something better, then maybe we should take it. My plans always involve some risk, maybe your plan can keep us out of unnecessary danger." he reflected "Oh what the hell? What is your plan?"

As the duo made their way to the city gates, Jaken was on thee lookout for any suspicious activity, maybe some guards looking still looking for them, or another assasination attempt, but nothing came. It was just another day in Elbion. It was relaxed, not too active, maybe this was the better option than what Jaken had thought on, and he really couldn't really be surprised about it. He had seen that him and Kiara were opposites world. Jaken was dangerous, always up to taking the dangerous route to get what he wants, exposing himself to the danger on every turn. Was that correct? On the other hand, Kiara was serene, peacefully, steady, always taking the most peaceful and dscreet ways to acheive what she wanted, she was cautious, sure, Jaken was a s well, but Kiara was more cautious than the werewolf. Soon, they both had arrived at a horse stable, with an orc taking care of the animals. Did Kiara planned on renting a horse? How would a horse take ALL the way to Belgrath in a matter of few days, they didn't had enough time to travel on horse. The question came to his mind: was this a good idea?

“Yeah, it is you, damnit, you were so little, last time I saw you were still a child.” He said now seeing the elf up close. “Now look at you, hmm wait… you are still small… didn´t you eat properly? Or you are still growing?” He finally said, scratching the back of his head.

The orc started talking as if he knew Kiara. Did he? Did Kiara have contacts like he did? Was this orc Jaken's Merkl?

“Oh, I´m sorry, this is Jaken, he is a friend. No, well, yes, you are not entirely mistaken, I came here so you could rent me a mount, but not a horse. I was thinking if you could rent me Fafurion… Please…”

Fafurion. A name that Jaken had never heard of before. What was it? What kind of cretaure was she talking about? Could it be something to make them move quicker than a hipogriff? Was it better than a gad damn dragon?
There was only one way to know

 

[Kiara]

Jaken sighed "If my plan makes you uncomfortbale or worry too much about me, and you have something better, then maybe we should take it. My plans always involve some risk, maybe your plan can keep us out of unnecessary danger." he reflected "Oh what the hell? What is your plan?"

“Of course, I worry about you. You admitted it yourself that your plan, it’s dangerous. As you said, people from the Black Market are not to be messed with. I don’t want both of us being hunted down for stealing a hippogriff. Furthermore, what you would do to the creature once we returned? Have you even thought about it?” The elf sighed. “Maybe I’m just too naive… and I know that we see the world in different ways…. My plan? You will find out once we get there.” She said, giving him a smile while closing her eyes and tilting her head a bit.

Hearing Kiara’s request, Gunthor slightly widen his good eye, before giving a stern look to the elf. “Does Chronos know about this?" He asked in a half-serious tone.
“Hmm… What do you mean by that?” Kiara was now clearly confused. What Hellius had to do with all of this? Realizing his mistake, the orc tried to dodge the elf’s question.
“I mean… You are leaving Elbion, with this guy!” The orc barely couldn’t disguise that he had tripped on something that was not meant to be said, in fact the orc was never too clever, clearly a man of actions not words, but his body language made up to persuade any further questions.
“Anyway, it’s none of my business… I’m not allowed to rent Fafurion, BUT, since it is for YOU, I think there is no problem.”
“Thank you, I don't want to abuse your kindness, but… I need another favor.” Now the elf lowered her head, trying to hide her embarrassment for what she was about to say. “Do you mind if I pay you, once I return, for two reasons, first I don’t know for how long I will be out and second… because I left my coin bag on my room” She was honest with the orc.
Rubbing his forehead with two of his fingers, as if thinking of something hard, the orc finally said with a deep sigh. “We can solve things once you arrive, in private, just the two of us. Until there, you promise me to take good care of Fafurion and yourself.” The orc said while staring at Jaken, it was the first time he had seen the elf with someone else other than Hellius. He was full of questions. If he had learned something from all the years that he had worked there, would be, DO NOT ask questions. But still, Kiara was not a regular client for him, since he knew her since she was a child. “Now come on, I don’t have all day, another client might come while we are out, so let’s get moving.” With this the orc went inside the stable, returning a little after with a piece of dry meat and modified set of saddle and reins, closing the stable door behind him.

The trio was now walking in the forest for almost 40 minutes, Gunthor leading the way. They stopped near a small river, the orc placed the set on the floor, turning to Kiara and Jaken, talking to both, especially to the werewolf. “Now stay calm, Fafurion has quite a temper towards strangers. Don’t show him any weakness and also don’t defy him. Let’s say that he is a very prideful creature, show that you are worthy of his respect, fail to do that and most likely he will attack.” With that said the orc gave a powerful whistled, an ear-piercing whistle echoed throughout the whole valley. A few seconds later the orc clicked his tongue, while trying to relax the accumulated tension on his shoulders.
Finally, something was coming, a faint flap of wings, and something big had landed not too far away, creeping in the shadows of the trees, shaking some bushes. Fafurion showed himself, a majestic big creature, big enough to carry the trio without effort at all, a mixture between a wyvern and a panther, a nargacuga, sharing traits from both species. From the wyvern, he possessed dark scales on his lower body and tail, giving him a good natural armor and a deadly whip, his front paws modified to serve two purposes, paws to move and run on the ground, with sharp claws to turn into shreds his opponents, and strong membrane wings to lift him into the air. The rest was from his panther side, a big fluffy head, piercing yellow eyes that could see in the darkness, a pair of modified ears, and to complete, a set of saber tooth fangs. His upper body part was covered with soft black fur with blue hues.
Stepping into the light, Fafurion sniffed the air, turning his head to Gunthor, giving a low deep grunt, as if demanding something. The orc did not waste time, throwing to the creature the piece of dry meat. In a snap, Fafurion caught the meat and devoured it. Turning his attention to the elf and werewolf. “Remember, stay calm, let him go to you, and no sudden moves” The orc warned.
Placing his piercing yellow eyes on the elf, Fafurion moved close, sniffing Kiara's hair. Then the nargacuga rubbed his head on hers, giving a low purr. “He remembers you. Great! Go ahead, pet him if you want. Clearly, he missed you, after all these years, your relationship with him didn’t change at all.” Kiara started to giggle, Fafurion’s warm breath tickling against her skin. The spellsinger placed her forehead on his, while patting Fafurion's chin. “I missed you too, you are such a good boy, I'm glad that you still remember me.” After greeting the elf, the nargacuga placed his attention on the human. In the same second Gunthor turned to Jaken. “This is it! Don’t move and hold your ground, he is testing you. Remember what I told before.” Fafurion hissed while moving around Jaken, analyzing him, before stopping right in front of the human. Straightening his posture, appearing to be bigger and larger, while looking down, directly at the werewolf’s eyes, as if he could see Jaken’s soul, then the hissing turned into a low, deep grunt, moving his head slowly, stopping only a few millimeters from Jaken’s face, displaying his sharp fangs.

 

[Adriwolf]

“I mean… You are leaving Elbion, with this guy!”

Jaken raised an eyebrow at the orc. He was not going to fight him, but he could not help it. If the orc only knew what the duo had to go through to get to this point, he would be way more than "this guy". They had been helping each other through the problems of this little aventure, but then again, if the orc would only know about this. He let it slide, besides, he may become another contact. He could add him to the list of people he would reach out to: Merkl was his resource contact, Tauris was his dead-realted informant, Gerald was his magical informant, and the orc could probably provide him with fast traveling methods. If Kiara came to him for a fast travelling creature, then maybe the orc had other creatures that could catch the werewolves attention. So it was beter to not pick a fight with him.

“Anyway, it’s none of my business… I’m not allowed to rent Fafurion, BUT, since it is for YOU, I think there is no problem.”

"<<Not allowed to?>>" the werewolf thought "<<If he is not allowed to rent this Fafurion creature, then it may be illegal activity, almost like the Black Market, in that case, is this some kind of knock-off Black Market: almost the same but less strict? In addition, if this orc is this kind to Kiara and claims to have known her, maybe their bond would influence him to be kind on price and on business aspects. Should I take advantage of this?>>" while he was reflecting, he kept a straight face, placing his eye on the orc, watching for any movements, or an aggressive movement.

“Now come on, I don’t have all day, another client might come while we are out, so let’s get moving.” With this the orc went inside the stable, returning a little after with a piece of dry meat and modified set of saddle and reins, closing the stable door behind him.

Jaken still kept a straight face, watching the orc doing his thing. Dry meat, saddles and reins? Could it be that the creature the orc was thinking on was a dangerous one. Creatures that eat meat can be dangerous. With that, he deduced that he might to become defensive, but subtle about it.
As they made their way through the woods, Jaken looked everywhere, looking for any suspicious signs and marking the place with markpoints in case they needed to get out of there fast. He would grab Kiara's hand and sprint out of the forest in case anything happpened. But, in the meantime, he had no other choice than to trust Kiara trusting this friend of hers.

“Now stay calm, Fafurion has quite a temper towards strangers. Don’t show him any weakness and also don’t defy him. Let’s say that he is a very prideful creature, show that you are worthy of his respect, fail to do that and most likely he will attack.”

Jaken's face beccame focused with a slight hint of rage. Ready to enter in combat mode, slowly reaching for his back pocket, grabbing the handle of his hunting knife "Let's hope that doesn't happen, then." he sarcastically nodded.

