Crash and burn. [Dracoooo!]

[Rhindeer]

Dragons were amazing beasts, and even after all these years, Khaiya was in awe of them. Their power; their grace; their majesty. They could decimate entire villages if they wanted to, entire cities, even, and in the past she had heard it was true they did. And perhaps some rogue beasts still did today. They were timeless and ancient and wise, creatures of muscles and magic that few could kill--and that those that tried and failed rarely survived.

And yet all it took was one large tear to their wing, the only part of them that wasn't covered in armor-like scales, to bring them to their knees.

Or rather, crashing to the ground.

Khaiya didn't know what did it; she didn't see it happen. She was distracted that morning and fatigued from a poor night's sleep, and so she'd let herself close her eyes just to relieve them of their tired burning as she leaned forward in the saddle, the gentle rise and fall of Jasper beneath her rhythmically soothing, the rush of air around her muted by the helmet she wore. It was a lovely day, sunny and calm, and she wasn't even officially on duty today. She just needed to get out and do something, and a quick flight seemed perfect for that. Stretch Jasper's wings, cure her anxiousness...

Of course, that was exactly when it happened.

Jasper let out piercing roar full of pain and anger and his body jerked, his wings working harder to support his massive weight, and Khaiya's eyes snapped open as ever muscle went taut just in an effort to hold on and stay seated. She was strapped in for safety's sake, but she was in no hurry to test just how well those straps worked!

"Jasper! What is it?" she telepathed at him, her heart hammering away in her chest. They were losing altitude, his wings unable to keep him airborne no matter how he strained, his claws pawing at the air as though that would help keep them afloat.

"My left wing," he telepathed back, and that was when Khaiya twisted in her seat to look--and saw the gaping hole that was flinging blood with every beat. "It's...unstrap yourself, Khaiya."

"What?! Are you crazy?"

"We're going to fall," Jasper continued, and she could hear his breath coming out in bursts as he struggled to keep control, and she watched in horror as he aimed them toward a large patch of forest along the mountainside. "I can try to make this gentle, but if we crash...you need to be free. You'll have a better chance if you're thrown than if I crush you when we--dammit!"

His wing buckled then, giving out from under him, and they plummeted Her stomach dropped and though she'd practiced dives with Jasper before, she thought this time she might truly vomit, right into her damned helmet, because this was not a controlled dive like those. This was a rolling, chaotic fall as the world spun around them into a blur of color, the sheer force of gravity whipping Khaiya around like a ragdoll.

And then, abruptly, Khaiya was no longer staring up at the sky but instead the trees below as Jasper rolled, the trees that were growing closer by the second.

"The strap, Khaiya!" Jasper growled, and Khaiya grabbed at it with shaking hands that didn't want to obey her commands--and yanked it free. And then she was staring at the sky again as she struggled free of the stirrups--and let go.

It was the last thing she remembered before she hit the trees.



The sky was dark when Khaiya woke up, and she was surrounded by trees.

She was also incredibly sore. Everything ached, and she knew as she laid there that she was pretty lucky to be alive. That without her armor, without her helmet, she would surely be dead. That she'd probably be dead if she hadn't let go, because there was a chance Jasper would land belly up--and a chance he'd land on his back with her beneath him and--

...Shit. Jasper.

"Jasper!" she yelled, scrambling to her hands and knees and wincing as her bruised and cut body protested. She gasped, pain shooting through her side--she'd probably broken a rib or two--and clamped a hand to the spot as she sucked in air. Shit. Shit.

There was no answer.

"Jasper!" she tried again, this time sending it out along their link, but again there was only silence.

Silence, except for the eerie sounds of the woods around her, and the distant howl of a wolf.

Either he was out of range or...

No. She did not want to think of the other possibility. She'd know if that were the case...wouldn't she?

Reaching up, Khaiya took off her helmet and mopped her sweaty brow with a gloved hand. Okay. She just had to think smart about this. Stay calm and logical.

[Draconian]

The trees had told him that they needed hands and fingers. That they needed his help just over here. Bifrost was tired though. His legs hurt and his eyes hurt. His feet hurt. But the trees wouldn't shut up and they'd been calling him for a while. How long? Who knows, but he was well on his way and their game of hot and cold was seemingly coming to an end, along with his patience.

