The long road through the mountains which divided Neyan's homeland of Connlaoth and the much more welcoming Serendipity was full of dangers. Not only were the high peaks cold and unforgiving, but attacks from ice wraiths, bandits, and other hostile creatures were rather common. Neyan was aware of all of this, and was prepared for this. Well... She was more prepared for ice wraiths than what she experienced on this particular trek.
Not only was it cold... It was very cold. And the wind blew like a typhoon all the way down the side of the mountain, huge, white flakes of falling snow obscuring vision farther than five feet at best. She found it hard to locate the sun in the sky, the horizon just faintly visible as a lighter shade of grey on top of another. Her feet shifted in the loose snow, finding it hard to keep her balance as she bundled up tightly in her cloak. Her exposed hands that held the cloak around her form stung as snowflakes hit them, her feet almost completely numb in her shoes.
She desperately needed some form of warmth... Frostbite would set in soon, and she liked her feet too much to have them amputated. Or her poor little fingers... They'd freeze solid soon enough as well, at this rate. Her eyes widened as a faint, box-like silhouette came into view in the distance. It looked like some kind of structure... Shelter! Possible warmth! She at first beamed excitedly, feeling as if she was saved. But she did have her suspicions... What was some random shack doing out in the middle of nowhere? This could've been a very elaborate trap... Still, she was so cold...
Throwing caution to the wind, she took off into a run, trying to fight the sting of the freezing air against her face and hands. She stumbled every now and then, falling to her hands and knees with an adorable grunt of frustration. Eventually, she made it there, the structure she saw in the distance taking the shape of a slightly tilted, wooden hunting lodge covered in frost, ice sickles hanging from the roof, the shingles of which falling off in places. She ran around to the front door, opening it faster than she had ever opened a door before.
She tumbled into the hunting lodge, the door wide open and fluffy, white snow blowing in slightly from the blizzard raging outside. Neyan expected it to be just as cold in here as it was out there, but there was actually a rather nice warmth in here... Wait... Was someone already here? Was she not alone? Her face buried in the floor, she couldn't see if she truly had company, but if she would have looked up, she'd have noticed the wood burning in the fireplace. As the warmth hit her, her frozen skin felt as if it was on fire. Not that she didn't appreciate the warmth, but straight out of the freezer, into what felt like a frying pan... Not too comfortable.
Shyirin was Nice and toasty in his little shack eating a bowl of stew he managed to whip up. It had been snowing for quite Some time now which was Nice for him since all he had to do was follow his footsteps back to the shack if he shfted or needed a stretch. But dang was it cold outside not to mention a extremely loud blizzard which sort of hurt his ears a bit.
So he given up completely on sleeping through the bizzard and made the bowl of stew he was enjoying. Shyirin had gathered a good few dried meats and vegetables during his time there which was pretty long at times. So many he might be able to open a small store if things were different.
But that was not the case for him when the wolf attacked him and his best friend ruining their lives. His train of though on eating the stew infront of him fautered when he saw a woman opening up his door randomly and collapsing onto the floor looking like she had been through hell and back.
He pauses mid bite and put the spoon down looking bewildered, "Uhhh... miss," he pauses for a moment thinking, she did look freezing all over and by now the bits of snow on her were already meltimg. He supposed he could throw her out if it was not like it was outside at the moment but he did not have the heart to do that, "it must be pretty cold outside for you to barge in here like that." He laughs, and stands up. He was panicing on the inside, since she brought a bit of the cold he felt a bit of the symptoms he was going to shift again, but with time they would fade away after the change in tempature sisappears, the next thing he wanted was the cause her the same pain or scare her.
Shyirin made his way over to her and bent down leaving a few feet of space between them. He watched he just lay there then got up to get some towels and started to dry off the floor where she opened the door and stumbled in. He laid the towel on the floor and offered her his hand, "Common miss. You need something warm to eat and extra layers. You arent out of the cold yet."
At the sound of his voice, Neyan looked up very slowly. She smiled in pure embarrassment, the heat from her cheeks almost being enough to warm her up if the fire wasn't present. At first, all she could really think of him doing was tossing her back out into the blizzard, probably quite pissed that she had tracked in a ton of snow, as well as a good gust or two of sub-zero winds. However... His reaction certainly surprised her.
A laugh, accompanied by a teasing remark fit for no one other than a close friend. She blinked in confusion at his demeanor, unsure how to react. As he approached her, she instinctively sat up and shuffled back a bit, but calmed as she saw him doing nothing more than cleaning the mess she made. This made her feel a bit bad... He found this place first... It technically should've been his territory. However, was she really willing to go back out there? With the possibility of dying from the cold?
It didn't take very much thought at all. She was going to stay here. He'd have to pry her nails from the doorframe, if he was to try and force her out. However, so far, it seemed as if he had no interest in doing so. So, that meant they'd be sharing this spot. This small, enclosed area with only a small radius of warmth. She tried her best to ignore how awkward that was... Especially with this man being a stranger, and all.