And then, Jaken saw the Fafurion, a creature that reminded him of bats. A mutated bat, he found the creature beatiful. Majestic, a creature that would look lovely in the right environment. His wings were something that caught his attention, his body, perfect to carry the duo and the head was the best part, it looked menacing, powerful, a face that doesn't take shit from anyone, not even the werewolf bounty hunter, however, that would not mean that Jaken would subdue to his threatening look. Then again, the orc's indiccation of remaining calm was probably the best, after all, it wouldn't be the wisest thing to kill the creature if he dared attack him. The creature seemed friendly with Kiara, and apparently they have met before, but when the ccreature turned to Jaken, it became defensive... ready to attack if necessary. And so was Jaken, he kept a straight facce, but his right hand was grabbing the handle of his hunting knive, if it were nighttime (but it was the afternoon) he would be more than ready to transform into a werewolf. Again, only if necessary.

then the hissing turned into a low, deep grunt, moving his head slowly, stopping only a few millimeters from Jaken’s face, displaying his sharp fangs.

Jaken felt the need to growl at the creature, but he knew it would only make more problems. He kept the straiht face, staring down into the creatures eyes, grabbing with more force the handle of his trustworthy knife. "<<Attack!! I dare you,>>" he thought, still keeping the straight face. He remained calmed, the best way to fight is by being calm, if he showed fear or signs of wanting to attack, the situation would go south, and right now, it was the best option.

Both werewolf and nargacuga stared down at each others' eyes and souls.

 

[Kiara]

As Fafurion slowly moved closer to Jaken, the nargacuga noticed Jaken grabbing the knife, as a response, the hissing turned into a grunt, a clear warning, challenging the human to attack, while displaying his fangs.
The air was heavy and full of tension, both nargacuga and werewolf testing each other, seeing which one would break first, and make the first move.
Fafurion could hear Jaken's heartbeat, it was calm and steady. That straight face was no bluff, but the creature could see something more behind the human's eyes, it was the soul of a fighter. That look in the human's eyes, there was no fear or doubt, on the contrary, they were bold, not moving an inch from the creature piercing eyes, as if daring Fafurion to make the first move, but still, there were no signs of aggression on Jaken's eyes. True that Jaken had a knife in his hand, and Fafurion knew that, but still, there was nothing more, there was NOT any intention to attack him, only if necessary. Fafurion had seen that same eyes before... it was the look of his master, the same look his master had displayed on the very day Fafurion was tamed. Yes, this human had the same very eyes and soul of his master! After what seemed like hours, in reality just a few seconds had gone by, the nargacuga stopped his grunt, letting go a deep exhale on Jaken's face, messing with the man's hair. Returning to his natural posture, lowering his gravity center, Fafurion turned his attention to the river, going for a drink. As the creature moved away, he slightly brushed his tail on Jaken's leg.

"You made it! That slight brush of his, was his way to show his approval! For a second I thought he would just bite your head off, seems like you have some guts. Well done!" Gunthor praised Jaken giving him a friendly slap on his back, well, maybe with a little more force than was really needed, not that it was on purpose, the orc sometimes just forgot that humans were not so strong was his fellow orcs, making Jaken step forward from the impact. Kiara on the other hand was mesmerized by what just had happened, she never saw Jaken and Fafurion that way before, she was really impressed with both of them, then Gunthor question pulled her from her thoughts.
"Kiara, which of you will ride Fafurion?" Gunthor asked, while grabbing from the floor the set and moved closer to Fafurion, equipping his gear.
"It will be Jaken" she said.
"Well then Jaken, have you ever ride a nargacuga before? If not, let me give you some tips, as you can see he is not an ordinary mount, treat him with respect and he will respect you back, but I think both of you will get along just fine, basing on what I saw a few moments ago. you can ride him on the ground, he is very agile and evasive, way faster than any horse or other kind of creature. As for his flight, well he only looses to a creature such as wyverns, drakes and dragons, so forget the gryphons and hippogriffs, this guy here, is what you want for long distance travels. Whenever you don't need to ride him, for example, while you are camping, take off his gear, and let him free, he loves to hunt during the night, as you can see he is a predator and a night creature. By the morning if he has not returned, just whistle the same way I did, for sure he will come." Then he turned to Kiara. "Finally, he cares a lot for his fur, so whenever you can, give him a bath or at least brush his fur at night, that will help him to relax and he really enjoys that"
"I promise to take good care of him, don't worry" Finally Fafurion was ready for the journey. "I don't know when you will depart, but Fafurion is ready. So, when you are ready, just call him, but my advise it for both of you leave after the sun set." With that Gunthor said his goodbyes and returned to his post, there was always another client waiting to rent a horse. Leaving Fafurion in the spellsinger and werewolf's care.

 

[Adriwolf]

Jaken was aware that the creature he was staring down was onto him, it knew that he had the handle of his knife in his hand, ready to attack if the creature decided to become hostile. Then again, he thought on growling at the creature, but that would make things get worst. Stay calm, keep your heart rate steady, don't let any emotions out but dominance and confidence. As the werewolf's eyes stayed in contact with the nargacuga, time faded away. The bounty hunter stared into the creatures eyes, thinking on how marvelous they looked, adding up to the creature's beauty. Then, the creature stopped hissing and became relaxed. It blew on Jaken's face, letting the wolf-man know that everything was ok, everything was settled, everything was over. He released the handle of the weapon to look at the creature's whole face instead of just the eyes. The creature turned around, brushing its tail on Jaken's leg. Even though he had pants on, he could feel his soft fur on his skin. It was comfortable. It would make for good sheets to sleep at night.

"You made it! That slight brush of his, was his way to show his approval! For a second I thought he would just bite your head off, seems like you have some guts. Well done!"

Jaken heard the orc's praise and received that pat on his back. It was so strong it made him skip a bit due to the force "Well, I'm glad things wwent ok." he said "We need him to travel after all, it wouldn't be the wisest moves to antagonize it <<Winder if it will react differently if it sees me in my werewolf form... should I do it? Should I transform when the sun goes down and show it what I can become? Nah, it's better not taking the risk when we already have the perfect travelling creature.>>"

"It will be Jaken" she said.
"Well then Jaken, have you ever ride a nargacuga before? If not, let me give you some tips, as you can see he is not an ordinary mount, treat him with respect and he will respect you back, but I think both of you will get along just fine, basing on what I saw a few moments ago. you can ride him on the ground, he is very agile and evasive, way faster than any horse or other kind of creature. As for his flight, well he only looses to a creature such as wyverns, drakes and dragons, so forget the gryphons and hippogriffs, this guy here, is what you want for long distance travels. Whenever you don't need to ride him, for example, while you are camping, take off his gear, and let him free, he loves to hunt during the night, as you can see he is a predator and a night creature. By the morning if he has not returned, just whistle the same way I did, for sure he will come."

"Never rode one of this before." he commented "Never heard of them, actaully. But I can learn quickly. I can adapt quickly, and by what you are saying, I think we can understand each other fast." he said, looking at the creature drinking water

"I don't know when you will depart, but Fafurion is ready. So, when you are ready, just call him, but my advise it for both of you leave after the sun set."

"Yeah, sure...." he answered, still looking at the creature. As Gunthor walked away, he looked at Kiara "It seems that you also have some ccontacts under your sleeve. Might be useful at any other times. Have you known him for a while, he said that he remembers you since you were a child, also the creature, so I assume you have history with him. Interesting. Honestly, I never thought you'd had one of those." he chukled "Well then. Time is gold. Get ready, we have a long travel ahead of us."
He whistled at Fafurion. THe creature reacted swiftly and went to its temporal masters. Jaken couldn't help but to pat its head. He still thought it was a beatiful creature: its eyes, its face, body, wings, even how deadly he looked. Jaken was the first on mounting the creature.

He extended his hand to Kiara "C'mon, there's a witch waiting for us." he helped Kiara up and told her "The climate change between here and Belgrath will be noticable as we get closer. When you feel the slightest breeze of coldness, I suggest you put on your winter clothes as fast as you can." he turned to Fafurion "Alright pal, let's do this." he said to the creature's ears "Let's see how uuurrrrrrr......" he mumbled, trying to figure out how to fly this beatiful creature. Like a small child learning how to ride a horse, Jaken had some problems making Fafurion. Fafurions would stumble thanks to Jaken's lack of experience riding a new creature. Jaken was aware of it, and so was Fafurion, he would hiss at Jaken sometimes over his erratic riding skills.If only Gunthor had left him some manual....

Eventually, Jaken had an idea on how to controll the creature... on land... the take-off was going to be worst, and how to land the creature would take him a while to learn. Fafurion sprinted through the forest, barely evading logs, until it finally jumped off the ground and started to fly through the orange sky.

"AND WE ARE OFF!!!" Jaken yelled in joy, glad to have an idea on how to fly a travelling creature he would consider to be his favorite.

 

[Kiara]

"Never heard of them, actaully. But I can learn quickly. I can adapt quickly, and by what you are saying, I think we can understand each other fast."

“If what you are saying is true, then that’s great. Fafurion is very perceptive, so once you have got the handle on how to ride him, it will be easier for both of you, rider and mount, to understand each other intentions, making the ride smoother.” Gunthor said, nodding his head at Jaken’s words, while checking one last time if Fafurion’s gear was well secured and placed on the creature’s body.

"It seems that you also have some ccontacts under your sleeve. Might be useful at any other times. Have you known him for a while, he said that he remembers you since you were a child, also the creature, so I assume you have history with him. Interesting. Honestly, I never thought you'd had one of those."

