[Got a character you wanna throw into an arctic adventure? Shoot me a pm and we can discuss it!]
The vision had been clear. It was clearer than any other he’d received in his brief but eventful time here on this strange and bleak continent. Perhaps the solace and solitude he thought he would find in the quiet snow of the arctic north were what drove him to linger in this unbearable place longer than he thought. He stopped counting the days, though he felt them pass by into weeks and, he supposed now, into months.
He thought with so few travelers coming this way, his visions would finally find some semblance of peace. It was true, in a small fashion. But they did not cease altogether.
Now Theon was driven, trudging through thickened snow, to reach the next village over. Unlike most of his visions, ones that often plagued his sleep and left him restless, the one he followed now showed him flashes of a girl, a child filled with illness, taken to bed in a feverish state. She was surrounded by her family, her mother and siblings with little hope for recovery. He still did not understand, however, the significance of such a vision. But something told him to make haste, make haste lest she suffer a horrible death.
Theon knew little of the ways of a healer. This cold land was strange in its customs, experience gained from the few natives he’d come across. He was no shaman or wise woman, nor did he possess herbs to combine into a healing poultice. But all he knew was that he could help the small girl, in some way at least, by the healing power of the sword at his hip, Lohengrin.
Above him flew the just within silhouette’s view the hooded crow, his companion Jouzan. The bird flew on with a better view from above, even as Theon trudged on below, pulling the sled filled with supplies for his journey. Theon was wrapped in furs as a cool wind flew against his cloak and hood. He did not have the cover of a beard to warm his face, and thusly wrapped a segment of fur over his nose and mouth.
“A stranger ahead,” Jouzan cawed aloud and Theon immediately paused.
He looked up and Jouzan circled overhead, but did not say who or what the stranger was. Jouzan came down to his shoulder and soon Theon too could see a shape fastly approaching his direction. Theon knelt low in the snow, just beside the sled, one gloved hand on the blade at his hip and his eyes looking out the shape ahead.
Her boots crunched heavily in the snows as she ran across the field of white. She had seen something of it's kind before, and it was not to get away from her now. She rarely traveled to this town, this town of many people in the snow, but scent of that beast who destroyed her village lead her on a quest from the mountains and to here-
She hadn't even stepped a foot into the town for one day when the beasts had come, their fire destroying two homes and an Inn was raging with fire before Ninn realized what was going on. She threw on her cloak and only half fastened it before rushing out into the world now rife with chaos.
And she pulled out her blade, before switching to her bow and arrow when the beast leaped over head, crunching into roof tops in attempts to get away. She could not believe such a foul beast would showup here where there were so many men- but he did, and she had been ready. Perhaps she waited too long because the damage was already done but the town worked quickly to put out the fire while she killed off one of the smaller beasts in the street with her blade. It's blood stained the snow heavily, and her clothing, before she saw an even larger beast turn to her and bare it's gnarled, yellowing teeth.
The two had charged at one another, attempting to kill- but the closet either ever got was a heavy bite mark into the woman's shoulder from this beast, and in return, she cut off it's tail and gave it a wicked bite with her sword into its' back. She could feel her blood, and the blood of the beast, seep into her clothing, but finally, when the beast's jaw relented on her arm she was taken aback as she fumbled a bit- giving the creature enough time to get away.
It was hard to see what direction it had gone in- the sun was blinding her off the snow. But wen she was able to spot the tracks int he snow, and the light splatters of blood-s he knew which direction to go. With sword in hand,s he charged up the snow bank, ignorant to whomever might be there as she must've appeared like a demon escaping from hell- for her form was almost completely bathed in blood and she? She had a long, wispy white-blonde braid fluttering behind her and a wild look about her face,- which was barely seen beneath the hood of her cloak that shaded her eyes- but not the shine of determination and the baring of her clenched teeth.
That beast would pay. All of those cruel beasts would pay.
Theon braced himself, bearing down in the snow as he saw the figure approaching quicker than he anticipated. He was prepared for a fight, though he hoped it wouldn't come to that as he tightened the grip on his blade. Lohengrin warmed through his glove and the heat flowed through him in waves, centering him, focusing him and letting him stand more openly in the cold as the figure soon approached.
"Halt!" he called out, his voice authoritative, but not hard or grating. "Who goes there?
"Stand down and out of my way!" roared her gruff voice as she came plowing up the hill side in heavy, long stepped strides.
Theon stood straight now and gripped Lohengrin tighter. "No. Halt, immediately," he bellowed back.