Bifrost adjusted his backpack and pushed his braid over his shoulder while giving a huff of frustration and continued on. A glance up to the trees and he closed his violet eyes and took in the surroundings, waiting for another nudge from the forest and - Jasper! - interrupted his thoughts. Was this what they needed the hands and fingers for? What had this person done to the forest to warrant the need of hands and fingers. The voice echo'd around him and he changed his direction ever so slightly towards the voice and ignored any other foresty noises. Like animals.

Luckily, or unluckily, Bifrost was close enough to hear her. He'd been walking for a while, which while not unusual, he was unprepared to do this particular day. Today was supposed to be 'head towards the closest town and stock up' day but the trees had been gnawing at his mind like a sock that had fallen down around your foot in a boot. It didn't hurt. It was just annoying without end and there was no way to fix it until you stopped to do so.

"Hello?" Bifrost called after a while of walking, trying to get the girl to call out again, he projected his voice so it would carry. He was a tall man and his clothes and hair probably helped him blend into the forest. His clothing was shades of brown and his hair was a deep forest green, nearly to his waist in a thick braid, tossed forward over his shoulder so it didn't get tangled in his backpack.

"Are you hurt?" He called again, pausing to listen before moving again. When he finally asked that the grating from the trees ceased and he knew that's what they wanted. "Can you call out again so I can find you?"

[Rhindeer]

Calm down. Breathe. Assess.

Khaiya wanted to panic. She felt the anxiety welling up in her chest and making it tight and painful and difficult to breathe, squeezing like a fist. She wanted to absolutely lose it, to freak the fuck out, to cry and scream--but she took deep breaths in, slow breaths out through her nose, and closed her eyes as she knelt there, her hands spread open on her knees. Jasper wasn't answering her. Her ribs hurt so bad that drawing breath was piercing. She had no idea where she was, out in the woods in the middle of nowhere. And she had no way to contact anyone. No one even knew where she was! This had been nothing but a joyride, a diversion, and it might have just killed her best friend.

Someone had shot him. It had been deliberate.

That meant whoever had done it was still out there, and could be hunting him still, if he was even alive. Maybe they had already found him. Maybe they would find her, too.

"Fuck...fuck...fuck..." she whispered under her breath, then scrubbed a hand through her sweat-slicked hair and wiped quickly at her eyes. Stop it. Enough. She had panicked enough. Now she had to pull herself together and figure something out. She couldn't stay here; if she did, she would be found. She'd made a mistake in calling out and advertising her location like that.

But fuck, she didn't know what to do. Nothing had prepared her for this. They didn't cover losing your dragon in training, not really.

Probably because there was a little point. How many people survived the loss?

He had to be alive.

Please let him be alive...

Gritting her teeth, Khaiya held her breath and pushed herself to her feet, biting back a squealing whimper. It was like someone had taken a knife to her ribs and was twisting it with every movement, the pain so sharp it knocked the breath from her. Breathing alone was bad enough as her lungs expanded her damaged ribs, but moving was another level entirely. Still she managed to get to her feet, wobbly and light-headed and fighting against the black haze creeping around the edges of her vision. Breathe in. Breathe out. She couldn't afford to pass out. Fingers trembling, she worked at the straps of her armor to loosen it and pull it off. It fit her like a glove, and now it felt too tight, pressing against her sides too much.

"Hello?"

Khaiya froze like a deer, head swiveling in the voice's direction. It was closer than she wanted, and panic spiked in her anew. And it didn't help when the voice called again, asking if she was hurt and--more chillingly--asking her to call out again so he could find her.

The hunter? Would the hunter call out like that, or would they not just track her down so she didn't know they were coming?

Unless they didn't have a clue where she was and wanted her to make herself an easy, pliable target.

She couldn't think of a reason any other soul would be all the way out here. It was too convenient that someone else would be here and want to help her.

Pulse racing, for the voice sounded closer the second time, Khaiya clenched her jaw against the pain and forced herself to walk briskly away, because she couldn't run and could barely breathe through the agony. She just had to get deeper into the woods, then she could hunker down and hide. She didn't have to go far, she just had to go away and--

Uncoordinated as she was, she didn't see the hole until it was too late. It was some sort of old animal burrow all covered with leaves, and her foot found it and sent her crashing to the forest floor in a flurry of pained, cursing yelps and the crunching of leaves and twigs.