“Not really, as I said before, I barely left the college grounds. Putting Gunthor aside, I just know the magic and stationary shop owners, and that’s only because I always used to go to the same stores whenever Hellius asked me to buy supplies.” Kiara commented, making a pause, recalling old memories.
“Well, I can’t say that I really know Gunthor, I just saw him a couple of times when I was little. When I was a child and since I was still too young to enroll in classes, whenever Hellius had free time, he would bring me into the woods to play with Fafurion. Actually, Fafurion helped me a lot, it's thanks to him that I build up my confidence and started to trust and open up to Hellius, I was a very insecure child, maybe I was just afraid to be left alone again. Anyway, sometimes Gunthor would be there, taking care of Fafurion, he and Hellius would talk, while Fafurion and I would play under their watch, so in the end, it is Hellius the one that knows him.” As Kiara was sharing a bit of her childhood memories, Fafurion came closer to her, as if understanding what the elf was saying, purring and rubbing his head on her arm, comforting the elf. Kiara caressed Fafurion’s soft fur, a deep sigh escaped from the elf’s lips. “Thank you, I really missed you.” The spellsinger said to the creature. “Once I got old enough to enroll on classes, Hellius simply stop bringing me here, I think he didn’t want me to get distracted from my studies and stayed focused. So, I haven’t seen Fafurion and Gunthor since back then. To be honest, I was not expecting that Gunthor would recognize me since I changed a lot, but I’m glad that both of them still remembers me."

Meanwhile, the nargacuga moved once again, this time to lay under the shadow of a nearby tree, placing his head on his fronts paws, closing his eyes, relaxing, his ears twitching, picking up the elf's voice. "Beautiful, isn’t he? I mean Fafurion, even with his intimidating and deadly look, it’s hard not staring and get lost in his elegant features. I noticed that you couldn’t stop looking at him” Kiara said in a soft voice, turning her head to face the bounty hunter. “But I just didn’t get one thing, what did you mean with: you never thought I’d had one of those?”

The elf gladly accepted Jaken’s help, taking his hand, and getting on top of the nargacuga, while hearing Jaken’s advice, nodding her head in response. They were ready to depart. Kiara hugged Jaken from behind, trying to get some support, the ride was not smooth at all, clearly Jaken was still learning how to ride Fafurion, trying to adapt to the creature's riding style. Fafurion ran through the forest floor, gaining speed, making each stride faster and larger, sprinting at almost full speed, feeling the air flow on his fur and membrane wings. Then in a swift move he jumped high, extending his wings, starting to fly, gaining altitude. Hearing the human yelling in joy the nargacura followed the cue and roared, as if claiming the sky to himself. On the other hand, Kiara was awfully quiet, sensing the elf’s silence Fafurion looked over his shoulder, peeking the elf behind Jaken, then followed the elf’s gaze. Kiara looked one last time to the college and city of Elbion, it was not too hard to guess what was going on inside her head, Hellius.

She was apprehensive, the elf had never left Elbion before, if something went wrong Hellius would not be around to help her. It was true that she had been with the werewolf for almost a week now, but, what if for some reason Jaken decided to abandon her in the middle of nowhere? He wouldn’t be capable of doing that, right? Not after what they had been through, besides, if the werewolf wanted to do any kind of harm to her, he would have done by now since he had plenty of opportunities to do so, and still, he never did such things, on the contrary, the only thing he did was protect and take care of her.
Kiara sighed, hiding her face on Jaken’s back, seeking for some comfort, she tried to stay positive. <”This will be a great opportunity to see how far I can go and prove to Hellius that I can do it. That I’m more than capable of pursuit my dream and make them my reality!”> she had made up her mind. Furthermore, she was not alone on this long journey, Jaken and Fafurion were with her, so everything would be just fine, she would be fine, even if Hellius was not around to protect her, all she needed to do was to trust Jaken on the same way she had done so far. Finally, a bit more relaxed the elf opened her eyes, turning her head to the side, gazing the vast sky, it was a stunning view, the sunset sky had this amazing colors, oranges, pinks, purples, and blues, this lifted her spirit.

 

[Adriwolf]

But I just didn’t get one thing, what did you mean with: you never thought I’d had one of those?

"Oh. I meant as in I didn't knew you had contacts like this. I have contacts like Merkl, Tauris, and Gerald. I did not knew you had Gunther as a 'contact'. Wonder if you have any other."

The trip was relaxed, with the clouds and the wind striking Jaken's face, while Kiara was safe, hugging him from the back. It seemed like Fafurion also enjoyed the trip. Jaken had learned quickly how to control the creature. One more creature he knew how to handle in case of an improvised travelling method. They had been flying for minutes, with the city of Elbion getting away as the creatured flew through the skies and piercing the clouds. He then thought on Kiara. Looking back at the elf, hugging his back, the werewolf wondered: how would she hanlde this adventure to a new place? As far as he knew, Kiara only knew the surroundings of Elbion's college and some places of the city. If Kiara's bakstory was true, then a sudden change on the environment might affect her in some way, she would be out of her comfort zone. It didn't mattered, Jaken knew he would give anything to protect her. He looked back at the skies.

The sunset finished and gave rise to the night. For a moment, Jaken thought on transforming and ride the nargacuga in his werewolf form. But then he thought: would the creature react differently to him in his werewolf form? And would the nargacuga sustain his weight change? For some reason it would be funny to see that happening: the flying creature struggling to carry his heavy ass. But it was better not to. It's better not goofing around and get down to business. Elbion city was already far away. They were now flying over woods that connected one city to another. Jaken imagined sprinting in his werewolf form down there, but he knew that even in his werewolf form, he would be slower than a flying nergacuga.

They have been flying for around 3 and a half hours. The temperature was still the same as in Elbion, maybe with a slight change. Cooler, but not a big difference. If they have been flying for a long time on a flying creature, how long would it have taken for them if they had rented a terrestial traveling creature. Days? Weeks? It was an advantage that Kiara was there to reccommend Gunthor and Fafurion. After a while, Jaken noted the change in temperature. He looked back at Kiara "Hey." he called her "I think I can sense the change in temperature." he took out his winter clothes "Get dressed. Wouldn't want to die out here due to freezing." he got dressed in his warm and comfy clothes.

 

[Kiara]

Meanwhile, in Elbion college, Hellius was giving his last class, teaching his students how to control and manipulate the magic essence, in order to invoke the basic elements and turn them into all the different elemental variations.
So far, there was nothing out of the ordinary, the students were taking notes, one of them raised a hand, gaining Hellius’ attention, asking the teacher a question. To answer it, Hellius’ turned to the board, drawing a scheme, making his explanation easier for all students to follow and comprehend. Everything was going as usual, until the moment the elf turned his back to the class, he felt uneasy, something was not right. Deep down, Hellius’ guts kept telling him that he needed to rush, although the male elf couldn’t put his finger on what was bothering him, he knew one thing for sure, never ignore his instincts.
Could it be that something had happened to Kiara? Was the spellsinger in danger? Hellius had not lost his focus on what he was saying to the students, running the class as if nothing was happening, but, on the back of the elf’s mind, he was still trying to figure it out what was wrong. Why he kept feeling that he needed to rush to pick Kiara up? For sure the werewolf wouldn’t dare to hurt her, not if he wanted to live.
The bell rang, signaling the end of classes, Hellius dismissed the class, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowing, recollecting his thoughts. <”She is fine, everything is going as planned, there are no flaws…”> He tried to convince himself. All the preparations he had done so far were perfect, he just needed some more time to handle a few last details. Time! That was all he needed, and time, which is what Jaken was buying for him, while keeping Kiara safe.
Once, everything was dealt with, Hellius wouldn’t waste another second, he would get Kiara back. Hellius really hated to leave his “child” in someone else care, in Jaken’s care! But right now, he had no other option, Kiara was not safe with him, at least for now.

Somewhere in the wildness, the elf seemed off as if she had been shut down, so far, Kiara had been in complete silence, looking aimlessly to nowhere and everywhere, as if her thoughts were somewhere else, but there was nothing going on the elf’s mind. Maybe the elf was just tired from the travel, or was she already feeling homesick, since she was almost a whole week away from the place that she used to call home, the college, or could it be something else?

"Hey." he called her "I think I can sense the change in temperature." he took out his winter clothes "Get dressed. Wouldn't want to die out here due to freezing."

The elf slowly placed her attention to the werewolf’s words, only picking up the last part, as if his words barely reached the elf’s ears. Following Jaken’s advice she took out her winter clothes and got dressed.

 

[Adriwolf]

The weather was getting slowly cold. And at the speed they were travelling, the wind did not made it easier. Still, Jaken could handle it. And he would serve as a meatshield from the cold to Kiara, plus, she was protected with her winter clothes. She should be fine. Fafurion seemed ok, his fur should protect him from the cold weather. Then, snow started to show. At first, it was subtle, but then it became more evident through Fafurion: his fur started to show white dots. Jaken had seen snow, but never enjoyed it like a kid would. And right now was not the time to play snowball wars with Kiara (or with Fafurion?). A witch was down there to answer his questions on The Marks of Runes, Blue Lights and its relation with the golden flowers he is able to see. Well, that is, if what the book says is true. Books always had some mistakes, this could be one of them. They were targetting for random chance, but it is batter than nothing. What if the murders started to increase? What if THEY got murdered? They would be no help at all of they were dead. Belgrath's snowy ground could be seen from afar. It looked deserted, as in no trees, or bushes, nothing like Elbion's woods, or at least for now, they were just entering this cold fields. But well, what can you expect? A snowy place does not allow for flora to develop, or at least, not as much as it should. Travelling on foot would be a bit boring: no trees to swin from, no roots to jump. Just plain snow. Boring.

(At Elbion)
"Thought you were going to kill him. But I see no dead werewolf around here."
"Would you like to go yourself and get him on your own?" the teenager froze in fear "That's what I thought. He is as skilled as me. We are matched."
"But we got some time."
"Why's that?"
"He's out of town. God knows why. Maybe to get some time alone and fuck that elf he's always with. Someone told me they saw them flying away in a nargacuga."
"Tch..... Gunther.... Always having that illegal shit on your back. At least, we'll have some time alone."
"We got enough of them?"
"Yeah, they are back there."
"What about the banshee?"
"Got her knocked out, she won't be waking up until tomorrow. And I'm sure as hell she won't follow us."
"So...... what now?"
"So we start now!"
The teenager widened his eyes "You sure....?"
"When have I not been sure?"
Both assassin and kid walked through the ruins, reaching a door and slowly opening it. They were there. All the bodies the lady had gathered. All the victims Jaken and Kiara saw back at the morgue: the elf, the dragon, the orc, the human, and the minotaur.
"Are you sure we only need five?"
"Yes. Now shut up and help me out."