Neyan slowly got to her feet with assistance from his outstretched hand, brushing the last bits of snow off her clothes, which had melted a bit from the fire. She was definitely warmer, now. Well, warm enough that she could feel her hands and feet. Her teeth continued to chatter, though, and her hands caressed her arms as if to bring back feeling to her icy skin. As he spoke of extra layers and food, Neyan visibly became very excited. She hadn't truly eaten since she made her trek over the moutains, and what he said afterwards was far from lies. She was by no means out of the cold.
She paused a bit, feeling as if introductions were in order before she ate this man's food and robbed him of his coverings. "Um... My name is Neyan... You are?" She asked quietly, sounding a lot more pitiful than she intended, with the chattering of her teeth creating somewhat of an artificial stutter. She assumed it didn't matter much at this point, though... She looked pitiful enough tumbling in here to begin with.
Shyirin made a surprised face when he saw how excited the person got when he mentioned food and extra layer of blankets. Must have been pretty rough out there for her. He thinks. When Neyan introduced herself he smiles, ?Nice to meet you Neyan. I'm Shyirin, make yourself at home."
He then quickly goes and gets a few blankets and hands them to her.
He then goes to get a bowl and walks over to the pot then spoons some hot stew into it. "I hope you don't mind deer stew, and be careful it's pretty hot." He walks back over to where he was sitting and sets the bowl down on the table, there was no where else to eat after all unless Neyan would want to eat on the floor or on his bed roll which probably was not the best nor the cleanest with the way winter was.
He drags a separate chair over to the table and starts to put a few of his books away, particularly his journal which he folded the page's corner in and closed it. He went back to the task of finishing up his stew while standing up. He eyed the floor a bit and made a mental note to finish up fixing the small puddle later on or just let the fire take care of it.
Neyan visibly licked her lips at the sight of the stew. it didn't matter what he was serving her... all that mattered was that she was being offered food. She sat at the table, almost too impatient to wait for the stew to cool, as he advised. she blew on it, stirring it with her spoon in hopes that it'd cool down faster. she paused as he introduced himself, blinking up at his form before her as a small smile formed on her soft lips.
"... Are you shy? Is that why people call you Shyirin?" She giggled at her own childish remark, already showing her true colors after being out of the cold for less than five minutes. She couldn't help it... She was a naturally happy person, and he seemed friendly enough. Hopefully he wouldn't get too annoyed...
Not even really thinking about it, she scooped up some of the soup and shoveled it into her mouth, her eyes going wide and her face going bright red at the searing heat of the broth, which was still fresh off the fire. She waved her hands in front of her face rapidly, whining as she swallowed it down. Panting, the red slowly left her face, the girl looking back at him embarrassedly. "Um... How'd you get out here, Mr. Shy Guy?"
She accompanied the question with a tilt of her head and a slight fluttering of her eyelashes. She wasn't really trying to be cute, it just appeared that way. She had this natural aura about her that she couldn't really change. Even at her most serious moments, she was given the same gawks of admiration by people who saw her as nothing more than a playful puppy. She'd be annoyed by this, if she wasn't so damned happy about everything.
"Hmmm?" Shyirin thinks for a second why would people call him Shyirin, "Nah Its not that Im shy I guess its just what my mother named me., "He scratches the back of his neck deep in thought, " There is no other reason then that I suppose since I was raised with merchants I an't to shy."
He watches Neyan giggle at her own joke which made him laughs a bit even a bit more when she struggled to swallow some of the hot stew she had just taken a bite of. He did warn her it was pretty hot. The next question caught him off guard as to pertaining why he was in the shack they were on now.
Somhe sat there and blinked for a second, "Long story, I rather not talk about it unless Im around my best friend. Lets just say we were attacked one night and a year later the attack ruijed both of our lives. So I found this cozy little shack," He motions to the surrounding area, "To hunker down in for a while and helping a few mages out since they are pretty chilled but they dont come by often.
What about you?"
He asks back firing the question. If she did not tell him about what she was doing her other then running from the cold he was proabbly not going to tell her much either unless it came down to it of course.
She frowned a bit at the mention of his life being ruined. What event could've possibly done something so drastic to him? She wasn't going to be too nosy, though... His troubles weren't her concern. It would probably hurt to bring up, anyways. She just nodded and looked back down at her soup, which had cooled enough to eat. Spooning the broth into her mouth, she remained silent for a little while.
That was... Until he asked her a very similar question. She wasn't too secretive, with this one. She didn't have to be, now that she was in Serenian territory. "Oh... I'm returning from Connlaoth! I was helping the wounded mages, coming back from the battlefield!" She smiled, sitting up proudly. "I'm a healer! A pretty good one, too!" She clasped her hands together in her lap. She... didn't mean to sound like a braggart, even if that's how it appeared.
She sighed a bit, shaking her head as her smile disappeared. "I... Really shouldn't have tried passing the mountains in the middle of winter... I should've hired a caravan, or something... maybe dressed warmer..." She said, regretting the decisions which landed her in this particular scenario. Still, if she hadn't done what she did, she'd have never met this man!