[Draconian]

The trees were grating again.

The sensation of moving let Bifrost know that he was being told to do so. Invisible hands pulling and tugging at invisible limbs he didn't know he had. He considered it for a moment, so deep in the woods, alone and afraid, when he never got an answer. He'd been anticipating joy and relief, but the forest tattled on the injured party.

Bifrost felt a little regret when there was no answer, he continued on though. Anything to make the incessant brain digging feeling to go away. The trees stopped when he made moves to help the person who's called out, so that's what he continued trying to do. It wasn't for a good reason, it was for a selfish one.

"Hello?" He called, one last time, pondering for a moment that perhaps the trees were done with him and sending him to an early grave. "I really am here to help, I can't explain how I found you but I-" the sound of rustling and terrified falling broke the words from his lips and he picked up the pace, running towards the sounds of breaking twigs and leaves.


Too long legs and unfamiliar terrain made him stumble a bit, landing on a knee not far from the person with a grunt. Hand on a tree trunk before he got himself up with more noise than entirely necessary. "I found you," he said his voice soft, half because the trees finally seemed to shut up for real and soft because they were rough looking.  "What happened to you. You know when the trees were dragging me along,I thought you'd be some wounded deer or little forest creature that needed help." Bifrost fixed his backpack and stood, taking a few steps back. She hadnt answered him before, which meant he was probably still scary now.

Bifrost was a very tall man and he wasnt excessively slim or lanky for his height which meant he was a bit of an oppressive figure. Long green hair and violet eyes, the look on his face was kind, if there was light to see it by. "I'm here to help," he said, making no move to touch her, "I have bandages in my bag," he whispered, hands up and palms out, both bloodied from his trip.

[Rhindeer]

He was really here to help? Bullshit. Maybe it was her trust issues speaking, but Khaiya didn't buy it.

It was too late to hide now, though. She'd ruined any hope of that. Clutching at her side and hissing pained breaths through her teeth, she scrambled onto her knees and looked around herself frantically, searching for something, anything that she could use as a weapon. She scattered leaves about with her hands to check beneath them. There had to be a branch, a rock, something. Come on, this was a bloody forest, branches broke and fell all the time! Her sword was wherever Jasper was, packed away safely in a large saddlebag. It was more a formality than a necessity when you had a dragon.

The dragon was her weapon.

Something thick and leafy caught her eye, and she grabbed it up--and nearly cry-laughed when she saw it was barely anything at all, a piece of branch as long as her forearm and thick as her wrist. By the time anyone got close enough for it to be useful, they would already be close enough to overpower her.

Fine, nature. Fine. Guess she would just go ahead and fuck herself.

A crash and a grunt, and Khaiya went stiff when her eyes landed on a man who said the three most chilling words she had heard in a long time: "I found you."

He was tall when he stood. Way taller than anyone had a right to be, which made her want to shrink back. Khaiya gripped her pathetic "branch" tighter and forced herself to her feet, biting back the sounds that wanted to rip out. She had to appear as healthy as she could. Had to look like she could at least make it inconvenient to attack her, because this was not a fight she was winning. Skill only got you so far when your opponent has muscle and mass and reach on you--and that was when you were healthy. She steadied herself though she wanted to wobble, legs shoulder-width apart, and held the branch like a club.

...Eh?

Her eyebrows rose as he kept talking, something about...trees dragging him along? Wounded deer? What? He even backed away a little, said he wanted to help? Khaiya blinked, taken off guard but still wary, her head cocked. Wait. Once he found her, he had no reason to try to gain her trust. He could just brute force his way to capturing or killing her. But this man gave her space instead. Held his empty, but damaged, hands up. Said he had bandages.

...Basically, he was acting like she was some skittish creature he didn't want to spook as opposed to wounded prey he was hunting.

Some part of her knew she should be more cautious and not let her guard down so quickly, but she was hurting and she didn't know how much resistance she had left to give.