(At Belgrath)
Jaken decided to land (not the smoothest landing ever) and get some rest. Fafurion would probably need it, he wasn't sure how nargacuga's stamina worked, but better safe than sorry. They took shelter in the middle of the woods. The trees allowed for them to stay, as the snow got caught up in the branches and leaves. The bounty hunter prepared a campfire and took out his sleeping bags. "Tomorrow we will continue. This time on foot....." he looked at Fafurion "Or claws..... anyway......" the fire crackled. He sighed "Hope we find her. Hope the legends are true.... or else, I don't know what I'm gonna do." he looked at Fafurion again. He was close to the campfire, maybe he enjoyed it, or tried to get a bit warmer. He chuckled.

He then looked at Kiara "How are you? I mean, it's a big change from Elbion. Just want to check how are you?"

 

[Kiara]

The spellsinger was still lost somewhere between reality and her own empty thoughts, then something caught the elf’s attention. It was little white dots on Fafurion’s wings, it took her some seconds to realize what it was, snow! It was snowing! She looked at the clouds, seeing little snowflakes falling gracefully and gently to the ground. It was like time has slow down, as if there was no rush. That brought a new light into Kiara’s eyes, it was the first time the elf was seeing snow, since it never snowed on Elbion.

A few minutes later Jaken decided it was time to rest, the woods would provide some cover from the elements. Once on the ground, the elf looked in every direction, taking in all the details, Belgrath's snowy ground and the tree’s branches covered with fresh snow, while the snow kept falling silently. Indeed, a place where seemed like that time had frozen. Everything was so quiet, so calm, way different from Elbion’s woods, that were full of life. Here, at the snowy field, everything seemed to move slowly, there was no sounds, only the wind passing through the trees, and there were no creatures, at least at first sight. It was like the forest was ruled by the snow and cold, mastering and dictating the rhythm of time and life itself.

As the bounty hunter prepared the camp, Kiara took care of Fafurion, taking off his gear. Fafurion wasted no time, falling in the snow, rubbing himself on it, enjoying the feeling of snow on his fur and scales, as if somehow, he had missed that sensation. Maybe Fafurion’s natural habitat was a snowy place, who knows? Kiara couldn’t help it, giggling at Fafurion’s foolishness. Hearing the elf’s giggles, the nargacuga stopped, tilting his massive head, while looking at the elf, as if wondering what was so funny. Then, Fafurion sneezed, that only made Kiara laugh even more. “Come here, you silly.” Kiara said between giggles. Finally, as if understanding the elf and he had had enough with the snow, the creature moved closer to the spellsinger, rubbing his head on her. Kiara gave him a little kiss on the head, before caressing gently his fluffy ears. Remembering what Gunthor had told her, Kiara took care of Fafurion’s fur, the nargacuga kept purring, while the elf brushed his fur and scales, relaxing his muscles under the elf’s touch.

Once Kiara had finish taking care of Fafurion, she took a seat near the fireplace that Jaken had ignited, trying to get a bit warmer, while making a little snow bunny.

"Tomorrow we will continue. This time on foot....." he looked at Fafurion "Or claws..... anyway......" the fire crackled. He sighed "Hope we find her. Hope the legends are true.... or else, I don't know what I'm gonna do."

“If we don’t try, we will never know. Besides, even if we don’t find her, we can always look for another solution, there is always another way.” She said, trying to lift up Jaken's spirit, although she didn’t have any other idea if this one failed. Giving a final look to her now finished snow bunny, she placed it in a safe place, far away from the fire, her hands were now cold due to the snow, but she didn’t mind, smiling a bit at her own creation, it was nothing much, just a little snowball, with two leaves serving as ears and two little rocks as eyes, simple but cute.
Seeing both, elf and human near the fire, Fafurion soon came closer, well he was half panther, and as all cats, Fafurion would not reject a bit of warmth, even though the cold didn’t bother him at all.

"How are you? I mean, it's a big change from Elbion. Just want to check how are you?"

Kiara turned her head to face Jaken, thinking for a bit about what to answer, speaking in a soft tone. “I’m fine, thanks for asking. But I will not lie, I’m a bit nervous. I never left Elbion before, and as you said it’s a big change.” She sighed, placing her eyes on the flames. “I’m trying to stay positive and calm. I want to enjoy this travel. This is a chance that I never had, I always dreamed of leaving Elbion’s college and go on an adventure. It is true that I’m a bit scared, I don’t know what to expect or what waits for us ahead, but at least I’m not alone.” She lifted her eyes placing them on the werewolf before speaking. “Although I’m scared, I have never felt so alive in my entire life. Since the day I have met you, all my life changed, it’s like you had broken an infinite loop that I was trapped in, all my days were the same. So, thank you.”
Kiara fell silently, placing once again her eyes on the fire, then something came into the elf’s mind, her voice now had an excited tone. “Hmm… I know that this may sound a bit childish, but… Could you tell me one of your's adventures? I’m sure you have a few stories. I would love to hear it. Besides, I also have a story that I want to share with you, and ask for your opinion, after I had heard yours.” She said with glittering eyes, revealing how curious and excited she was. In fact, the elf loved a good adventure story and this would be a great opportunity to hear one and at the same time knew a bit more about Jaken.

 

[Adriwolf]

The werewolf could not help but to smile at how Kiara and Fafurion went along. They looked silly as the powerful nargacuga sneezed snow all over the place. In fact, that made Jaken rememeber a dog. A dog when they sneeze, it was funny. Dogs shaking their heads, that little air blow that comes out of their nose. It was the same with Fafurion. He remembered Kiara telling him that they have met each other since Kiara was a child, so this would make sense. It was cute.

“I’m trying to stay positive and calm. I want to enjoy this travel. This is a chance that I never had, I always dreamed of leaving Elbion’s college and go on an adventure. It is true that I’m a bit scared, I don’t know what to expect or what waits for us ahead, but at least I’m not alone.” She lifted her eyes placing them on the werewolf before speaking. “Although I’m scared, I have never felt so alive in my entire life. Since the day I have met you, all my life changed, it’s like you had broken an infinite loop that I was trapped in, all my days were the same. So, thank you.”

"Well. Welcome to my adventures. They are kind of a mess, as you can see." he chuckled "Besides, I always treat myelf when finishing an adventure. So if I get a treat, you'll get a treat as well." he imitated coughing while saying 'library' between coughs "Just hang in there." he smiled.

“Hmm… I know that this may sound a bit childish, but… Could you tell me one of your's adventures? I’m sure you have a few stories. I would love to hear it. Besides, I also have a story that I want to share with you, and ask for your opinion, after I had heard yours.”

Jaken looked up to the sky, thinking on what adventure he could tell Kiara. There were a ton to choose from, that it was difficult to select one. What could he tell her? That one adventure where he had to free a small village from raiders, or that one where he helped one guy to retrieve an object he can't even remember anymore? The prison break? "I got it." he said.
"About a month ago, I was hired by the college of Elbion to look for and retrieve this one object in a crate, can't remember what it was. I think it was runes. Anyway, the college hired me and paired me with one of their students, a half-dwarf. I called him Teo, short for Teodron. In the beggining, him and I did not have the best partnership. He wouldn't take my bullshit, and I would not take his, so it was kind of a tense environment, which I don't care, but I could feel it. Anyway, we kinda bonded that night, as I let him inspect The Marks of Runes in my back, we theorized about them: what could they mean, what they were there for, etc. We also shared our backstory, I told him mine, he told me his. His mother apparently disappeared in one of Elbion's experiments, as far as I can remember. It was a magical experiment, that costed a lot of lives." Jaken's eyes widened "<<Could it be that she was involved in the Altersphere experiment?>> Umm... anyway. We fought off some..... ummm.... nature monsters? They were made up of wood and leaves. Weird stuff. We kept walking the next morning and arrived at the place. Ruins inside a cave in the forest. It was a camp, also. People were there. They were looking for something. We decided to wait until night to be more stealthier. At evening, I encountered this dude who seemed to know what was going on. I captured him and forced him to talk..... not in the most friendliest of ways. Teo was upset over my actions and that is when our partnership shattered to pieces. He was not agree that i have done that, but without it, we could not have gotten any information. After evading the guards, we went down the ruins. Then we saw lizardmen with cult clothing, they were chanting something I could not understand. They were about to sacrifice this other half-dwarf, a female one. Teo and I fought them off, I had to kill most of them. I almmost died because of it. Then, Teo freed the female, only to realize that she had bad intentions. He brought all the ones we killed back from the dead: zombie-lizardmen. But Teo had enough. He stabbed her and killed her..... that changed him. On our way back, he did not speak at all. When we arrived, he was worst. It was as if when he killed her, something inside him died too. He was silent, distant. Our partnership was non-existant. It was as if I wasn't there anymore. The school paid me and we went our separate ways. And then.... a month later.... as I was staring at the college, wel.... this happened. That's when I found you." he smiled a bit "What a life huh?"

 

[Kiara]

"Well. Welcome to my adventures. They are kind of a mess, as you can see." he chuckled "Besides, I always treat myelf when finishing an adventure. So if I get a treat, you'll get a treat as well." he imitated coughing while saying 'library' between coughs "Just hang in there." he smiled.

Kiara didn't resist, giggling a bit about how Jaken said library between coughs, if this was his way to cheer her up, then it worked, the elf returned the smile.