As soon as she had finished explaining herself, she went back to wolfing down the hot meal, before placing the bowl in front of her and wiping her mouth clean of any broth that had missed her lips. "Thank you! It was super good!" She complimented. She had noticed that both the hot soup and the fire had done more than enough to warm her up, and a bead of sweat was now running down her forehead. She looked down at her long, white robes, deciding to drop a bit of her modesty for a little while.
She went to work removing some of her thick layers, draping them over the back of the chair she was sitting on. Beneath the robe was a pair of baggy, white pants, as well as fur boots. Her top left her arms uncovered, the fabric wrapping around her torso and tying around strings at the sides of the top. Still, with her pale, delicate arms now exposed, it was really no more revealing than that.
Her chest remained covered up, all the way to her neck. Still as modest as she had been about her figure. Such as the way that most white mages had been taught. Something to do with purity, which Neyan never really understood. Standing, she walked to Shyirin and gave him a big hug. "Thank you." Her words were muffled, her face slightly buried in his shoulder as she spoke. Disregarding a bit of his personal space, but that didn't matter right now... truly, he had saved her life.
Yeah that was pretty silly of of here, its not like she knew that there was going to be such a bad snow storm as the one outside. Sometimes we get cold days and other a bit warmer I wouldn't blame her. He thinks with a smirk, "Man being a mage must be oretty great. Your lucky to get to be one actually, it must really come in handy."
He watches her finish the stew and change out of her layers of clothing into her normal clothes. At least he did not have to worry about cleaning those up, after all ne was not the best at washing clothes.
More like a home cleaner and an okay cooker after all his time living alone. He never really needed to worry about how clean his clothes were and only washed them a few times a week. Just enough to keep them looking clean and at the same time nore destroying them, which pleased him personally.
What he was not expecting was the hug. Shyirin just noticed Neyan walking to him then giving him a hug. A complete stranger who he only lnew the name of and a bit of information about herself just walked into his shack amd gave him a big hug.
He stands in shock for a second not knowing what he should do. All of his human and beast instict were telling him to het away. Crap its been to much time since I have had a hug from someone, heck even able to talk with someone. It was definetly a bit weird to him at that moment. He just gave up on his run away instict and hugsher back, "Your welcome. Oh and if you need any more stew just grab some."
(Ooc: Im sorry but I just have to ask. Can I draw the hug? XD I always ask permisson before I draw someone elses character)
(OOC: Yes. Yes you may.)
She gave a nod, her face still buried in his shoulder. Pulling away, she smiled up at him widely, looking up at the roof as she noticed the howling wind outside had come to a halt. She ran over to one of the windows, which was closed up. "Being a mage is pretty good. Unless you're in Connlaoth. I... Don't think I'd last very long in a dungeon." She giggled, opening both shutters and gasping as she noticed the entire window was blocked with snow.
"Uh-oh..." She frowned, punching the snow in hopes that it wasn't packed too tightly. She yelped in pain, shaking her injured hand whilst pouting slightly. "Um... I guess we'll be spending a little time here..." She smiled nervously. She immediately perked up, practically skipping up to him. "That's ok! This just means we'll be able to learn more about each other!" There was no telling when the snow would melt, so they could be here for days...
Another scary fact was that they were out in a very uninhabited area of Serendipity... There was no telling that they'd survive this event. It seemed like Neyan came to that realization rather soon, as she ran to the door and tried opening it. Frozen shut. She gulped, but still looked back at Shyirin with a big smile. Even if she was scared, why should he have to be as well? She needed to keep spirits high, in moments like these! "Um... Maybe there's some board games around here?" Neyan suggested with a shrug.
Shyirin felt his heart picking up at the thought of the two of them hanging out together. It meant that if he did shift she'd be screwed if he lost control. Well when he lost control with that fire being so close. He has a panicked expression and checks the door to see if it too was barricade by snow. And it was. "Shit." He says aloud.
He thinks of things that, if it came to it, Neyan could get out or tie him down with. Not much prevail. Shyirin takes a deep breath. If he had to tell her he would.
"Unfortunately I don't have many games. I sort of live by myself. Though I do have cards and some dice that I play sometimes." He smiles, "Maybe a few books also on history and stories. Other then that most of my free time is spent outside running around."
Shyirin takes another look at the wall of snow bedore closing the door. It was rather useless for him to try and dig their way out not to mention dangerous.His number one goal was to keel blth of them calm and to get out without one being mauled or worse.
He walks over to a shelf and takes out his books and a few games then sets them down on the table, "Knock yourself out. I'm gonna start thinking how to get out if it comes to it without getting buried in snow."
Neyan looked worried at his nervous expression. She didn't question his demeanor, but something told her it had to do with him being all the way out here to begin with... Things he simply couldn't tell her. Was he not good around other people? Did he have an anxiety problem, or was she simply annoying him already. Sitting on the floor near the fire, she looked off to one side. Well... At least she wouldn't die alone here...
What was she talking about? She'd make it out alive! They had food... A warm fire... Lots of water, what with that big block of ice barricading the door... She'd be just fine. He would to. That positive thought kept a big, stupid grin on her face, sitting up nice and straight. Whatever negative thoughts that had been buzzing in her mind were now wiped away as Shyirin placed the books, dice, and cards down, the girl yipping excitedly as she grabbed a book at random and opened it to the first page.
