River gave another growl of frustration. Of course this couldn't be easy. Eyeing how close the guards were, she tried to judge what kind of time they had. Then, twisting her body around to shield most of their movements from view, she leaned heavily against the stranger, pretending her wound made her feel faint.

"Drop the knife," she spat quietly. "I'm your sister. We were just minding out own business when we came upon an injured man. His attacker came at me and you tried to protect me. It happened too fast, we couldn't see anything clearly-"

She heard the guards' heavy footsteps, just within earshot now, and let her voice break off into a terrified whimper, hiding her face against the stranger's cloak that reeked of blood. Being this close made her twitchy- but she'd be damned if this whole mess landed her in a cell! And no way was she letting this stranger out of her sight until she had her answers. If he was innocent, she owed him one for trying to rip his throat out. If he wasn't, well...

She wasn't about to let those guards get their hands on her bounty.

It was only when Dusk woke the next morning that she realized she'd never actually bothered to change before going to sleep. She wrinkled her nose at herself, changing quickly into fresh clothes (the second of the only two sets she carried with her). She stretched and yawned, realizing that she felt...almost relaxed. Probably for the first time since she'd left home.

Then she remembered exactly what her plan for the day entailed and blanched slightly. She was by no means any less grateful to Avalon- but the foreign, far away concept of confronting a group of ruthless bandits had suddenly become much more real.

"Thank you!" If she had been bolder, she would have thrown her arms around him in exuberance. As it was, she leaped to her feet, excited energy suddenly chasing the weariness of her long day away. Still beaming, she bent politely at the waist, reiterating, "Thank you so much."

Then her common sense started to return and she said, more subdued, "Well, I suppose you must be tired. I will see you come sunrise?" She meant to say it as a statement, but somehow it came out as more of a question.

Dusk's head snapped up, her eyes going wide. "Really?" she asked, unable to stop the grin that was spreading across her face. "You mean...you don't mind?"

"I'm...looking for someone," Dusk said. She sat on the bed again and drew her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. "Well, more than one someone, maybe. My parents." She twisted a lock of her odd, plum-to-lavender hair around her finger. Taking a deep breath, she added quickly, "I-I was actually planning on going east myself."

"Oh...okay." Dusk smiled and tilted her head, still slightly confused but not willing to push the topic if he didn't feel very forthcoming. Guardian angel, huh? she mused to herself. Maybe that's what kept him so calm and confident, this faith in his "angel".

She shook herself slightly, returning to the moment. "Well, that salve should help with any bruising. J-just let me know if you need anything else..." Her voice trailed off- and she could have kicked herself. Come on, just ask! she told herself sternly. He already said he was going to confront those bandits, where's the harm in you tagging along? You'd be safer.

She opened her mouth, but the words just wouldn't come out.

He may actually have a point there. And he just seemed so...so tranquil about the whole thing- then all of what he'd said fully registered. Dusk furrowed her brow, confused.

"Elara?" She asked softly, curious. Perhaps some obscure goddess she'd never hurt of, native to the young man's homeland?

"You're insane."

Dusk blushed when she realized she'd said her thoughts aloud. "I-I mean- y-y-you- the b-bandits-" She gave up. Shaking her head, she rose to her feet and untied her cloak, folding it to lay it next to her pack (mostly so she wouldn't have to look at her obviously-not-right-in-the-head guest). "You're insane," she repeated, running a hand frustratedly through her hair. "Why would you go l-looking for trouble like that? Do you have some kind of death wish?"

She made eye contact with Avalon again and suddenly snapped her mouth shut, feeling her blush worsen. Great, now she was being insulting as well as neurotic.

Kiara had no interest in consciousness. She felt the sun begin to creep through the cracks of of Kit's wing-tent, but she only grumbled and rolled over, curling into the softer scales of the dragon's underbelly.

Kit was having none of it. With a snort, he snapped his wing into his side and grabbed the back of her linen shirt between his teeth, lifting her clear off the ground.

"Oi!" Well she was certainly awake now. Twisting and flailing in his hold, she reached up to try to pummel at Kit's snout with her fists. "Put me down, you great stupid lizard!"

He complied with a huff, unceremoniously dumping her onto the sand. Kiara leaped to her feet and spun to glare at him. He batted his eyes innocently. She growled, but the sudden thought of a watching third party stopped her from actually retaliating. Turning on her heel, her eyes sought out the sleepy fox-boy, hoping they hadn't traumatized him.

"Morning," she said brightly, reaching for her pack with one hand while she shaded her eyes against the sun with the other, hoping to determine the time. "I think we've got just enough time for breakfast before we take off," she concluded, digging a bag of nuts out of her pack and holding out a handful to Eihmo'tei.

River snarled in irritation and shrank toward the shadows instinctively. Her brain kicked into overdrive, trying to sort through the sudden influx of knowledge, both sensory and logical. Her nose and eyes attempted to make sense of the approaching group of guards. Three of them, two bearing torches, all armed (of course). They were still just far away enough that they might not be able to make out what was going on...

What was going on?

You think I killed him; the words echoed around in her head. Had she been wrong? Was he not her mark after all, simply someone in the wrong place at the wrong time? But what were the chances of that! She gave a low growl of pure frustration, eyes searching wildly for any kind of way out of this mess. She needed to know more, that much was clear. She couldn't make a proper decision like this. She needed more time.

So she improvised.

Hoping the advantage of surprise would earn some cooperation, she shot her hand out and grabbed at the masked man's shoulder, hauling him forward with her into the light of the streetlamp. "Play along," she hissed under her breath, "and if you are the one who killed him, so help me gods there is nowhere you can go that I won't find you." 