The woman glared and growled hotly through her teeth, which expelled a trail of white breath as she ran. She had her hand on her weapon as well as she continued forward. This man was of no concern to her. She had one mission-
and he was not going to stop her.
Theon still did not draw his blade when at last she came near and he remained a wall beneath his cloak. "Identify yourself," he demanded.
As she approached, she raised her blade and held it warningly, "Stand down or face my blade!" she roared. "I'm after a wild beast and you shall not get in my way!"
"What beast?" he asked, pulling his own sword out, but kept it pointed downward. "What is it that you're chasing?"
"The one you were too blind to see!" she spat,a nd swung her sword at his to bat it away. "Back down or bleed like the beast I chase!"
Theon held fast to his blade and stepped back, but remained on the defense. "What beast?!" he demanded again. "What did it look like? Perhaps I can help you. I am Theon."
"Back away and do not follow!" she said, side stepping away from him as she glared venomously. "I need no help from you!" And she called the words over her shoulder, as she continued to run through the snow.
When she ran past him, a jolt coursed through him and Theon stood stock still for a moment before he turned abruptly and he visibly shivered. But it wasn't from the cold. "Wait!" he called out to her, but he had a feeling she wouldn't stop and he suddenly bolted after her.
As soon as she crested the hill,s he noted the bloodied tracks took a sharp left. Might have accounted for why the man didn't notice them. But her keen eye, despite the glaring sun off the white snow, kept on the trail as she too, took a sharp turn and entered into some frosty brush, ignorant to the man calling behind her. It didn't take long before the tracks disappeared beneath a canopy of tall pines, and it was here she paused, breathing heavy as she swore.
"Shit."
Theon moved after her with surprising dexterity and he soon caught up to her when she stopped. Theon stepped closer. "It's a trap," he said simply.
She held up a hand towards him.
"Quiet!" she growled. "I'm trying to listen to the trail in the winds."
The crow cawed from the clouds above and Theon understood it to be that he'd spotted the creature running from the otherside of the brush. And he was not alone.
"He has a pack with him," Theon said.
She glared daggers at the man, turning just enough he'd be able to see the bubbling scars smattered across her face.
"I fear no crows," she growled. And then she spotted something, a brush of red against some snowy pines and crept forward, sword at her side, as she tilted her head to observe it. She leaned forward. It smelled foul. Definitely more blood from that beast...
"The beast you hunt!" Theon hissed back. "He is not alone." Jouzan cawed again and circled above them. Theon viewed her scarred face and he gased lightly, but did not comment on it. "Let me aid you," he said instead. "Two is better than one."
She turned to him with a glare, looking him over.
"Save your strength. This battle is not meant for you." And she pushed past the thick grove of pines to go into the denser wood, eyes scanning the area for any more signs, or beast prints in the snow.
Theon would not be brushed off so easily. But he almost considered turning away when suddenly he reached out and pulled the burned woman out of the way of a lunging beast.
The moment his arm grabbed onto her and he pulled her aside, she felt herself losing her footing and nearly trampling over him. And the second she put her blade to his throat, she heard the snarl of the beast behind them.
"Shit." Pushing herself off of him, she whirled around with her blade, but the beast kept coming, and she felt herself pinned down beneath it's weight and fighting with it to keep it's powerful jaws away from biting her head clean off.
Theon stared at her bubbling face for the longest second when she pressed her sword against his neck. He wanted to freeze in fear. His instincts told him to freeze, but he just kept staring at her face until the growling snatched his thoughts. When she rolled off him, Theon quickly rolled to his feet and reached for his blade. Lohengrin was never far from his hands and he gripped it with both hands.
He watched the beast pin her to the ground and a wild energy surged through him as he thrusted forward and smashed his whole body against the creature, knocking it off and rolling it away down the hill.
The woman looked up at him in surprise for a moment before snatching up her blade and racing after the feral beast.
Theon watched her from the crest of the hill as the beast sped away in the snow and another image flashed in his mind, the face of a man in agony. Half man half beast.
He didn't know what it meant, but the sight alarmed him and he bolted after the crazy woman once more.
Her boots pounded heavily into the snow, and her white puffs of breath disappeared as quickly as they were formed as she found the chase winding through the trees and up another hillside, when another beast leaped towrads her in an attack. Caught off guard, the beast's jaw plunged into her arm and offset her balance- sending her to the ground in a bath of blood as the beast tore into her with fury. And soon after, two others came out from the shadows of the trees, the intent of death evident in their eyes as they raced towards the woman in the snow.