Nobody would expect Neyan to be a big reader, with how hyper and childish she was. However, whenever she picked up a book, tearing her away from it was almost impossible. She enjoyed myths, fairy tales and folklore, as well as history, as long as it was exciting enough. In no time, she'd forget all about their precarious situation. That was... Until Shyrin's worries became a reality. Worries that Neyan was completely oblivious to.
As Shyrin wandered around, searching for a way out and similarly looking for anything to restrain himself when the time came, Neyan looked up from her book, one thought unable to leave her mind, even as she immersed herself in the pages of the book Shyrin had given her. Watching him for awhile without a word, she eventually opened her mouth to speak. She had to know if his demeanor was her fault, as she suspected. "Shyirin..." She began. "... Are you tired of me already? I understand if you are..."
Shyirin broke out of his thinking when Neyan asked her a question, "I'm actually not tired of you at all. It's refreshing to have someone to talk to after all this time living out here, besides your a pretty nice person. You remind me of a friend I grown up with, he was just as energetic as you and pretty chilled." He smiles still thinking, well hell if they can't get out of her then might as well tell the poor girl what happened so she won't panic if he did shift- well to not make her panic even more if he did not tell her and to at least help ease her suspicions on her making him annoyed.
Taking a deep breath Shyirin sits down on the floor against a cabinet, "You might as well know this since we are stuck here." He thinks things through on how to say what he was about say in probably the most gentle way possible. "It was a few years ago and my friend and I were walking down an alley way.."
(Gonna skip it since it's a looong story to type- shorter version on his page XD)
Shyirin started his story on why he was acting the way he was and taking a few pauses to get a drink of ale or water. Eventually he ended the story and looked at Neyan calmly, "and that is how my eyes are like they are and my life was turned to shit and hell combined. I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to try to run either."
She smiled at him, happy to hear that she wasn't getting on his nerves. She was even happier to learn that she was able to make him smile in such a dire scenario. She decided to go back to reading, not getting too far before he spoke again. A secret? He had a secret to tell her? This immediately made her lose interest in the book, sliding it off to one side as she sat up straight, tucking her knees to her chest as she listened attentively.
It was safe to say that she wasn't expecting a rather heartbreaking story having to do with his transformation into a lycan. A half-man, half-wolf monster who could turn and slaughter dozens at any time. She gulped, a bit afraid, but more or less just feeling sympathy for him. "I'm really sorry, Shyirin... Do... You need another hug?" She asked, extending her arms and waiting for a reply. Her big eyes blinked at him, revealing her overwhelming care and compassion.
In the midst of her offering of support and love, she had barely realized what his revelation really meant. She was sitting before, quite literally, a wild animal. One that could, and would kill her. She didn't carry a weapon. If Shyirin was to turn, there would be nowhere to run, either. She should've been much more scared than she was... But she'd think of something, when the time came! So would he! He wouldn't let her get hurt... Would he?
Shyirin was expecting the woman to be yelling and looking rather terrifed and back into a corner. Since werewolves were just thought of as beasts that needed to be put down usually. But offering a hug!? Surely she knew if he did turn then it might be game over for her and rather frustersting for him when he did turn back not to mention very upsetting.
"Thanks." With Neyan offering a hug a looking like she was about to cry with those big eyes of hers, well to him atleast. Man that woman was a very kind person who doesnt back down apparently, even with a flippin werewolf infront of her that could maul her to death.
Shyirin accepts her hugs, "Though aren't you afraid of me turning with well us being stuck in here Neyan? To be honest I thought you were going to scream and panic then run in a corner and you know tremble in fear." He pulls away with a confuses look, "I'm sort of a ticking time bomb since I dont know when my next turn is?" He laughs slightly with a slight smile trying to stay possitive, "Though I don't think its any time soon."
Neyan just giggled, shaking her head at him. "Me? Afraid? I just went over the mountains in a blizzard, escaping from a country who eats mages like me for breakfast! And I do that almost twice a year!" She said, pounding her chest lightly as she boasted. Everything she said however, was true. She may have not looked like it, but she was tough as nails. And again, she'd think of something when the time came.
"I'll be ok... So will you." She promised, smiling softly at him. She looked into his eyes sincerely, showing him that she'd be ok in the best way she could. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel like he was endangering her... Even if he was, she didn't want to be the one to make him feel like any more of a monster than he already felt. Looking off to the side, she spotted his cards and a big smile spread across her face. She didn't want to dwell on this anymore.
She picked up the cards, shuffling them in her hands. "Hey, have you ever played warlords before? I can show you how, if you haven't!" She said, getting in his face and smiling excitedly. It wasn't anything too special. The cards represented armies, and each suit was a different unit, with the card value representing a number of 'troops.' Diamonds could only fight hearts, spades could only fight clubs, etc.. Queens, kings, and dukes all had different 'abilities,' either lowering or raising card values of that suit.