The bounty hunter thought of what story he would tell, Kiara waited patiently, but the elf's eyes betrayed her. There was this sparkle on them, showing how excited she was to hear his story. She moved a bit, getting in a more comfortable position, placing all her attention on the werewolf, listening carefully his adventure. As the elf heard his history, she recreated everything inside her mind. This was the reason why she loved stories so much, it was like she was there as a spectator, living through other's stories, free from her own reality. She could even imagine the bounty hunter and the half dwarf interact with each other.
So far, it was as Kiara expected a quest for an item would be. Things got pretty captivating when he told about the sacrificial ritual, all that action, but… that final twist… it turned out with an ending that the elf was not expecting for, the half dwarf had changed, after he had killed the necromancer, and the saddest part, he had changed for the worst, getting cold and distant. There was no longer excitement in Kiara’s eyes, it had disappeared, her expression turned into a bit of a frown, while the werewolf finished history, smiling a bit at her.

“So… you paired up with a student… Is that why you were so mad and cold towards me when I helped you on the plaza that day? Were you scared that what happened to Teodron would happen to me too if I got dragged into your problems?”
Kiara had a sad look on her face, now she knew the true reason of Jaken’s behaviors back then. Well, Kiara knew that some events could change people behavior, especially traumatic ones. The elf was aware that the path she always dreamed, had ups and downs, but that never waved her determination.
She was not that naive to the point to expect that nothing bad would happen to her, she had been cursed already, and much more would be in store, if the elf chooses to keep following the path she was on. The only thing she could hope was to be strong enough to not regret her choice.
“I know that you didn’t have much choice, that your circumstances led you to the life that you have now, but… did you ever regretted or wished for another life style?” She lowered her head, for sure in some point of his life, the werewolf would have chosen something else for himself, but… she wanted to know, she needed to know what she was getting herself into with that foolish dream of her.
“Also, you keep talking about your marks, in the library, you even said that blue light is not the only ability that you possess, but in the end… you didn’t explain what other powers you have” The moment Kiara finished her questions, she regretted it. Why was she so curious? Her curiosity always took the best of her. She didn’t need to know everything about him, in the same way she also didn’t tell him everything about herself. Maybe he was just not ready to tell her about it or didn’t want to. In the same way that Kiara was not ready to share with him her deepest fears and insecurities, hiding them beneath her calm and serene appearance. Besides, from the beginning the werewolf always had this mysterious aura around him, there were so many things about him that pecked Kiara’s curiosity and interest, but also in some sort of way, all that mystery only add up to his charm.

“Well, I think that it's my turn now” the elf said, summoning her Grimoire, a deep navy blue, hardcover book, revealed itself, floating in the air in front of the spellsinger. Keeping the tome locked there was a lock, a dark jewel with a set of three silvery leaves attached to it. The moment the Grimoire touched the spellsinger’s hands, the jewel shone in white, blue and purple hues, while the silver leaves moved, unlocking the book. Kiara gently turned the pages. Those who understood about magic could see that all the pages contained all kinds of spells, most of them elementals, powerful ones, all written in elven or ancient elven with Kiara’s handwritten. Then the elf stopped on a particular page, chanting a little reveal spell. A little scroll reveals itself between the open pages. The spellsinger smiled a bit, last time she had read that history was when she was still a child, but also it was one of the first gifts that Hellius had given to her. She sighed, turning to the werewolf. “Please don’t judge me, I know this is a child’s story, but listen to it, because in the end, I want your opinion.” Remembering her dream, Kiara tried to imitate Lamb’s velvet voice and the deep growled voice of Wolf, the best that she could, trying to bring them to life though her story.

(Story)
Are you there, dear Wolf?
I am, little Lamb.
Are you sad?
I am…
What does it feel like?
A long hunt with no kill.
Lamb, tell me a story!
There was once a pale man with a dark hair, who was very lonely.
Why was he lonely?
All things must meet this man, so… they shunned him.
Did he… chase them all?
He took an axe and split himself in two.
Right, down, the middle.
So he would always have a friend?
So we would always have a friend.
Will you run from me, little Lamb?
I would never run from you, dear Wolf.
Then how long will we be together?
Forever more.
Never one…
Without the other.
And everywhere Wolf went…
Lamb was sure to follow.
And everywhere Lamb went…
Wolf was sure to follow.

She closed her eyes for a second, as if leaving her act and returning to reality, closing her tome. The moment she closed it, the jewel lost its glow, turning into a deep black, and in a swift movement, the set of leaves moved, locking the book once again, before the grimoire vanished into thin air. Lifting her head and placing her eyes on the man in front of her she asked.
“What is your opinion about this story? What conclusions can you take from it?”

 

[Adriwolf]

Jaken reflected on what he had said. The adventure of the missing shipment. It probably wasn't the best story to tell, but it was sometimes how the world work. As hard as someone would want, the world isn't a happy-go-lucky place. isery is around every corner and there's nthing you can do about it. So suck it up and keep moving. He also thought on hoow unfair that was. Kiara was sweet and innocent. Those were the ost vulnerable people. Hummanity is mean, and they would tear her down because of how she is. That's how it worked. They were trapped.

So… you paired up with a student… Is that why you were so mad and cold towards me when I helped you on the plaza that day? Were you scared that what happened to Teodron would happen to me too if I got dragged into your problems?

"Perhaps." he answered "I was acting hostile so that you would stay away fro me. After all, who wants to be friends with a hostile douchebag? I'm afraid of losing you as in you dying, but... dying on the inside is worst. You will no longer be able to feel a thing, you would not be you. And there may not be a way of getting you back. That's what scares me. I want you to be happy, but, due to our actual situation, there is not much roomm for happiness, maybe the occasional break, like that little chase game in the woods."

Jaken's attention was caught by Kiara's question about what other powers he possed. True, he had said that The Marks of Runes gave him other type of powers, but he did not explained what were they. "You are right. I keep talking about them, yet I haven't explained them. Alright, listen up. You already are familiar with Blue Lights: enhanced vision in the dark, and apparently I can see golden flowers left by assasins, however, it gives me a headache after using the ability. Another would be Wind Boost: nothing special, just a swift boost that can help me evade a great area of hostile impact, but that would make my energy fade for some moments. Then there is Wolf Strenght: probably the one ability I would use as a last resort when in combat. It enhances basically EVERY physical ability: speed, agility, strenght. I'm almost an unstoppable force, but at the end of the ability's lifespan, I would become so incredibly exhausted that I would faint, leaving me vulnerable to any attack. And the last one would be Feral Mind... this one, well... it basically lets my inner wolf unleash upon my hostile. My consciousness would blackout, leaving The Wolf to control my body and mind. This is a TRUE werewolf: savage, fearless, crap, even calculative. I would regain consciousness when the sun rises and I transform back into a human. The only way to stop me is by neutralizing me: paralyizing me, trap me, or even put me to sleep. I RARELY use Feral Mind on combat.

“I know that you didn’t have much choice, that your circumstances led you to the life that you have now, but… did you ever regretted or wished for another life style?

"I have never thought about it." he reflected "I'm not sure. I don't see a lot of working opportunities for werewolves, y'know how it goes: people think we are killing machines and will behead us in the first chance they get. Maybe I regret that decision I made of becoming a hunter, that's what led me to this life that I know today. But I don't know what other life I could have chosen. Maybe join a werewolf pack? At least in that way I would have some people that could understand me, or sommeone to talk to when I'm lonely. Don't get me wrong, I love talking to you. But, maybe there could be ore people to talk to, though, I think that would be difficult, being alone in the woods took away some social skills. So if by then I was socially awkward, now I'm a social weirdo." he chuckled.

Then Jaken got ready for Kiara's story. It was his turn to listen to what she had to say. And it was fair, he shared an adventure, now it was her time. He paid close attention to the Wolf and Lamb story and how a person apparently split himmself in half with an axe, and lived through the process, or at least, that's what Jaken understood, then Kiara asked him for conclusions. He spoke his mind.
"I think that Wolf and Lamb were that man. Lamb told about this man cutting himmself in half so that he would have a friend. The first thing that came into my mind after hearing that, was that Wolf and Lamb are the halves of this lonely man. Both halves lived and became separate entities: one that felt lonely, and the other some kind of guide or comfort for the first half: Wolf and Lamb, respectively. Besides, Wolf said that he would always follow Lamb and vice versa. So, maybe he found a friend, someone thta would understand him no matter what: himself. A copy of himself."
"Another interpretation." he continued "Has to do with a part of my previous conclusion: the man spliting in half and becoming separate entities, but in this case, seeing how people fleed in terror because of the shape they took, Wolf and Lamb tried to put themselves back together to become that man. But the damage was done, they could not go back to how they were, so they only got each other." he finished.

He stared at the crackling fire. It was comforting, it could be better in his wolf form, but then again: Fafurion. How would he react? He was curious about it. But maybe not now. He lied down on his sleeping bag, staring into the sky, not saying anything. He was just thinking on pretty much everything: this adventure, Kiara, where they were right now and why, the lady, S.A.P., a lot of things going through his head. He sighed.

 

[Kiara]

"I was acting hostile so that you would stay away fro me. After all, who wants to be friends with a hostile douchebag? I'm afraid of losing you as in you dying, but... dying on the inside is worst. You will no longer be able to feel a thing, you would not be you. And there may not be a way of getting you back. That's what scares me. I want you to be happy, but, due to our actual situation, there is not much roomm for happiness, maybe the occasional break, like that little chase game in the woods."

“Well… that didn’t work very well, didn't it? Since, I’m still here with you” the elf said, giggling a bit. “And I even became your… friend” she smiled at the wolf, trying to hide her feelings. “Thank you, for worrying about me and my happiness. But, I don’t need much to be happy, the simple fact of being alive right now, is enough for me, life is such a fragile thing” she said, remembering her last dream. “You know that I also want you to be happy, happiness is not meant only for others, you too deserve it, I already told you once. Yes, you were hostile. I’m not going to lie, it was quite hard to deal with you. I was always trying to not hit in your nerves. It was as if I was walking in a field full of land mines, not knowing when I would step on one and make you angry… but… it’s also true that if people put some effort to know you, and try to see through your tough act, they will find a golden heart, at least that is what I see.”