Khaiya let out a breath. "You're not...?" Her eyes flicked over him quickly. It had been some sort of bolt that had taken Jasper down, like an arrow, but it had to be tougher than that. Crossbow? She didn't see anything like that on this man. She swayed a little. "Who are you?"

[Draconian]

Well at least she had paused. Bifrost knew nothing except that the forest was insistent and now that he was here he had no guide. He didn't know what he was needed here for. Hands still out, he briefly held the trunk of a tree for balance before taking a hesitant step closer.

Her question seemed innocent enough, "Bifrost," he said softly, "In all honestly I'm not sure why I'm here. The trees called and I followed," which he knew sounded weird and he couldn't explain it. Couldn't explain anything about himself. "They just shut up when I got here and they aren't telling me anything else." He took his backpack off and put it on the ground, "I can only assume it's to help you."

He paused then, rummaging through his bag and taking out some of his supplies for when he got cuts and bruises or sprains. "Oh, are you being pursued? Is that why you're so frightened?" He glanced over his shoulder, "I didn't hear anything but... I wasn't exactly listening for it. I imagine people out here on purpose are pretty quiet."

Bifrost not falling into that group.

[Rhindeer]

Khaiya's tension eased a little with each word he spoke, because his explanation just got wilder the more he did. The...trees called him?

Her eyes flicked to his green hair. He kind of looked like a tree himself, tall and sturdy and and green-haired and brown-skinned. Was he...some sort of shaman?

Whoever this Bifrost was, Khaiya felt she could officially cross him off the "danger" list because he seemed honest. Someone trying to deceive would have probably gone for a much tamer and more mundane story than "the trees told me so".

Oh thank the gods and spirits alike.

She let her makeshift club drop to the ground and just about followed with it, but though she staggered she managed to stay standing, stubbornly, but only just. Relief flooded her, and it made her want to crumple with it. 

"I-I don't know what's going on," she finally said, forcing her voice to be as steady as she could, not wanting to look more vulnerable than she was. "I don't know who's after me—or if they're even after me. I don't know. But my dragon's gone—someone shot him. I don't know where he is and he's not answering and—fuck." She pressed her hands to her ribs; breathing and talking both hurt. "I'm fine, but he's not. He's hurt and I need to find him. You really haven't heard anything?"

She bit her lip, a bad habit. She was on the verge of worrying it bloody. "He's a dragon. How have you heard nothing?"

[Draconian]

Dragon?

Bifrost's eyebrows shot up and he looked over his shoulder like maybe it would be right behind him. He supposed that would explain her terror if she'd fallen out of the sky off of a dragon. He then looked over the girls shoulder like maybe the dragon was over there - but alas - just dark forest.

"Well," Bifrost jerked a thumb behind him to indicate where he'd come from, "there was nothing that way, but the forest is pretty big and maybe your dragon went" He pointed behind her the way he hadn't been, "that way." He took a step closer, holding a hand out like he was trying to calm down a wild animal.

"Are you hurt? I'm assuming you fell if you're looking for a dragon." He chewed on his own lip, looking a little nervous, "I can do basic stuff like splints and maybe digging dirt out of a wound, but I'm no healer. No magic here, I just look kinda weird." Bifrost moved closer again, the arm looking less 'calm down animal' and more 'sturdy warm support', "I can also carry you, which seems weird since we don't know one another but I don't know how fucked up you got."

[Rhindeer]

How? How was there really nothing? One would think that a dragon crashing through a forest to the earth would make a loud sound, and yet...and yet, here she was, with no leads to go off of. Because one would also think that a dragon crashing to the earth would leave a mark. Broken trees, disturbed ground, something.

Khaiya looked where Bifrost looked, frustration now mingling with the fear and barely-kept-at-bay grief. She'd been thrown from Jasper, that was true, but...she couldn't have gone that far, could she?

Bifrost approached her, offering his arm--and also offering to carry her--and Khaiya grabbed onto his arm because she didn't much like the other option. Gods, he was tall. Her head barely reached his shoulder. "I'm fine," she said, leaning her full weight against him, a little breathless and trying to control it as every movement took an extra effort. "Just a little fucked. I'll live." She craned her neck to look up at him. "How well do you know this wood? You said the trees speak to you. Were you being literal? Can you ask them? I don't have time, I have to find him."