"It was a game my dad taught me... It's still my favorite! I think you'd like it!" She told him, now setting out the cards in a complicated arrangement between them. Really, she just wanted to get his mind off of his transformation, when and if it ever came. However, they had a deck of cards, and whenever she had access to one, she'd find some excuse to play this game. "It's sooo easy. You've just gotta be lucky, and know what you're doing!" She giggled.
Neyan has some serious guts if she was going to spend a while there until the snow melted at least and it did take a lot of courage to go to the over the fiery pit of hell for mages almost twice a year. Man what a journey that must get to be on certain circumstances. But still killer werewolf infront of her and in an enclosed area with nothing but a fire and maybe a knife and other things of his to keep him away from her in his wolf state. The posibility of her making it out ok if he did turn was slim. But Shyirin oushed the thought to the back of his mind.
Shyirin watches as Neyan looks at his cards and a big smile forms across her face and she starts to shuffle the asking if he has ever played warlords before, "No. I haven't played warlords. The only gave I ever played is five-hundred. It's a pretty good game with family but helps pass what free time I can manage to have."
He sits across the table looking at the card laid out in front of them, "You seem to look up to your father a lot. I can tell just by the sound of your voice." He says calmly preferring to watch the game and learn from it. He was more of a watch and do kind of person, not the ask a question and get a long explanation like his mother would try to give when they were working.
He wanted to ask her if she had seen his parents but shook the thought off to the back of his mind. Neyan probably did not see them and if she had they would probably be suspicious or trying to get her to buy something sticking to their merchant ways like they taught him.
Neyan looked up at him as he mentioned her father, and her relationship with him. She nodded rapidly, showing his assumptions to be true. "I love my father more than anyone in the whole entire world. I love my whole family, really!" She yipped, grinning widely. "But my dad... He's so kind-hearted and generous. And they're a bunch of nobles, so that's a really good trait to have, with all that money stored up!" She let out a giggle.
Looking back down at the cards, she set them up in the typical fashion for a game of warlords. "That's why this war up north really sucks... I have to risk my life just to see him again... To give him a big hug, and for him to tell me how proud he is of me... I hope he is. That's all I've ever wanted." She shrugged, still faintly smiling. "Anyhow... Game's ready! Up for a tutorial?" She asked, hands clasped together as she waited for his reply.
She didn't wait very long, though... Her voice sounded out again as she went over general rules and card values. "It goes like this... Clubs and spades beat both hearts and diamonds. However, clubs beat spades, and hearts beat diamonds. Pretty simple, right? You can't really 'fight' the other player without having opposing suits. At the start of each turn, both players draw a card. Now, I'll explain the kings, queens, and jacks. Kings of whatever suit they belong to raise each card of that suit up a number value. Queens drop the other players' cards one number value. Jacks do both. Get it?"
She blinked at Shyrin with her big eyes after explaining, sitting up nice and tall before him. The way she had explained the game made her seem a lot more intelligent than she actually was. Well... If you were really passionate about something, you were more prone to learn all about it, really. It was the same way with healing magic, in Neyan's case. Healing magic, and a simple, family-grown card game taught to her by her father.
Shyirin thinks for a moment. He seemed to have it memorized but wanted to make sure he did, "So just to make sure I got this. Clubs go with spades," He points at the corresponding cards, "go along with eachother to defeat diamonds and hearts. The kings just raise the number while queens drop the ohter olayers card number while jack does both?" He finished making thumbs up and down as he said that the kings made the value go up while queen made the other players value go down and neuteral sign for both.
The war did suck though. He worried about his family a good bit who were still in Connalth and how they were fairing. "Your father is very proud of you. All father are proud of their daughters and sons Neyan, distance doesnt matter as long as he sees you when you can see him that'll make himday."
Shyirin smiles at the memory lf such things when he was younger, a little boy coming home with a scrap on his knee crying and his ,other and father there to comfort him, and theirmproud faces when he sold his first items.
Neyan smiled brightly at him, nodding in confirmation as she began shuffling all of her cards into a neat deck. She made a spectacle of it, too. Not only did she go through all the usual methods of shuffling, but mostly flashy ones that Shyirin had probably never quite seen before. "Yep! You've got it! At this rate, you'll be beating me in no time!" She rethought about that, and shook her head. "Nope! Never mind! I'm too good..." A giggle accompanied her words, but she quickly gasped, covering her mouth. "Oops... That was rude, wasn't it? I'm sorry, Shyirin..." She pouted slightly.
As he talked of her father, and how proud he probably was of her, Neyan felt her heart warm up exponentially. Though, Shyirin didn't need to tell her that. She knew that deep down, even with how different of a course her life took than her father's own, he was still proud of her somehow. It seemed that she didn't have to do much at all to make her father proud. Maybe that's why she thought so highly of him... There was pretty much nothing she could do to make him the slightest bit disappointed in her. She gave Shyirin a thankful look. "That means a lot to hear you say that... Really."
Looking back down at the space between them, she gave a huff. "Now, are we gonna dwell on my dad all day, or are we gonna play some Warlords?" She asked, grinning up at him. She laid the deck of cards off to the side, and began handing out 10 each to both him and herself. "I'll go easy on you this time, Shyirin. Don't worry." However, as she set up the game for them both, she was stopped by an eerie, ethereal snarling just outside. Her eyes widened and she turned her head slowly, the first thing she saw being a pale blue glow passing just behind the wall of snow which covered up the window.