Kiara listened how the Marks of Runes gave different abilities to the werewolf, and what he had to say about the path he had chosen. But it had a cost, everything in this world had a price, not only abilities or power, but also choices and decisions. Kiara looked at the fire, the dancing flames burning and consuming the wood, indeed, everything had a price, even the smallest things. She could never imagine or fully understand how hard Jaken’s life was, maybe that was why he would try to persuade her to stay on the college, there the elf had a comfortable life, even though her freedom was the price.

After Jaken’s interpretations, the elf thought for a bit, considering everything, the story, her dream, Jaken’s opinion, her own conclusion, then something came to her mind! Could it be?
“The first time I read this story I was still a child. This is one of the first gifts that Hellius gave to me. At that time, I was not close to him as I am now, it was hard for me to trust in people or trust him. I didn’t want to get attached and be abandoned again later… Then one day, he gave me this story, he said he would wait for me to tell him what my thoughts were. Back then, my opinion was the same as yours, it was a story about friendship, a lonely man that separated himself, becoming two separate entities, Wolf and Lamb, both halves of the same being, so they would always have each other as company and as a friend. At the same time, it was about trust, because Wolf is a carnivore and he could easily eat Lamb, so that showed how much Lamb trusted him."

"After I told him my conclusions, my relationship with Hellius improved a lot. He is very wise and perceptive, he knew that my interpretation was the reflection of what I really needed. Someone that I could trust, someone that would never leave me alone again. He knew that, if he had asked me directly, I would never tell him what I truly wanted, because I was too afraid that if I caused him too much problems, I would end up on the woods again…” She signed making a pause. “But I think there is much more about this story, Hellius love to give me challenges, that was how he taught me magic, he would ask me questions and wait for my findings, then, if there was more to learn about it, he would ask another question, leading me in that direction…"

"Sorry, I’m wandering off. Anyway, it’s the same thing with this story. Now I have another interpretation of it, after I have been cursed, I see it on a different perspective.”
“All things must meet this man, so… they shunned him” she quoted. “If you see it as a riddle, then this man is the personification of Death, that is why he was alone. Everyone fears death and try to avoid it, but in the end every single creature, great or small, dies, no one can hide from him. Following this line of thought, that means that Lamb and Wolf are basically the twin essence of death, the gentle Lamb offers a swift death for those who accept their fate and the violent Wolf hunts down those who run from their end, delivering horrific ends.”

Finally the elf fell silent, thinking for a bit. Jaken’s interpretations only showed what he had just told her, that sometimes he felt lonely, that was why his first conclusion was the same as hers, as for the second… maybe indeed he had some regrets. She could not deny, Hellius was indeed a wise elf, that was one of the many reasons why the spellsinger had so much respect and admiration for him, and that little story was a proof of it, since it would take the shape and reveal the reflection of people true colors. Kiara said nothing more, only looking at Jaken while he lay down on his sleeping bag, still processing all the information and revelations that the story had show of each other.

 

[Adriwolf]

“Well… that didn’t work very well, didn't it? Since, I’m still here with you” the elf said, giggling a bit.

He followed the giggle "Yeah, I guess. You really are a piece of work, I like that."

“You know that I also want you to be happy, happiness is not meant only for others, you too deserve it, I already told you once. Yes, you were hostile. I’m not going to lie, it was quite hard to deal with you. I was always trying to not hit in your nerves. It was as if I was walking in a field full of land mines, not knowing when I would step on one and make you angry… but… it’s also true that if people put some effort to know you, and try to see through your tough act, they will find a golden heart, at least that is what I see.”

"Well, sooooorrryyyy for being hostile." he smiled "But.... thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance, even after all the bullshit I have given you, like that one time where you stepped in the crowd back in Elbion, and I yelled at you..... yeah..... I'm still thinking about it, on how rude I was, and how I might have scared you to submission. I still regret that... but thank you." he kissed her head, smiling at her and hugging her from behind "Thanks."

After that Jaken listened carefully at what Kiara had to say: her thoughts on the Wolf and Lamb story, her interpretation and how it was linked to her relationship with Hellius. He thought on and processed ever single word that came out from the elf's mouth. He nodded constantly as a way of saying 'I hear you', 'I get it', 'I understand'. And her interpretaion and linking this story to death, it made him think as well. No one could escape it, even though living beings ran as fast as they could. Doesn't matter your efforts, you are going to die.

The werewolf looked around him once Kiara had finished. The snow covering the trees and bushes, the gentle breeze of the cold wind, the fire crackling, giving a relaxing background noise. Almost as relaxing as the little rainstorm that rocks you to sleep. But Jaken preferred rain than fire. Fafurion was still laying on the ground, like a panther waiting to fall asleep. He sighed in relief. It seemed like peaceful night. One where the trip could sleep with no worries. Who would be wandering in the snowy desert of Belgrath? It would be a casuality that someone hostile was around. That made Jaken relax a bit, still, he had his guard up if anything happens. He sensed Kiara looking at him, turning at her and smiling at the elf.

(Elbion)
"I hate corpses." the teenager said.
"This is what the ritual requires, so shut up and get over it. A little price for what we want."
"Still." he drank his glass of water as the lady stared at him with a frustrated face "Guess that werewolf won't be a problem for us now."
"Whatever. It's not my problem that you have that obsession with him."
"You want to know why?"
"Will you pay me to listen your crap backstory." the boy shook his head "Then I don't want to hear it."
"Whatever." he coughed "Is this going to work?"
"Do you not trust me?"
"I might as well do it. You are costing me a lot." he coughed again, this time louder than before.
"Easy there pal. You wouldn't want to die because of some coughing."
"I'm not." he coughed even louder. This time, he did not stopped coughing. He kept doing that for a long time, giving up on the ground.
"Does somebody feel bad?" the boy puked on the ground as he kept coughing. Then he puked blood "Poison. It has never failed me." he crouched in front of the boy "You know something? I want to do this ritual as well. Long before you wanted to do it. I was about to start it myself, but when I found out that you were willing to pay me for something I would have done for myself, I just couldn't help it. Hey! Why do something you want for free when you can do something you want as you get paid?"
The teenager started to cry blood. His pressure started to increase, as he felt his skull being compressed. His brain felt squishy. He couldn't take it. He wanted it to be over. His insides were burning up. His skin was burning up. His eyes were burning up. It was hell on earth. Finally, and with a last scream of agony, the boy's eyes exploded, leaving two empty socket and the kid's skull. Then, the brains started to come out the sockets. When the teenager felt his brain get squishy, it was result of his brain being literally melted by the poison.
"Damn." the lady said "Guess I did a slight overdose... how fun..."

 

[Kiara]

like that one time where you stepped in the crowd back in Elbion, and I yelled at you..... yeah..... I'm still thinking about it, on how rude I was, and how I might have scared you to submission. I still regret that... but thank you." he kissed her head, smiling at her and hugging her from behind "Thanks."

The elf placed her small hands over his, returning the smile. That hug, somehow it gave her a safety sensation, she felt safe in Jaken’s arms. Then Kiara shook her head a bit in denial, before talking in a smooth tone. “No, it was also my fault, I should have told you what my plans were, as you always do, instead of jumping into action and deal with the situation all by myself, we are supposed to be a team.”

The werewolf moved on his sleeping bag, turning to the elf, smiling at her. Kiara blinked a few times, realizing that unconsciously, she was staring at him. That caught her off guard, and as a result the elf turned her head and covered with one hand her lips, as if wondering or hiding something. “Sorry I didn’t mean to stare” she simply said, pulling her furry hoody, covering her long ears, protecting them against the cold while keeping the elf a bit warmer. Kiara lay down on her sleeping bag, she needed to rest, by what Jaken had said, tomorrow they would continue the journey on foot, so she needed to rest well, since walking on snow for sure it would be hard. Looking at her side, Fafurion was already sleeping, everything was so calm, the only noises were the wind and the fire crackling. Kiara love that smell, burned wood, it relaxed her, and soon the elf had also fallen asleep.

Kiara was in the middle of a forest, but there were no sounds, the only noise she could hear was a child’s cry. The elf didn’t even think, she walked toward the cry source. As the elf moved closer a thick fog started to lift, now, she could barely see a few meters in front of her, the cries were closer now. Then something cracked, the elf locked down, noticing that she had stepped on a little twig. On the same instant the cries ceased. “It’s ok, I don’t want to harm you, come to me, so that I can help you…” Kiara said, but no one responded. Now the elf was getting nervous, looking in all directions, she realized that the scenario was way different, she was no longer in a verdant forest. No, this one was dead, desolated, there were no leaves, no grass, and everything was in shades of greys, as if a fire had burned and turned everything into ashes, giving it a ghostly aura. Kiara was frightened, something was off, she should go back, but... the elf could not tell which way she had come. The fog was thicker as ever, surrounding her. Then the spellsinger felt a cold chill on her neck, a shiver run though her spine, she was scared. Turning her head and looking over her shoulder, she saw a huge but slim, black hand/claw appearing between the fog, almost getting a hold of her wrist.

In a flash Kiara woke up, the elf could feel her eyes getting teary, and her heart tight, filled up with enormous sadness, as if an immeasurable loneliness and feeling of abandonment had taken hold of her. Desperately, Kiara looked for Fafurion, he was not there, then her head automatically turned to where it was supposed Jaken be, he was still there, that made her relax, Jaken was there… Maybe Fafurion went for a little hunt, she recalled Gunthor words. Everything was fine, it was just a nightmare. Although, Kiara couldn’t even remember what the dream was about. Maybe her subconscious was still dealing with old fears, that were once buried deep down on her mind, and now thank to the curse, they had broken free, bringing up old trauma.