[Draconian]

There was the odd urge to preen - he was helping. Sort of. Bifrost chewed on his lip and braced his himself when she put her weight on his arm, non-verbally declining the offer to be carried. That was fine, he could play walking stick. Her questions started and he pondered for a moment on how best to answer them.

If he could even being to.

"Well," Bifrost said, looking down at her as surely as she looked up at him, "Sometimes it's words but this was less words and more..." he flicked the fingers on his free hand, "sensations. Pulling. Like... sandpaper but in your head." He shrugged, "they stopped as soon as I found you." He sighed and looked up at the sky, staying silent for a moment and... Trying weird nature shit.

"Do you remember which direction you were flying? Do you know which direction is which? Maybe he's not too far from here. I just didn't see anything on my way here to you - but I wasn't really looking for anything, I just wanted the noise to stop." An apologetic wince and he gave a lame pat of her hand in apology.

[Rhindeer]

Khaiya tried not to show her disappointment when he didn't give any immediate answers, just a lot of vagueness instead, but it was difficult to be patient--even if she knew that was unfair to him. He didn't owe her his aid, after all, yet here he was, offering his help and looking sorry when he didn't have all the answers.

She didn't have many answers, either.

She chewed her lip again in thought, trying to remember any details she could, but everything before the fall was a bit of a blur. Everything had happened so quickly, her entire world changing from one wingbeat to the next.

"Um..." She looked skyward, but the canopy above was thick and blocked out the sky. Think, think. She could remember the feelings, the wind buffeting her, the slight lurch in her belly whenever Jasper dipped or rose, the warmth of the sun--oh! She snapped a look up at Bifrost, perking a bit. "The sun was at my back, I remember that. We came from Ketra. And..."

She frowned, making a face. "...And that's all I have. It's...a bit fuzzy. Everything happened really suddenly." She drew in a wincing breath and leaned against Bifrost, her grip tightening. "Was any of that helpful in the least?"

[Draconian]

Bifrost looked up at the canopy of the trees, too. Before his ... abilities... came out in full force, he hadn't stepped a foot into the forest. It was quite the learning curve, from living in a city to... becoming an extension of a forest. The trees Bifrost had touched and drawn his bloodied hands over were invigorated. Likely hard to see in the dark, but sprouts had started to immediately grow once his blood was against it.

A thing he knew happened but he didn't point out.

"Well," The sun went down from over there, which means, "We can start going that way," he pointed into the trees and shifted his stance and gave her more arm to hold. "Because the sun sets over there, which means if your friend kept going after you fell - that would mean he might have gone there." Bifrost chewed his cheek though, "I'm not sure though. Is there anything... to look out for?" A pause, "besides exploded trees. How big is a dragon?"

[Rhindeer]

"He's--he's a dragon. He's huge, like..." Khaiya let go of his arm with one hand so she could spread that arm wide, indicating big. "Bigger than a horse or...or really any animal I've seen. I don't know. Fifteen meters from nose to tail-tip, more or less?"

She tried to focus on taking tiny breaths. Tiny breaths made her ribs hurt less, but it also made it harder to speak without going breathless, and the lack of air was starting to make her a bit light-headed. Her hands tightened on Bifrost's arm and she leaned against him, her good side pressed against his. Fuck. Fuck. She could feel her body giving out, but she fought against it, blinked hard as though it would keep away the darkness creeping at the edges of her vision. Gods, why now? It was like the moment she realized she was out of immediate danger, her awareness began to shift from "danger" to "pain" and her body decided it had had enough.

Not yet. Gods, not yet. She had passed out before. She was no stranger to that and knew the warning signs. But she couldn't yet. She was fine.

"He would have left a mark. He would have to. Broken trees, broken ground. Unless..." Khaiya sucked in a breath and leaned her head against Bifrost's side. "Shit. He's an earth dragon. I'm an idiot. Oh--!"

Her knees buckled, her world pitched dizzily, and she slid down into a crouch because standing was suddenly far too hard. She clutched her side, wincing, gritting her teeth. "...I might be more than a little fucked."

[Draconian]

Fifteen meters?!

Bifrost's eyebrows went up and his jaw dropped.