She looked back at Shyirin, a nervous look on her face. "U-Um... Sh-Shyirin...? Should w-we be... Worried?" She practically whispered. Ice wraiths... Glowing, snaky anomalies with jagged teeth and bat-like wings, who prey on humans lost in blizzards. Neyan had never seen one, or experienced an attack by one, but due to their ghostly nature, they're practically untouchable. No doubt, they could bust themselves into Shyirin and Neyan's little cabin shelter, and at that point, with no weapons or means of defense, they'd be as good as dead.
Shyirin shrugs and looks at the window at the glowing shadows going by it, "If it comes to it I could dig our way out through the window and set this whole place on fire." He looks at his cards thinking and shuffling them into the order he preferred his cards to be in.
"If they do manage to get in and there is more then two stay close to the fire, if they are very very cold creatures and live in the cold then that'll be their weakness. I'll grab things like one of my torch stick, put it in fat and pine sap then light it on fire. hopefully that'll work. If not grab whatever you can and try to fight them off."
He really would hate to have to burn he shed down. That'll mean he'd have to start over again from scratch but at least they would be alive - getting cold - but still alive. "Though if we have to dig let me do it first since it'll give my body some to get used to the cold. Though I don't see that happening since they probably don't like the warmth of the fire." Shyirin smiles.
He was a bit worried but he had a game plan ever since he well relocated here particularly for the Ice Wraiths, "I have been here for a while now and been through a storm like this and the wraiths came about they never tried to get in yet so don't worry to much." He looks at the window as more went by. He has never seen this many before, maybe it was because this storm was worse then the past ones and the wind blew them off course.
Neyan, for comfort, scooted up close to Shyirin for comfort, burying half of her face into his side. "Thank you... That makes me feel a little bit better..." She was happy to hear that he had a plan for the both of them if the creatures were to break in, still... She didn't want it to have to resort to Shyirin burning his only means of shelter... She had to think about alternatives... Any at all.
She watched as the glow passed in front of the blocked window yet again, this time from the other side. The snarling got louder, this time at the side of the shack. At that moment, Neyan stood, quietly walking over to a nearby chair. She then ran to the door, placing the chair under the doorknob in hopes of keeping any intruders out. She wasn't sure how well it'd hold against an ice wraith, but she needed to try something.
Rushing back to Shyirin, she knelt, seemingly thinking of something in the time she blocked the door. "I... Know an invisibility spell... Kinda. If one of them breaks in, I could cast it and we might be safe. That way, you won't have to burn the shack, or anything drastic?" She suggested, trying her best to keep her voice down, not wanting any of the creatures to hear her.
"Your welcome." Shyirin mutters watching the door and windows like a hawk. He wasn't really paying attention to the fact that Neyan scooted closer. He was more keen on the wraiths outside and keeping them alive atleast.
He looked a bit shocked when Neyan got up when the hissing grew louder, grab and chair and out it under the doorknob. He was a bit comfused but that confusion went quickly when she returned and knelt beside him again talking about an invisibility spell and probably not going to have to burn his shack down.
He thought for a moment deeply thinking on her suggestion. He then nods, "Sure cast the spell if they get in." He whispers, "Just make sure you can hold it until it leaves, if not we are running like bats out of hell out of here." He had no idea how magic worked, he was always busy helping out his parents or playing with his friend when Shyirin was growing up. But anything to help them survive getting frostbitten by ice wraiths or worse.
Neyan nodded quickly as he laid out exactly what would happen. If they had to run, so be it... But their odds in a cozy, warm shack were a lot higher than if they were out in the snow. She quietly made her way over to her bag, shuffling through her things before pulling out a thick book with an intricate rune on the hard, leather cover. The fact that she had to go back and review the spell made things even less hopeful.
She made her way back to Shyirin, flipping through her book as she took nervous glances at the door. She kept praying in her head that those things outside at least gave her enough time to work, and didn't burst in before she even had everything in order. Once she made her way to the right page, she looked over every line of text carefully, murmuring words in an unfamiliar language as she kept taking glances at the door.
Right when she began to work her magic, her fingertips glowing with a bright pink energy, the unthinkable happened. The wraiths didn't burst in and immediately come after them, but they went for a more methodical approach. There was a loud hissing outside the shack, which was followed very slowly by a temperature drop inside that not even the fire could even out. It didn't take very long before Neyan, even with how naive she was, figured out what was happening.
"Oh no... Oh no, oh no..." She whimpered quietly, looking around with a now hopeless expression as frost began forming on the walls. They were turning this place into a cooler... They were trying to freeze them out. Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked towards Shyirin, almost as if asking if he had any bright ideas.
Shyirin watched as Neyan got her book of spells. Read it and doubled checked it. Then she started speaking in a weird language and her finger tips began to glow a pink color. Okay. That was weird to him. He neber really seen that kind if magic before.
