Open Chronicles The Wolf and The Bat

[Rose]

Rose slumped in audible relief, a breath escaping her. "Thank you." As if he was giving her permission. Which in an odd way, he was. She was relying on his judgement now, relying on him to help her navigate through this curse too.

She stood up, grimacing as she did so and left him to recoup by the river as she went back for her bag. She came back his way afterwards, moving slower and yawning at the bright sun.

"Hey, is it okay if I sleep a little in your bag again?" She murmured, forgetting he wasn't aware of that trick of hers in the first place.

 

[Ishar Morrad]

He blinked. "What?"

Was she hallucinating?

Dehydrated?

He knew that lack of water could wreak terrible havoc upon the mind if not seen to. It was common in the blightlands for madmen to simply be dehydrated beyond all thought and coherence. If that was happening to her now...he'd have to force her to drink from the stream.

 

[Rose]

She blinked back at him, looking at him like it was obvious.

"You know... sleep... in your... bag? Hoooow else do you think I got here?" he received a befuddled look.

 

[Ishar Morrad]

He blinked.

"Walking?" Ishar was no fool, and he'd seen what she was capable of with shadows. It didn't take long for him to put the two pieces together in his head. A frown touched his lips, but he had to give her credit for cleverness.

Using her own skills he supposed.

Briefly he wondered what else she could do, what trick or trap she could form while waiting in the shadow. After a moment he simply sighed. "Fine."

Ishar waved as he turned and began to walk.

 

[Rose]

"Wait!" She scrambled after him, rocks crumbling loudly at an inherent lack of gracefulness.

"You gotta open it fiiirst!"

 

[Ishar Morrad]

Ishar wordlessly reached back and pulled open the string that kept his rucksack open, though he didn't respond to her.

He was tired.

Grumpy.

All that he wanted was to get back to a bed, get back to somewhere that he could lay down and sleep for a day and a half. The past few times he had simply chosen a bed of moss or an overhang on a cliff. Never comfortable, but enough to quell the aches for at least a short time.

This time...this time maybe he could afford himself a bed.

 

[Rose]

Her approach was loud and obvious behind him-- indignant huffs as she reached her hand in, his arm being jostled in the process. And then it went quiet, her presence abruptly gone and the bag no heavier.

He was graced with silence that lingered, nothing but his footsteps and his breath to tear at his attention.

 

[Ishar Morrad]

The silence was a familiar thing, pleasant in a way.

It was how he had spent the last few years of his life, since he'd been bitten by that damned thing. It seemed an age ago now, but he supposed that was why the silence was so familiar.

There was a sort of pleasantness to it, the journey in solitude. He knew consciously that the girl was still technically there, but for the time being he simply allowed himself to walk. The sounds of the jungle echoed around him, the songs of birds and the noise of animals slowly returning to their homes.

It was pleasant, slower than the day before, but as the sun crested the horizon once more Ishar had made it far, stopping beneath the canopy of a massive tree covered in vines.

 

[Rose]

A voice came creeping from within his hair.

"Pst. Is this camp?"

 

[Ishar Morrad]

A sigh escaped him. "It's close enough."

It wasn't much really. The canopy of the tree above would shield them if it rained, the ground was soft enough to sleep on, and the roots would offer decent protection from the wind.

He'd found that it was easier to find shelter in the South than it had been in the blight, something that he was thankful for.

"Go gather firewood." He told her. "Since you haven't been walking all day."

 

[Rose]

She fell out of the shadow, clunking his head along the way.

"Ow!" She cursed, spilling across the ground and rubbing her elbow. "Oh gods, I'm so dizzy. You're so lumbering."

 

[Ishar Morrad]

Ishar looked down at her, dropping his pack just a few feet away from where she had fallen. "Firewood."

He repeated himself.

They would need a fire to keep the animals away. He knew that the Wilds weren't exactly friendly, and a fire would go a long way to ensure they weren't disturbed by a creature that got too curious for it's own good. Of course it could also draw others to them but...he would risk it.

"Drink before you go." He said as he placed a flask in front of her. "I don't know about your tricks, but most magic has a price."

Clearly he was in no mood for arguing.

 

[Rose]

He was right, very right. Merely at the reminder of her thirst, her eyes sharpened. The way she looked at the flask bordered on animalistic, and it took several moments for her uncoil her shoulders and look up to him.

"What's in it?" She asked warily.

 

[Ishar Morrad]

"Water." Unfortunately, he was not sure if she needed blood or not.

From what he knew Vampires did not necessarily need blood each and every day. They simply needed to consume enough to last them a certain amount of time.

