Frost Forest [Goblin]

[Juno]

She wasn't sure what to think of that but didn't find it incredibly insulting. She was confident she could hold her own if there was any real trouble. "Well, it would certainly help, but...no, not essential. I'll figure out how to get it back, I'm sure," she sighed, having no idea how she was going to convince the man who'd kept it from her to return it. "We can go...when you're ready," she told him, giving him a once over again to imply he wouldn't be until he got himself clothed.

[GoblinFae]

Missing her meaning, his smirk only grew wider. "Like what you see?" he commented as he held out a hand to her. "Allow me to lead the way, fair maiden."

[Juno]

"Not...really," she answered awkwardly. "You remind me of someone I hate." Sophie didn't offer her hand, though, even as he prompted her for it. Instead, she kept her arms hanging at her sides like normal, like he'd never even asked. "Go ahead," she urged him. "I'll follow."

[GoblinFae]

Ultan hummed and cocked a brow at her. "And who might that be? You've met another man as well-figured as myself before? I assure you, I can bring you far more pleasure than he. These scars aren't all from wild animals you know. Or at least they weren't considered that before they entered my bed," he told her lasciviously.

"It would really do much better if we walked side by side, though I can understand your not wanting to be deprived of the view of my backside." He laughed before turning around and heading deeper within his territory with all the confidence of a man who owned the place.

[Juno]

His forwardness left her wide-eyed and standing in shock as a blush crept to her cheeks. "I don't know, he looked a lot like you," she muttered, waving at him dismissively and a bit embarrassed that he would be so open about his body and the things he was implying he'd done with it. The people of her homelands were not nearly as much.

"Well, that works just fine for me," she answered, hurrying to fall into step beside him instead so he wouldn't think she was trying to do anything of the sort. "How far would you say this place is?"

[GoblinFae]

"It is right in the center of his territory and you happen to find yourself on the edge so I'd say on foot about mm half a day's walk if you can keep up? Perhaps a day given your uh," he gave her another once over, "more compact stature? Will that be a problem? I could always carry you if you wished to get there faster."

[Juno]

Sophie sighed, not knowing what else she expected to hear of it. "No, no, I don't need that, I'm fine. I've come this far on foot, shouldn't be too bad," she told him, though it was more to encourage herself.

"You know, you can quit calling me small and compact. I know I may not look capable, but I assure you I am not impaired in any way. I'll keep up," she promised with a confident nod, picking up her pace hoping he wouldn't feel the need to slow down for her.

[GoblinFae]

Ultan chuckled to himself and easily began to move to outpace her. "If you say so my dear. I would hate for you to tire out so easily." With that said, the large man began to tear his way through his territory as efficiently as he would in his more natural tiger form, daring his little trespasser to keep up for long, if she could.

[Juno]

She increased her pace little by little, embarrassed but determined as she found she had to jog to keep up with him. And then run. She panted lightly but was very far from winded. "A half day...you said?" she wondered between breaths, dreading that he might keep this fast of a pace the entire time. "You know, I usually count my travel in terms of walking time," she grumbled.

[GoblinFae]

"I'm sorry," he quipped. "Is this not walking for you? I did say it would most likely be a full day." Ultan slowed his pace tremendously to better accommodate her much shorter stride. "You insisted though you could keep up or was I mistaken in my heathen understanding?" He grinned toothily at her even as he hopped over a fallen log effortlessly.

[Juno]

Sophie glared at him, gesturing at herself. "Do I look like I'm walking?" she grumbled, slowing down to a gentle jog and refusing to say anything of thanks for him slowing down. "I guess I'm fine with it taking a day... What's a day when I have weeks to get home anyway," she reasoned, shrugging and trying to find a way to comfortably walk instead while keeping pace with him. "As long as you're sure you know the way."

[GoblinFae]

"So confident you can even catch him when you can barely keep up with a man's pace. How ever will you ensnare a tiger several times faster and stronger? Seems to me little woman that you are all talk and no walk. Perhaps it would be prudent to retrieve your bag of tricks from your little thief. But that's just my advice," he added nonchalantly before turning to face forward again at his new lazy pace.

[Juno]

She shook her head, seeing no point in arguing with a man about her job when he couldn't even have the decency to wear clothes. What she didn't want to admit was her worry of actually performing her job seeing as she couldn't really handle herself effectively in either of her forms against the shifter she'd encountered the previous day.

"I have my ways, no need to worry about me. Wild animals are dumber than you might think," she told him with a chuckle. "Besides, I'm sure he's probably already destroyed my stuff... Not that anything I had would have helped me. It was all...sentimental stuff. And food."

[GoblinFae]

Ultan shook his head, his "fur" ruffled at the idea that he was just a dumb animal. "Ah but you've never met this tiger," he persisted. "He's smarter than you think and if you continue with your line of thinking you're likely to be eaten."

Pausing for a moment in thought, he suddenly stopped and turned to her. "This man that stole your things wouldn't happen to be one and the same with the man that resembles me now would he?"

[Juno]

Not expecting him to stop dead, Sophie walked past him a bit before turning to face him. "Yeah," she sighed. "That would be him. About as tall but...he was wearing a lot of necklaces and things. Come to think of it, he didn't like wearing clothes either. Must be a native thing," she grumbled.

"Why? Do you know him?"

[GoblinFae]

"Fintan," he hissed with a rather competitive gleam in his eyes. "My dear I insist we turn right around and claim your rucksack back from that pathetic excuse of a man! It simply will not do to allow him to bully you around in such a way!" Without waiting for her assumed protests, Ultan latched onto the girl's arm and began to pull her back towards his brother's territory, his heart pumping in anticipation of the fight he was about to enjoy.

[Juno]

She thought it a rather pointless trip to be making, given how firm of a no she'd received about it before, but she that this man seemed to know the thief seemed encouraging at least. Perhaps he would know how to persuade him. Hurrying along to not be dragged by her arm the shifter tried to pull her arm away from his grasp but found his grip on her quite firm.

"He was very stubborn, I didn't know what else to do but leave it with him. He threw me away and told me to stay out," she grumbled. "But maybe he'll listen to you?" she wondered hopefully.

[GoblinFae]

Ultan was practically running with glee now that he had a reason to see his dear puny brother again. "Oh he will if he knows what's good for him. Otherwise his pathetic furry behind is going to be crushed six feet underground," he gloated. "You mustn't fault yourself though dear. Fintan is notorious for his preconceived notions that he is the biggest, baddest boy around. But in actuality that's all he is, a boy."

[Juno]

She tried to keep pace with him, finding herself needing to jog again to keep up with his long strides. "Well he sure acted like it," she sighed, taking note of his mention of the other man being 'furry.' Perhaps he knew him well enough to know he was a shifter, though she wasn't yet catching on to their much closer relationship and that this man was the same.

Rushing through the trees, though, she didn't know the landscape well enough to be able to tell if they were anywhere near the areas she'd seen the previous night especially with her compromised vision given her usual unwillingness to travel in what she felt was her more vulnerable form despite the sharper senses it lended her.

[GoblinFae]

Drawing up on the territory border fast, Ultan gave a shout in hopes of drawing Fintan out to play. "Oy Fintan!" he hollered at the top of his lungs, "got something for you!" It was not long before the shifter made his appearance, once more in tiger form and this time hissing and screeching, his fur standing on end at the sight of his brother so close to home. He had not yet noticed the woman so close behind though as he focused on posturing and pacing in warning.