But as the hissing grew louder and the air became colder Shyirin looked at Neyan as she start to say "Oh no." He didn't realize it was getting colder until she started saying no. "Fucking wraiths." He grumbles thinking as Neyan looked at him wrapping her arms around herself. He was watching frost form on the walls.
The fire was not working to keep them warm, so long for that plan. Shyirin gets up and moves to where his bed was and grabs as many towels and blankets as he could carry. "So here's what we are going to try." Shyirin puts a few blankets down before grabing a few animal skins and moving them over to where Neyan was as well, "Wrap yourself up in these and curl up."
Shyirin grabs a few of the blankets and furs and wraps himself up in them. He was starting to feel the chill and he got a bit nauseated. He had to stay calm and start to formulate another plan. "Let me know if this doesn't work Neyan. I'd think of something else just in case. Do you know a spell for heating or something to combat those fuckers outside?" He asks watching the frost spread and his breath. Keeping an eye on for it crystalizing in the air.
Neyan didn't hesitate for a second as she grabbed every blanket and skin she was handed, wrapping herself in a thick cocoon and curling her knees to her chest. She looked funny and cute, but it was for survival and nothing else. Before long, her breath was visible as small puffs of white vapor, making it clear that it was only getting colder as time went on.
She listened to everything he had to say about her spell, as well as their original plan. Well... If they were freezing them out like she thought, then there would be no reason to keep moving forward with her plan. Still, she had the invisibility spell handy just in case. She watched the ceiling closely, noticing icicles already forming. The cold would get unbearable soon enough.
"I... I d-don't kn-know if-f I have anything f-for heating us-s up-p... B-But..." She started quietly, her teeth chattering as she shivered. She paused for a moment, silently shaking her head. "All m-mages learn f-fireball... It-t's a destruction sp-pell..." She gulped. "I haven't d-done it in s-so long, th-though!" She looked at him with big, wide eyes.
Puffs of crystalized breath, not good. Even worse was the favt icicles were forming on his ceiling. Those bitches, he worked hard on that ceiling! Shyirin growls bit. He listened to Neyan and her shivering.
"Use that fireball magic Neyan. Don't worry about anything else than getting us out of here alive." And not killing them in the process. He was a bit worried by the favt Neyan had not used it for a while. But at this point anything was worth trying, "If this doesn't work I don't know what the hell we're gonna do other then freeze or break outta here." He whispers starting to shiver. Resisting the urge to run likw a bat out of hell out of there and the increasing nausea rising in his gut.
He looked pale as a ghost and like he was holding down something. "Please make sure it's quick." He felt miserable.
At that moment, there was a sudden loud slamming against the practically frozen door, Neyan's eyes going wide as she was trying her best to recall the spell. She had no destruction books with her, so she had to go completely off of memory. Thinking fast, she suddenly curled her arms around Shyirin, flicking her fingers which glowed with that same pink energy, uttering the words that were intelligible to any other person before their forms started to go translucent in appearance. They then completely dissipated like dust, leaving them completely invisible.
It was just in time, as the door suddenly flung open, the chair that held it closed's back legs snapping off before the piece of furniture tumbled across the floor all the way to the opposite wall. Neyan's eyes were locked on the open doorway, keeping herself as still and quiet as she could possibly be. They were invisible, but not soundless. Hopefully these things didn't have a very good sense of smell, come to think of it...
What came in was both awe-inducing and horrifying. Its entire body was made of thick, glossy ice that glowed a pale blue, illuminating the entire inside of the shack. Its upper half was comprised of a skeletal torso, complete with thin, sickly arms with clawed hands, as well as a skeletal head with sharp, jagged teeth and wiry hair that plumed out in every direction. Their lower half, replacing where the legs should've been, was a long, segmented tail, spines of pure ice lining the bottom and top of it. Its entire form floated in mid-air, and fog rolled off of it like the coldest thing imaginable.
A second one followed it, both of them just searching around the entire shack for any signs of the humans they were trying to freeze out. One shuffled through Neyan's bag for any of her other belongings, letting out an awful screech that nearly deafened her. The other peered over the shelves, its disgusting hands tracing over every nick-knack, either curious, or starving and looking for anything of sustenance. Neyan noticed that neither of them seemed to go anywhere near the faltering fire... With that, she realized what she had to at least attempt to do.
She cupped her invisible hands, taking deep, yet silent breaths as the wraiths were busy with their search. She continued taking her deep breaths, watching as a tiny little flame came to life just above her palms, growing at an annoying slow rate into a bigger, more threatening form. She looked up with a glare towards the two of them, praying deep down that her and her new friend would be ok.
She pulled her hands apart, separating the flame into two flames, holding both in her hands. Slowly, her and Shyirin's form became visible again in what looked like pieces coming together, just in time for both wraiths to turn around. They at first looked surprised, Neyan grunting angrily as she extended one arm towards the closest wraith, the flame in her hand shooting outwards and hitting the creature in the face. It screeched in agony as its entire body lit up like a candle, the thing slamming against every wall before charging out of the door.