Sure he knew Dragons were large but that was really big! His eyes looked up at the sky like he was expecting a second one to just drop and give them an good example of what to look for. At least there would be a lot of broken trees? Some good land marks to follow, if the Dragon hadn't gotten up and moved.

"Earth dragon?" Was that like a sand dragon? Just made of piles of earth? Bifrost remained still while she leaned against him and he took a second longer than he should have to follow her down into her couch, moving one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back. The trees had bid him to be here, so... Here he was.

Bifrost looked down at the soldier(?) and shifted his stance, pursing his lips and looking off into the distance. Walking while princess carrying a grown adult would be a bit of a pain in the ass. Sure he could do it, but the balance would be off and if he tripped he'd squish her. "Okay, so, here's what I understand," He didn't wait, simply adjusted his belongings and started to walk in the general direction. His steps were careful and he tried not to jostle her, "Your dragon crashed. You, who is much smaller and much more fragile, fell off of a flying dragon and hit the ground - of which I'm sure you didn't bounce too well."

The tingling sensation of over here had him remain in the direction but just slightly off to the side. "On a scale - no pun intended - of fragile to dragon, I'd say you're in need of the most immediate help. So, what we're going to do is, I'm going to carry you to running water. We're going to bandage you up and then we're going to rest and then we're going to look for your companion."

He didn't really wait for her to answer, instead he kept walking. Determined and a little confused.

[Rhindeer]

Khaiya wanted to protest. If she had it her way, she would work until she either found Jasper or dropped to the ground--which was why it was a good thing one of them was clear-headed enough to know that was a bad idea, because the dropping would happen long before she'd found her first clue.

So as Bifrost scooped her up, all she could do was give a soft, pained groan and wrap her arms around his neck to hold on. The last of her energy had faded quickly, and she couldn't have resisted him if he tried. If he turned out to be an axe murderer at this point, well played.

Whether he was right or not, though, that didn't mean she had to like it. She listened as he summed up the scenario, made a truly awful pun that made her grimace, and detailed the plan going forward. Khaiya shook her head, and the world kept moving even after she stopped. "I just need a couple hours, at most," she said, leaning her head into his shoulder and squeezing her eyes shut. "I think...I think it's not as bad as it seems. I couldn't have fallen that far..."

Her voice trailed off, and she cracked an eye open. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

[Draconian]

Bifrost kept walking the direction the trees bid him to. The little mental tugs and pulls, coaxes and suggestions.

He did roll his eyes exaggeratedly when she said she only needed a couple hours. Sure. "You're lucky you're not worse off," He looked down at her, adjusting her as gently as he could. His arms were going to be so tired by the time they got to where they were going - wherever the fuck that was. "We'll assume you fell half a tree length, which is still very far and usually leads to broken bones. If we're being realistic, you're lucky none of them burst from your skin." His voice was stoic and he frowned down at her, even if her eyes were shut. Maybe she'd hear it in his voice.

"That's a complicated question," He replied softly, his voice getting a little more breathy as he walked. Following the tug. The voices. This way. Whispers from so far away they just were the idea of words and echoes. "Do you want the complicated answer or the one you give to strangers to they don't think you're a wingnut while you're helping them look for their earth dragon?" He chuckled at his own words and then gave a momentary pause, "Once you decided, you should tell me your name. And your dragons."

[Rhindeer]

Oh, she heard it in his voice, all right. Khaiya's nose and brow wrinkled at his graphic description of what could have happened--bones bursting out of her skin and all--and she let out a soft huff. Here she was, an adult woman in an honorable military role and yet she had the distinct feeling that he was scolding her. She was too tired to be offended--and besides, he was kind of right.

She cracked an eye open, was met with his stern frown, and quickly shut her eyes again before she could feel too judged.

"Alright, I get it," she sighed, letting herself go limp in defeat, her arms loose around him. 

Khaiya fell quiet as he spoke, aside from another little snort. It would be outrageously rude to tell the man saving her ass that she already thought him a bit nutty, what woth his tree talk and all, so she said simply, "I can do complicated." She turned her face into his neck, gritting her teeth against the consistent throb in her ribs. "Name's Khaiya, by the way. Jasper's my dragon."