Much like a python really. The thought brought a smile of amusement to his face.

"If you need something else..." He frowned. "We'll have to go hunting."

 

[Rose]

"No." She snatched up the flask, standing up and straightening herself out indignantly. "Water's fine. I'll go get wood." She turned, briskly walking away before he could take that any further.

 

[Ishar Morrad]

For a moment Ishar watched her. He didn't quite understand the girl, but that was perhaps because of their different cultures. He was not familiar with where she was from, nor the customs.

It mattered quite a bit.

The Blightlands were such that you could not have two differing opinions. There was a right way and then a wrong way, that was it. Anything different was simply...well out of the ordinary.

Perhaps it was different for her.

Surely it was.

Either way, after a few moments Ishar began to fold things out of his pack, ensuring they could set their camp.

 

[Rose]

She walked back into the clearing caring as much wood her strength would allow. Which was admittedly a lot. She dropped it dramatically to the side, the thick branches rolling every which way. Without a word she began to break them into more manageable pieces, using feet and hands alike. She seemed determined to do it on her own, trying to carry her weight as best she could.

The problem came when it was time to build the fire. He was left with a pile of sticks stacked so poorly they'd never nurture a flame. She grinned proudly at it though, gesturing for him to take over.

How the flup did he start a flame. City girl needed to know.

 

[Ishar Morrad]

He frowned. "Did no one ever teach you to survive?"

There was no accusation in his voice, more a mixture of disappointment and...pity? It sounded more like disbelief than anything, as if he couldn't quite fathom that someone her age wouldn't be able to properly set up a fire.

A loud sigh escaped him.

"You can't just throw logs in a stack." He told her as he began to pick apart what she had built, quickly setting it up in an almost tent like fashion. "You need to protect from the wind, but allow enough air in to feed the flame."

After a moment he finished, then walked to the edge of the clearing and picked up a handful of dried brush. Packing it in tightly, Ishar then went to his bag and took out a stone and a piece of flint.

 

[Rose]

Rose sighed, sitting back and watching him work. "....Surviving where I come from is finding a husband and making babies. There were maids to make fires," she admitted, almost unwillingly.

"Something which I sucked at too, I guess." She went onto her stomach, chin in hand and eyes level with the flint as he set to work on it. Where did she get one of those? She would steal one...

 

[Ishar Morrad]

The flint sparked a few times before the tinder finally caught fire, then he pointedly set down the tools and began to gently blow on the smouldering embers.

Eventually the flames grew bigger, and then the wood that Rose had gathered caught flame not long after. He watched it for a time, prepared to try again if it went out, but after a moment it became apparent that the flame would survive it’s initial life. Satisfied, Ishar sat back and crossed his legs.

”I see.” Such a life was near unimaginable within the blightlands. Especially the lounging part.

Well, perhaps save for in Molthal.

”You’ll need to learn quickly.” Ishar mused. ”Elsewise you may find yourself in a situation with no knowledge of what to do next.”

 

[Rose]

"I'm trying," she confessed, no agitation to the words. Instead she spoke with resignation, as if this was not the first time she had been chastised for being under prepared in life.

"Where did you get that?" She gestured to the flint, sitting up and cross her legs, her palms being wiped on them.

 

[Ishar Morrad]

"Flint?" He said as he flipped the small rock in his hand, then tossed it at her. "You can find it in the mountains."

Just had to know what to look for. "As for this piece."

He showed her, it was just a bare piece of metal. Steel that had been forged near Molthal, though that didn't really matter. All that mattered was the steel itself. One could get something similar at any blacksmith in pretty much any town.

"Could use any steel." She would need one as well.

 

[Rose]

She thumbed the flint for a moment, her brows furrowed in a thoughtful manner before she nodded and slipped it into her pocket.

"Thanks."

She sat back, stretching out her hands to enjoy the warmth of the building flame and allow them a moments peace. He didn't really seem like the talking type. Especially now that he's gone all furry. She didn't blame him, she didn't like talking much either once she came back from being all pointy toothed and stuff. She granted him his quiet, only breaking the silence after a long spell.

"...So if not the town... where will we go to now?"

 

[Ishar Morrad]

"Another town." He stated plainly, frowning for a brief moment before he shook his head and continued.

"Staying in one place for too long is dangerous, so you move on." It was always that way for people like them. "New faces, new people, new surroundings."

He frowned. "South there's more villages, towns, harbors, eventually cities."

The Dwarves still had a few holds in the spine too, though there they would stick out like sore thumbs.

 

[Rose]

She squirmed, growing uneasy. "And you think that's a good idea? Us ... in cities?"