 

[Adriwolf]

Jaken did not respond to Kiara's comment about team. He accepted it, and he stayed quiet. They have crossed so many things, events, people. They both have crossed so many lines, or at least, that's what Jaken thought for Kiara. She had come so far. Crossed many physical and personal lines. In just a matter of days. It was amazing. How far could someone go to solve a problem. And this made Jaken think. He would make sure that Kiara would be able to take care of herself. She already knew, sure, but maybe some skills could come in handy. He stared into the void of the dark and snowy forest while thinking of it, unconsciously starting to play with Kiara's hair slowly. Kiara's long and so-blonde-almost-white hair. He started to rub it and gently scratch it, before snapping back to reality and stopping. He then went to his sleeping bag and get ready to close his eyes and rest for a while.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to stare”

"Why are you apologizing? I started to stare at you." he chuckled "I was the creep staring at you in the first place." he laughed, laying his head on his sleeping bag "Just wanted a nice view before going to sleep." he smiled, then yawned "Imma go and get some sleep. Holler at me if you need anything." he closed his eyes, with the image of Kiara, covered in her winter clothes and the forest behind her.

The werewolf noted someon'es heartbeat, deep into the night. It was accelerated, scared. The bounty hunter opened his eyes slowly, confused if it was happening for real or was it only a dream. He looked at Kiara. She was sitting on her sleeping bag. He focused his hearing. Yes. It was her heartbeat. Something had made her scared or pass through distress.
"You ok?" he blinked "Bad dream? Nightmare?" he eyes widened, thinking that she had been cursed again "How do you feel?" he became nervous.

He couldn't bare with it no more. One time cursed was already bad enough for the elf. What she suffered through Hellius' anti-spell was already hard enough for Jaken's stone, yet beating heart to handle. He remembered Heelius' anti-spell: it would return the curse to whoever casted it at first. He would find them. He would hunt them down. He would kill. Whoever was responsible for this. Who would kill the one bastard who had dared cursed her once and possibly again. They better hide or get killed by someone else or by themselves, but with a painless way. Jaken..... he would not allow it to be painless.....
It would not happen again. Not if he can help it.....

 

[Kiara]

While Jaken played with Kiara's hair, the elf rested her head on his shoulder, looking up, admiring on how the snow fell slowly from the dark sky. Jaken's touch was pleasant, it was the first time that someone had played with her hair, she could not deny the feeling was kinda nice.
Soon Jaken said his goodnight and if the elf needed anything to call for him. Kiara nodded, saying goodnight to the werewolf. Drifting into sleep.

Kiara's heart was still racing, the elf had brought one hand to her chest in an attempt to calm down, then Jaken's voice came into her ears.

"You ok?" he blinked "Bad dream? Nightmare?" he eyes widened, thinking that she had been cursed again "How do you feel?" he became nervous.

"I'm fine, sorry if I woke you up" she said, turning her head once again to look at him, gracing her lips if a small smile, trying to ease him. "Yes, it was just a bad dream, nothing much, don't worry, as I said, I'm fine."
The elf was not a child anymore to get stressed over a dream, and worry other people, she needed to control her emotions. She was a bit uneasy, although she had calmed down, she felt somehow restless, she would not be able to sleep anytime soon.
"Hmm.. Can I ask you a favor? I know this is a bit sudden, but... can I move my sleeping bag a bit closer to you?" The elf said, a bit embarrassed, not even looking at him. Indeed, that was such a childish request, asking him to be closer so she could fall asleep once again... No wonder he would always see her as a friend, but even worse, a childish one.

Kiara could hear Jaken's steady breathing, she yawned, and soon the elf had fallen sleep once again.
A couple of hours later, the sun was starting to rise. By now the campfire had extinguished, it was chill.
Kiara was the first awake, sitting on her sleeping bag, stretching her arms, a lazy yawn escaped from her lips, while she rubs her eyes. Fafurion was back, the creature was still lying down, but with his eyes open, waiting for Jaken and Kiara to wake up.

 

[Adriwolf]

Jaken's heart did not calmed down even though Kiara said she was fine. He knew that Kiara would say everything was ok with the sake to not worry anyone. And he get it. He hated when people worried about him a lot. He could handle shit by himself, he is not a stupid boy anymore. Sometimes he would lie (back in his normal life) to make people believe that he was ok. That was what Kiara was going through. He would pretend that he believed her, but he would be as observant as possible. "Yeah. Ok." he looked down.

"Hmm.. Can I ask you a favor? I know this is a bit sudden, but... can I move my sleeping bag a bit closer to you?"

"Yes. Yes. Of course." he said with enthuiasm, dragging their bags closer together and laying on them. Jaken hugged Kiara from behind, giving her some warmth, gently hitting her back with his steady heartbeat, blowing on her hair with every exhale. He closed his eyes and started to doze off into deep sleep, but still, he was worried about Kiara. Even though he pretended that he believed her, the werewolf would observe carefully her movements, voice and eyes. Those were some of the windows to the soul.

The werewolf woke up after Kiara did. His brown eyes reflected the white snow invading everything: ground, bushes, trees, and clothes. Kiara's clothes was full of white snow, and probably so was his. Fafurion was not an exception. The creature was covered in snow. It was as if Fafurion originally had white fur instead of black. Fafurion was a white-furred creature with black spots over him. He sit up and faced Kiara "Good morning." he greeted "Damn, this would be SO much better with hot chocolate." he stretched. Then yawned "Slept well?"

The bounty hunter set everything to continue with the journey: Fafurion's gear and their own gear. He helped Kiara up the nargacuga and told her his plan: "There should be a town nearby, few miles east from here. We can ask for directions or if they have heard of this myth. Then, we are off to meet this witch and see what we find." he commanded Fafurion to sprint through the forest. Ground inspection was better than air since the could find something useful being on ground instead of missing it because of the tall trees that blocked their view. They traveled for some time in the white forest until reaching a small viillage. Huts made out of what seemed stone, with smoke coming out of the chimney. Lights were on, indicating that there were people living inside. This was the first step for their seek. They rode to the door of the first hut. He knocked on the door. A dwarf opened the door.
"Yes?"
"I have some questions for you. Does the name of Yyggdmon sound familiar." the dwarf stayed quiet for a while.
"I have nothing to offer." the dwarf was about to close the door on them when Jaken stopped him with the foot.
"Just try to remember." he insisted.
"I have NOTHING to offer." he closed the door.
The werewolf looked at Kiara "Well. Guess it'll be harder than I thought. He obviously knew something, and he's hiding it."

 

[Kiara]

It didn't take too long for the elf to fall asleep once again, Jaken was so warm, his steady heartbeat and breath calmed her down, and again, being in his arms made her feel safe, protected. Kiara could not resist, snuggling a bit, enjoying that sensation. For the rest of the night the spellsinger did not awake or had anymore nightmares.

Kiara had just woke a few minutes ago, still dusting off the snow from her clothes when the werewolf greeted her.

"Good morning." he greeted "Damn, this would be SO much better with hot chocolate." he stretched. Then yawned "Slept well?"

"Good morning. Oh, indeed, a hot chocolate would be so nice and this cold weather calls for it." The elf said with a bright smile. "Yes, I slept well, thanks to you. I think you scared all the bad dreams away, even nightmares are afraid of a werewolf like yourself" she giggled a bit, teasing him. "How about you? Did you sleep well?"

The camp was quickly dismantled, and everything had been packed up. Then the bounty hunter helped the elf mounting the nargacuga and told her his plan.

"There should be a town nearby, few miles east from here. We can ask for directions or if they have heard of this myth. Then, we are off to meet this witch and see what we find."

She only nodded her head, while her eyes scanned her surroundings, everything looked the same! How could Jaken even tell which way was east?! Well, he was a bounty hunter after all, so survival and orientation were essential skills. By now, Jaken got used to ride Fafurion, the nargacuga sprinted through the white forest, leaving a trail behind him, sometimes the creature would sink a bit in the fluffy snow, jumping right after in order to get on top of it.
During the ride Kiara could see a frozen stream with a little bridge connecting both sides, a good indicator that they should reach the small village very soon. She was not mistaken, a few meters in front of her, some huts came into her sight. The spellsinger stayed on top of the beast while Jaken dismounted Fafurion, knocking on the door, soon a dwarf appeared and both talked briefly before the dwarf disappeared once again, closing the door. From where Kiara was, she could tell that something had happened, by just Jaken's facial expression and the dwarf's unfriendly attitude.

"Well. Guess it'll be harder than I thought. He obviously knew something, and he's hiding it."

Kiara looked around at the other huts, she could tell that people were staring through the windows.
"Well... we are strangers here, and maybe they are not used to receive travellers, besides... we are asking about a witch, that alone, can fright them" she said still looking around, and whenever her eyes locked with one of the locals, they would close the curtains and hide inside their houses. Indeed, getting information from them would not be an easy task.

 

[Adriwolf]

"Yes, I slept well, thanks to you. I think you scared all the bad dreams away, even nightmares are afraied of a werewolf like yourself" she giggled a bit, teasing him. "How about you? Did you slept well?"

"Well, I'm a scary werewolf. Guess it makes sense." he smiled at the elf "And yes... I slept well. Thanks." he patted her leg and got up ready for another day in this hell of a mystery. Asking around might take a while, even though Belgrath was not the most common place where people would live, but it still had some villagers in it, they might know something, though it may be difficult. Should be. A bit. They were talking about a witch, a theme that was not really popular with the general crowd, it was some kind of taboo. So getting through people's thoughts about it might be difficult, but not impossible. If it was necessary, he could use some.... "persuasive" means, though, he'd want to do that away from Kiara's sight, might something she wouldn't really like. She could not let her see this side of him, they have gotten so far, this couldn't be thrown away over some actions of his.