Theon rushed into the fray with sudden dexterity, even in the coldness of the snow, his muscles were tense and yet were ready to spring into action as he leapt the last three yards from the hillside and swung down with Lohengrin in both hands. He screamed as the blade cut cleanly through the back of one of the beasts. It yelped and loosened it's hold from the woman's body and he kicked it aside.
The second beast turned on him and lunged for him. Theon sidestepped and slashed his sword down against it's side, splitting it's ribs open. But neither were dead and being wounded only made the angrier as they came at both the woman and Theon with renewed assault.
When the woman was freed, she held onto her bleeding arm and turned to observe the fight, but once things were getting hairy again she cursed beneath her breath and stumbled to stand. She had to have been attacked on her sword arm, so using it was painful. But these beasts showed no mercy, and she found herself dancing back from one of their jaws again.
By instinct, Theon pressed his back against the strange woman's and held his sword at the ready. He flourished Lohengrin with ease as slashed at one of the animals as it tried to snap at him. He cut it's jaw, severing the skin of it's lips and blood coated his blade and painted the snow red.
It had been a long time since anyone had taken up arms to help her cause. She preferred to do this alone, so when her back touched his as she stumbled away from the attacking beast, she released a growl but said nothing, channeling her anger into a heavy swing, that caught the beast on it's side.
Theon swung his blade, the edge singing in the air as Theon held his ground and moved just in time to avoid being gnawed on. The beast on his left lunged for him and managed to knock him off his feet, smoke brimming from his mouth as it prepared to breathe fire.
She gave two more powerful swings that left the beast dead and bleeding in the snow. Though as she stood there a moment to catch her breath, the reprieve didn't last long as she turned to watch another beast ready to burn this stranger's face off. In a split second, she reacted, bloodied blade swinging forward like a club and swinging up and catching the beast by the throat just seconds before it exhaled it's fire. And in a single, smoke curdling whimper, the beast stumbled over, and then writhed upon the snow until it's life seeped out of it long before the blood finished pooling from it's throat into the snow.
Once the beast was defeated, she turned towards Theon and glared at him as she clutched her sword.
Theon tried wedge Lohengrin between himself and the beast that was about to incinerate his face. But gods be damned the animal, whatever it was, was ungodly heavy and he could barely keep the jaws away from his throat. Then steel flashed and blood sprayed, painting the snow red and splashing across Theon's face.
He wiped it away with his gloved hand and stood up, staggering to his feet and peering at her, panting a little through little white puffs of breath. He held out his hand to her, to shake it, or hoping she would at any rate, ungloved and freezing in this wasteland.
The woman looked down at his hand, then up into his face, her eyes narrowing, though the scarred side of her face moved only subtly, for the muscles were looser there -though without eyebrows, it dind't seem all that noticeable that her glare might have been uneven except for the haze over her one eye.
"What? Do you expect payment?" she spat, her eyes narrowing into slits of poison.
Theon peered dumbfoundedly at his hand and then to her, noting her glare. But he kept his hand extended. "Er, no," he said, puffing out white steam. "But I was intending to shake your hand. At least in thanks for saving my life. What is your name?"
She continued to hold her hard gaze before turning away from him.
"You don't need to know my name. I won't be here long enough for it to matter."
Because she counted three dead beasts when there were eight. The other five had to be around here somewhere.
"There's a village over there if you need a healer. You can pay for it with the slain beast meat here."
And without saying any more, she moved hurriedly through the snow and deeper into the woods.
It was just as well. Theon watched in silence as she walked away from him and he took the carcasses she had left. They were still good meat, if a little chewy. He still had a vision to see through, he reminded himself as he pushed onward toward the village.
There was no proper inn. Nothing that could be called that in the major cities south anyway and he slammed the carcass of one of the fire wolves down on the counter of a man offering lodgings. The night was frigid and Theon felt like he could sleep for days.
Come morning, there was some commotion in the village. It seemed the strange woman Theon had met the night before had come to the village, and there were calls and shouts for the healer. A path of blood came down from the hill side and into the little valley where the small village dwelled, and at the end of the bath lay three more corpses of those beasts, and then before that, the woman- covered in blood and bent over, breathing heavy. And not all of that blood was from her kills, she had a lot of large gashes gained from her hunt in the evening, and she looked about ready to fall over. But when a young child came back through the snow, she announced to everyone gathering around, "The healer went to Thoton! He won't be back until tomorrow!"
And as the woman looked down at the young girl, she released one haggered breath before she swore, and collapsed onto one knee, only her sword keeping her from eating the snow.