The second, too scared to even make a sound at the other flame in Neyan's opposite hand, just stayed stationary, backing up and watching as she swung it side to side in front of it. "Yeah! You don't like fire, huh!? Maybe it's time for you to be the one running away scared!" She taunted, the flame growing in her palm. The thing, hissing in both fear and anger, charged out of the door. She grinned widely, proud of having chased them away, letting the flame in her palm fizzle out.
She panted heavily, looking back at Shyirin to make sure she was ok. "Look... I... I did it..." She murmured in exhaustion, her eyes rolling back in her skull as she suddenly passed out, collapsing against the floor before him. Clearly, she dipped a little too deep into her magic pool. Which... Was pretty bad for mages.
Shyirin kept an eye on the wraiths as best he could as Neyan charged up another spell (having been disoriented by the wraiths screech). Thank the gods it worked! Fireball magic was just what they needed. She hit one of the wraiths in the face sending it pounding against his walls, making a few things fall over but otherwise unscathed.
Finally the second wraith was scared off by Neyan's taunting and it hissed then fled out the door. Shyirin let out a sigh of relief. Two ice wraiths gone and out of his shack. His worry was on Neyan then, she looked exhausted. Then she collapsed, Shyirin tried to catch her but he couldn't in time. His hearing still out he didn't hear what she said. Shyirin tried to stand up to move her to a better location other then on the ground but he fell back onto the ground his head pounding.
"Fucks sake!" He swears holding his head for a minute or so then trying again with better results. He managed to stay on his feet long enough to move Neyan to a more comfortable place such as a bed made of the blankets he dragged out and covered her up in them. Then his attention turned to the door. His stomach was turning into knots ans rolling all about with nuesea, from both the cold, pain and adrenaline. He held his stomach and body leaning against the wall.
"Okay... Okay... Just close the door. Don't shift. Close the door don't shift. Focus Shyirin!" He knew that if he did shift it might end badly. So he stood up and closed the door, stumbling a bit. Finally he gets up grabs a paper and a small pencil and writes a note just incase he did shift still feeling like he was. When that was done he left it on the table and got some cool water on a wach cloth and barely manages to put it on Neyans forehead. As Shyirin has no idea how to handle this kind if thing.
He again leans back against a wall and sits there waiting for either Neyan to wake up while keeping an eye on her or to shift. Whispering swear words when he felt pains and slight spasms. Not enough to count as a full on shift yet atleast. "You did good Neyan." He laughs a bit watching her closely. With no one for miles around who knew how to handle this it was up to her.
It took the rest of the night or so until Neyan woke up, rubbing her eyes and groaning slightly. She yawned, blinking the sleep from her eyes as she looked around the shack. The ice all around it seemed to have thawed out, and the cozy fire seemed to heat things up nicely once again. Her head was pounding though, and she felt very weak. With that, she flopped back down against the little makeshift bed Shyirin had made for her.
She broke the one rule she was given when it came to magic... Never overdo it. And she did. To be fair it was a life or death scenario, but she could've been seriously hurt from her little stunt. Lucky for her, it was nothing more than a headache and muscle weakness. She definitely wasn't fit enough to continue on her way today, even if the sun was shining through the windows brightly, and birds audibly chirped outside. That's when she realized...
"Shyirin...?" She asked, looking from side-to-side for any trace of her friend. Her mind immediately went to the worst case scenario... If he had shifted and abandoned the shack, he could've been miles away... She hoped he was alright.
Though out the night Shyirin sat there on the floor suffering with lots of swearing also fighting the shifting process. Getting sick on the floor once as well. Eventually finally morning came and he felt like comeplete hell as if his body was set on fire, torn apart then sewn back together again and again.
He heard Neyan wake up and then lay back down hearing the soft thump of her laying on the makeshift bed. Then she called his name. Smiling Shyirin gives a very shaky thumbs up from where he was, "Still here somehow." He laughs, "Not for much longer though."
He had been fighting it for so long her knew it was going to happen but he just wanted to make sure his friend was okay before he left for who knows how long. "Just glad to see your aye okay." He gets up rather shakenly and checks on the note gritting his teeth putting it down on the table again and walking over to Neyan then sitting down, "So Ney-" He stops and gasps holding his gut and chest, "an. Anything you need before I go? I really hate to leave before you leave, I feel like a terrible host, but-" Pausing again he swears loudly, "The beast calls yah know it can't wait much longer." By now his teeth were sharper and his ears a bit pointier and a few other features but not enough to scare a baby much.
Neyan breathed a sigh of relief when he showed that he was still there, and still a human, to some extent. Clearly, this wasn't to last, though, given how his features were becoming more bestial by the second. It didn't matter... He was still okay. That's what mattered. At his question, she shook her head. "I'm fine, Shyirin... Go do your doggie-things." She smiled cutely, tilting her head at him.
Her eyes widened for a moment, and she held her hand out. "Oh... And... Shyirin. Thank you." She said, softly and sincerely. Her hands reached down to squeeze the animal furs wrapped around her, her yes lingering on them before looking back up at him. "For everything. You saved my life... I could've been an ice cube out there, if it wasn't for you!" She giggled. "... Be safe, okay?"