"Well... we are strangers here, and maybe they are not used to receive travellers, besides... we are asking about a witch, that alone, can fright them"

The werewolf followed the elf's sight. He saw the same as her: people hiding behind curtains at wherever they looked. They were like sick-terminal people whose illnes is contagious in a healthy crowd: everyone was afraid or intimidated by them. They would barely open the door for them, but still...
"Guess you are right. Still, I'm not gonna give up. They know something.... they ALL know something. And they are gonna take it to the tomb..." he reflected and thought of a way to get informatiion "But there must be a way to get it out of them. There must..." he sighed "Let me ask you a question." he said to Kiara "What do you think on using fear as a weapon to get your own goals? Even if those goals are for a good reason: saving whoever might die because of the S.A.P." he looked at the elf's eyes "What would you think of me if I use fear on them to get what we want?"

 

[Kiara]

"Let me ask you a question."

This sentence caught the elf's attention, making her head turn to face him, while she tilted it a bit, waiting for whatever was to come.

"What do you think on using fear as a weapon to get your own goals? Even if those goals are for a good reason: saving whoever might die because of the S.A.P." he looked at the elf's eyes "What would you think of me if I use fear on them to get what we want?"

Kiara's eyes widen and for a second the elf got lost and confused. As she started to process and taking in what his intentions were, her expression turned into a bit of a frown. This question, it only reminded her when he persuaded her to open the secret door for him, even though she had promised the previous headmaster to never do it. But this time, he would be the one who would do something that was against her beliefs. She thought for a bit, thinking about what to say to him.
"I don't believe that fear is the right answer, we cannot use intimidation to achieve our goals... it does not work that way. When people are scared, they will shut themselves even more, nothing good comes from it. They could even give fake information in despair. Besides, a good deed does not repair a bad one."
Kiara paused, taking a deep breath, thinking of a solution, maybe a spell from her grimoir? Unfortunately, the only useful one would be a little truth spell, but right now, it would not work, since the villagers were suspicious towards them, meaning that their minds would be closed for the spell to work properly. If she had time... she could work on a friendlier way to obtain information, but time was precious and scarce, she was still apprehensive about his idea.
"As for your last question, you never hurt innocent people, even taking others into consideration, like, if the night guard would lose his job because of my sleeping spell, this is how far your kindness goes. That is why, I could never think less of you, furthermore.. this morning you just said that you regretted what you did to me in Elbion, but now you are ready to put yourself on the same spot. I believe that, deep down, you don't want to scare anyone, in fact, I do believe that you hate doing that, the only reason you resort to that method its because you don't know what else you can do. So let me ask you, are you sure you want to do this, use fear to make them talk? If so, what is your plan? I'm not saying that I'm agreeing with it or not, but I might be able to work something out."
Inside her mind, the elf was still trying to find another way, a smoother one. If they really needed to use his method, then, it would be under her terms. But right now Kiara needed information, she needed to know what Jaken had in mind, what was his plan, so she could work with all the variables and possibilities in a way to make things smoother, for all of them, since villagers to future travellers, that would have to deal with the repercussions of Jaken and Kiara's action, even save Jaken's image, if she could be able to think of something taking into account all these variables and factors.

 

[Adriwolf]

"I don't believe that fear is the right answer, we cannot use intimidation to achieve our goals... it does not work that way. When people are scared, they will shut themselves even more, nothing good comes from it. They could even give fake information in despair. Besides, a good deed does not repair a bad one."

Jaken nodded at Kiara's answer. Just as he expected. The elf was too kind and innocent to do this. She would never do something like this, she would never do anything that might get people in a bad situation or in an unconfortable one. He knew that Kiara would take the best way possible, where everyone is happy, even if it was the hardest way or the one that would take more time. That was her. And he accepted it, he had no other choice. He thought that it wouldn't be right to follow his plan without Kiara's opinion about it..... it's weird. With any other partneer, Jaken would have totally pulled through his intentions, but Kiara.... she was different, it made Jaken back down and ask for an opinion when he would have scared the information out of them.

"As for your last question, you never hurt innocent people, even taking others into consideration, like, if the night guard would lose his job because of my sleeping spell, this is how far your kindness goes. That is why, I could never think less of you, furthermore.. this morning you just said that you regretted what you did to me in Elbion, but now you are ready to put yourself on the same spot. I believe that, deep down, you don't want to scare anyone, in fact, I do believe that you hate doing that, the only reason you resort to that method its because you don't know what else you can do. So let me ask you, are you sure you want to do this, use fear to make them talk? If so, what is your plan? I'm not saying that I'm agreeing with it or not, but I might be able to work something out."

"Well. My plan was scaring the information out of them, but not in this form... in my werewolf form. They don't know I am a werewolf." he whispered, making sure that no one would hear him talking about what he could do. "If no one knows that I am a werewolf, then I could scare them by using that form. Threaten them. Put my claws on their necks so that they give me everything we need." he looked at the elf's eyes "There is something I did not confessed back when I told you about that adventure with the half-dwarf... I DID mention finding someone in the woods with information that we could need, I mentioned capturing him and extracting the information we needed. But what I did not tell you is how I got such information..." he sighed, getting ready to spit it out "I tortured him. I cutted him deeply, beat hiim up, and at then end... I stabbed him in the crotch with my knife..." "he kept making eye contact with Kiara, he knew she would not react well at this. Especially after she just said 'you never hurt innocent people' "I have hurt innocent people. But I know you wouldn't like that. That is not how you would do things. I know you would probably look at me differently if I did that, hell, you might look at me differently on what I just told you. And I really don't want our friendship to go downhill because of this. Because of my methods of getting what I need." he stared deeply into the elf's eyes "i have no idea what to do now. I don't know how could extract information out of all of them. This won't go my way, because I know something between us will go wrong. If you have other methods to get information out, I'm all ears and I will follow to the letter every instruction you give. All for the sake of not going with my plan and probably end our relatio-duh, I mean, friendship."

 

[Kiara]

Kiara listened Jaken's plan, putting all pieces together, trying to come out with another one, one that would not make the whole village scream in fear! There was no need for that, to scare women, children, even elderly people, they just need one target. But Jaken was right about one thing, the villagers didn't know anything about them, the fact that Jaken was a werewolf and the elf was a sorceress, she could use all these factors and combine their abilities. Then the spellsinger heard what she would never expect or guessed.

"I tortured him. I cutted him deeply, beat hiim up, and at then end... I stabbed him in the crotch with my knife..."

The elf's thoughts ceased, her mind went blank, and for a second, a cold chill run down her spine while her eyes widen, before blinking a few times in astonishment. Then she locked her eyes with the werewolf's, bringing one hand over her mouth, covering it, trying to hide her shock. Was this the same Jaken that she knows?!? Torturing someone, even stabbing the poor man on the... well... That was just pure evil, unnecessary and unhuman!

This opened the elf's eyes, proving how much she didn't know about the bounty hunte! But, how could he be so different!? The image and actions that he showed to her so far, the person she had fallen in love, to this person that he had just confessed to be his past. Still, she listened until the end what the werewolf had to say.
Once Jaken finished, Kiara closed her eyes, recalling every single moment she had been with the werewolf. Was all of it just a lie? No... it was not been an act and nor was he deceiving her. So, could he had changed? If so, what was the reason? After a few seconds, the elf opened her eyes again, she had made her mind.
So far the werewolf had not given her any sign that she could not trust him, nor made anything that deserved to be judged. Yes, he had done bad things in the past, but as people say, what's in the past, stays in the past. She couldn't and would not judge him for things he had done in his past. Finally, locking her eyes with him again, she reached for his hand, taking it with both of her's, softening her eyes before speaking.
"Thank you for telling me. It must be hard for you to confess that, you could have just chosen to keep me in the dark, but you didn't. I can only judge you by what I have seen so far, your past, only belongs to you, so, there is nothing for me to judge, in the same way, that so far, there is nothing that would make me look at you differently." She said giving him a kind smile while caressing a bit his hand.
The elf focus again on her thoughts, she needed a plan. She looked at the village, taking in all the details and surroundings, every single detail could be important, it was a small village... Finally something came to her mind, she had a plan! Still with Jaken's hand on her's, the elf turned to him with a bright smile, "I have a plan, it will not be easy, but, if everything went well, then it will be the best way for everyone! Let's return to the woods, once there, I will tell you everything."

Without wasting time the elf, dragged Jaken by his hand while Fafurion followed after them. Once at a safe distance, far from the village, the elf noticed that was still holding hands with Jaken, realizing this, she released it in a flash, proceeding to explain her plan while trying to hide her embarrassment.
"My plan its very simple, we will scene a nightmare! First, we wait for the night to fall, then I will cast a sleeping spell on the village, putting the villagers in a deep slumber, preventing them to wake up. That's when you will enter in action, I'm counting with your expertise to pick lock the dwarf's door, the one that you talked with. Once inside his house, grab him and take him to the woods, far away, so he can no longer hear the singing spell. Then, wake him up and question him, just remember, you are a nightmare, act as if you are indeed a product of the dwarf's imagination, take the information that you need. Once you are done just bring him back, once the song reaches his hears he will fall asleep again, then just place him on his bed, lock the door of his house and we are done! Easy! No screaming villagers, you and I will be safe since our identities will be protected, that way other travellers will not suffer with repercussions, and the dwarf will think that everything was just a nightmare since he will awake on his bed safe and sound. Just promises me one thing, promise that you will not harm him... I'm trusting you on this. This is the best plan I could think of in such a short time, in order to avoid unnecessary collateral damage and make it easier for the villagers, even to the poor dwarf that is about to have the most realistic nightmare of his life. I know it's a crazy plan... but I don't want to hurt anyone or scare all of them... sorry."