[Draconian]

"Jasper is a lovely name," Bifrost said softly, not wanting to exert too much effort into talking while walking and carrying a grown woman. He was one man, he'd run out of breath and it'd just be awkward for them both to listen to him huff and puff as he followed.

She could do complicated.

"Well, I'm from Connlaoth," He cast a look down at her, though kept his head facing up and forward, "A bit odd. My parents and brothers were as typical Connlaoth as you could get. Kinda short. Blonde. My mother swore up and down I wasn't adopted, just looking like a very distant ancestor." Which he must have. Bifrost a very tall man with long thick forest green hair and bright purple eyes. He looked anything but Connlaothian.

He stopped talking for a moment, just listening to the forest and moving around the trees. Snapping twigs and the dirt and moss squishing under his boots. "One day, I'm out with my brothers and I hear some weird whispering. I follow it, they stay behind. It's just a big ol' grove." Bifrost shrugged and then adjusted Khaiya in his arms, "anyway, that's when I learned I could hear trees, my blood made plants grow and something-something reincarnation."

His voice got quieter for a moment and he spoke in a hushed stage whisper, "truthfully, I think they want to kill me so I can fertilize them, but they have to wait for something-- ah..." Bifrost looked off to the side, the sound of water tickling his ears, he moved towards it and gently got on his knees, placing Khaiya down on the mossy ground beside a little creek. A little out of breath, he pulled his bandana off and stuffed it into a pocket, and shuffled off to the side. His ears were delicately pointed and currently one was pressed to the ground, his eyes closed, listening intently to... Nothing.

A small shrug and shake of his head when he leaned back up, "We should probably wait for day light before we continue. We have clean water, we can fix you up and then you can try and spot clues for your jasper. The trees have gotten kind of quiet, now that we're here." A small shrug and he nodded to her side, "Did you want to deal with that on your own or did you want help, now that we're here."

[Rhindeer]

"Wait--" Khaiya started to say, because there were a lot of words in what Bifrost had said and a lot of those words were very interesting! And yet he was rushing on past the subject as if he hadn't just said something about reincarnation and murderous trees! Before she could get the words out, she was distracted by discomfort as he set her down and knelt to do...whatever the heck it was he was doing.

Settled down on the ground, Khaiya sat cross-legged and hunched over, her arms wrapped around her middle in a vain attempt at relieving the pain with a bit of pressure. She watched him as she focused on taking little breaths that didn't hurt as much as deep ones, and she arched an eyebrow as he put his ear to the ground.

The trees had gotten quiet, he said.

"Right..." she said quietly, still a little skeptical. Though, come to think of it, it might be a bit silly to think he was off his rocker for hearing tree voices in his head when she regularly talked to a giant lizard. There were stranger magics out there. With a sigh as he nodded at her side, Khaiya frowned and shuffled awkwardly to put her back to him.

"I'll take care of it, if you have anything I can use for it," she said, and lifted the edge of her shirt to frown down at the black, blue, and purple bruise blossoming across her skin. She winced. "I'll need something to wrap it. And...I'll also need an explanation." She peered over her shoulder at him. "You can't just mention reincarnation without elaborating."

[Draconian]

While he wasn't terribly good at distracting people - except for when he was crowds, being very tall helped with being distracting then. Bifrost brushed the damp bits of forest that had stuck to his face when he tried to listen to the ground, he glanced over at Khaiya, noticing the bruises and then flashed her a bright smile.

He moved his pack off to the side, digging in and pulling out some used but clean cloths, holding them out before putting them on his knees and sitting down in front of her. "I can't?" He said, voice teasing regarding the mention of reincarnation, giving his head a tilt and the thick green hair falling over his face, "I'm sure I just did though, hmm?" He was a bit forceful, moving her arms up as gently as he could before he moved his hands to poke and prod at her torso.

"So," He said simply, taking the cloth and wrapping it around her back for her, holding the two loose pieces at front for her to grab - she had said she could do it herself after all. "Why exactly would a tall green haired elf be born to a perfectly normal Connlaothian couple? Who are human and kind of have blond-ish reddish hair?" He gave Khaiya a look and raised an eyebrow, like perhaps she had the answers to the questions.