Playing up her wound (and the fact that her shift-on-the-fly had left her wearing nothing more than a thin- now blood smeared- tunic enchanted to stay with her through a change), she pitched her voice higher than it was naturally and called out, "Help, please, over here! Someone's been killed!"

Dusk's jaw dropped. "Ch-check it out?" she repeated incredulously. Was he crazy? Who intentionally sought out danger like that?! She shook her head. "I've seen that you know who to handle yourself, but-" Her voice trailed off. She wasn't quite sure what argument she was trying to make.

Maybe sharing some details would convince him not to be some reckless. "They're not like r-regular bandits. I treated a wound from one of their blades this afternoon- the skin was black, like the metal made it fester." She shivered slightly at the memory.

River gave a sharp yelp of pain as the knife cut into her; her fight or flight instinct was at war with itself, the self-preservation of the wolf clashing against the higher reasoning of the woman. She reared away from her prey, paws slipping in the blood already coating the cobblestone, her own now adding to it. Hackles raised, she growled at her opponent and moved to pounce again.

Damnit! Her right foreleg buckled as she tried to put weight on it, the wound in her shoulder protesting painfully. A shiver rippled through her again as she shifted back to human form, an automatic reaction from her body not being able to move properly as a wolf. Clutching at her shoulder with her other hand, she rose into a fighter's crouch. She gritted her teeth, feeling warm liquid trickle down her bare skin.

"Don't think this gives you an advantage," she snarled, fury and pain making her blood run hot. "I'll be a damn sight harder to kill than him." She jerked her head toward the lifeless body still laying next to her mark.

"Oh?" Dusk sat back, finished with her work. "You t-travel a lot, then?" she forced herself to ask. Having a conversation was nice, and she found she was rather reluctant to let it end. "B-because, if you were planning on t-taking the east road out of Greentrail- I'm not sure if the innkeeper told you- but there's been a problem with b-bandits, apparently."

She swallowed nervously just thinking about it. Her own path required she take the east road, a prospect she was not looking forward to.

Kiara smiled as she watched their new friend settle in, then yawned herself. She flopped down, her travelling cloak spread out underneath her and her pack under her head. "Night, Kit," she murmured, reaching up to stroke the dragon's nose when he swung his head over her. He crooned, eyes narrowing contentedly.

"Good night, Eihmo'tei," she added. She glanced over at him again, all curled up in a little ball with his fluffy tail draped around his body. She was suddenly powerfully reminded of a stuffed toy her mother had made her when she was a little girl.

She shook her head, putting the thought from her mind, and closed her eyes. Tomorrow should be interesting...

"Well..." Kiara mused slowly, watching their new friend devour the strip of dried meat she'd given him. "Safe to say that he likes it, eh Kit?"

The dragon snorted and nodded agreement. She smiled, cocking her head slightly as she eyed Eihmo'tei, then yawned, stretching her arms toward the sky. "I need some sleep if we're going to be at all productive tomorrow," she said, to no one in particular though Kit huffed in response. Yawning again, she dragged her pack over to the dragon and settled down curved against his side.

She'd been planning to use her pack as a pillow, but just before she laid her head against it she glanced at the fox-boy and thought better of it. "Eihmo'tei?" she called, digging around for another piece of provisions. Holding it out toward him she asked, "Do you want another? It's not like we need to save rations, we'll be in the city by tomorrow afternoon."

Dusk glanced around. Four walls, a roof, a bed, and a small washbasin in the corner. It definitely could have been worse. "Yes," she agreed. She rummaged around in her pack for a moment before emerging victorious with a small vial in hand. "I assume you're staying the night?" she asked softly, hesitantly sitting next to him on the bed and once again taking his hand in her own. "That is...it seems rather late if you were planning on taking to the road again...not that travelling late is a bad thing- I mean, if you prefer it-"

She was babbling. She snapped her mouth shut and focused on spreading the salve over his knuckles, blushing scarlet.

Dusk let out a quiet sigh of relief. Good, he wasn't going to confront them. While she was quite sure he could have handled himself, she was glad there wouldn't be an all out brawl. "Follow me, then," she said quietly, heading up the stairs. She followed the hall down to the last room on the right, where she had left her travel pack with her few extra supplies.

She stood back and held the door open, waiting for Avalon.

Like a miracle, Dusk's shyness melted away. Gently but still business-like, she took his outstretched hand between both of her own. "It's a good thing you wear armor," she told Avalon, probing along his skin with a feather-light touch, "otherwise you probably would have broken something." Yes, it would bruise, but not nearly as much as she would have expected. She supposed he must be used to knocking people out.

She released his hand, biting her lip. "I have another bottle of bruise salve you could put on it, but it's up in my room." She indicated the stairs with a nod of her head. "Should I fetch it down? Or-" her eyes flicked over toward the center of the room where the unconscious man's companions were throwing nasty looks their way. A few more drinks and they might be brave enough to have another go at the young man. "Perhaps it would be better if you came with me?"

That was a rare outlook. A soft, genuine smile tugged at her lips. "Well, thank you." She tilted her head slightly as a thought occurred to her. "Would you at least let me l-look at your hand?" A punch like that had to have resulted in bruised knuckles, at least.

Kiara couldn't help laughing at Eihmo'tei's exuberance; not a mocking laugh, simply an expression of his contagious excitement. "I don't think I need a translation for that," she told Kit, chuckling. "In that case," she continued, directing her attention back to Eihmo'tei, "We'll leave at dawn." She tried to mimic his gesture for the sunrise, then waved a hand toward the horizon. "Kit will fly us to Essyrn." Here she patted the dragon's flank.

For his part, Kit added to his translation by unfurling his wings to illustrate the message. They were large- they had to be, to get him off the ground- almost blocking out the night sky. The thin veins of silver and gold shot through them glinted in the firelight.