Theon's eyes opened abruptly at the sounfd og shouting outside his room. He recalled his nightmares and though he knew he was awake, a sense of alarm made him get out of his cot. In the quiet of the snow, there were few things to lead to such commotion. He strapped on his boots and threw on his cloak, bundling up in furs and buckling Lohengrin at his side.
He came outside and parted through the crowd, stepping through and veiwing the burned woman as she knelt in the snow. "I can help," he said, stepping forward and holding out a hand to her should she accept.
The crowd parted as the stranger approached. And though the woman was delirious with pain and exertion from the night's hunt, as soon as she raised her head and saw the hand extended to her, she rose her eyes even further to confirm her hunch on who it was.
Theon took her glance as acceptance. Any further waiting and she'd bleed out. Theon reached down and gently pulled her up into his arms. She was hefty, being so tall. Thankfully he was strong enough to carry her, at least to the inn where he stayed. The door was opened for him and he laid her gently on the cot, mindful of her wounds.
She hadn't the strength to be prideful, and she was already with fever and chills from the loss of blood. When she was laid down, she released a groan, the first noise she had made this whole time, and being now in a new position, she could feel more of her wounds reopen, at leas the ones that had attempted to heal, and it hurt like hell. And blood was easily staining the cot.
Theon worked wordlessly as he cut off what clothes he couldn't remove by hand. Jouzan ruffled his feathers and looked on, perched on the antlers on the wall. Theon frowned at the depth of the wounds. "These are bad." He didn't know if Lohengrin could heal them all as savage as they were. But if he could clean them up, perhaps they might be better.
Theon dabbed a rag in some water and gently cleaned them. "This will sting some." It was a vague warning as he washed her wounds.
She remained silent during the whole ordeal, her eyes looking everywhere else but at him. Though when the water hit the wounds, she flinched a little, but tried to remain as rigid as stone.
Theon finished her back and then her front in short order. He turned her hand opened and placed the hilt of his sword into her grip and folded her hands gently around it. "Careful, now. Just breath gently." And the gentle vibrations would begin to course through her as she held Lohengrin.
She gasped and nearly dropped the blade, eyes cutting to him.
"What magic is this?" she hissed.
"Just let it flow through you. Relax and breathe. The pain will subside. Everything will become more clearer then. And your body will be renewed. It takes some time. But keep breathing," Theon instructed, training her grasp once more.
She felt dizzy and didn't trust the man, wanting to fight it, but she was too weak, and even she realized she was in a terrible state. Gritting her teeth, she gripped onto the blade tighter, and the sensation running through her felt as if it were numbing her. But she did as she was told- and simply breathed.
Theon watched over her in the hours that followed. He made sure Lohengrin continued to make contact with her skin, her wounds closing not long after he cleaned them, but to ensure that the pain from that lingered was soothed away. He viewed her burned flesh, wondering if Lohengrin would heal them away too, but it did not. Theon pulled the blade away and sheathed it, sitting on a stool across from her and waiting for her to awake.
The healing power had lulled her into a quiet slumber, waking moments after the sword was put away. But she felt too groggy to rise right away, but the second she felt eyes on herself, she sat up suddenly and reached for her blade that was not there. And it was only then she realized she was naked as she made a half attempt to cover herself as she glared at Theon.
"What happened?"
"You're wounds are healed... Ah, most of them anyway," Theon said and gestured to the claw marks that were once there. "How do you feel?"
She looked down at the marks then over at him.
"Not dead," she told him flatly. "I suppose it was your magic to blame for my healing?"
Theon shrugged. "That I cannot say precisely. The sword has certain properties that I cannot explain. Is it magic or some kind of innate energy? Possibly both. The effects are useful are they not. You likely would be dead."
"You harvest a power you do not understand?" she asked, incredulously. She grimaced and moved to rise. "Dead or not, for all I know you've cursed me more! Where are my clothes? My sword?"
Theon frowned at her accusation, knowing it to be true nevertheless. "You're clothes were difficult to remove. The ones that could be spared are by the hearth. I do not know where your sword is."
Her eyes hardened before she gave a sigh through her nose.
She must have dropped it on her way to the village.
"So I suppose payment is in order then? If you require it so, take it from the meat of those beasts. The villagers will give you more than a fair price for it."
He looked at her oddly. "Payment? Who said anything about payment?" he asked. He breathed for a moment before tilting his head. "What were those beasts you were hunting? What are they called?"
She kept her eyes upon him skeptically, they were cold and blue, like the ice outside.
"They're pests, burdens to man, and hunters of our blood. They're a threat to those of these lands. They seemed to come out of no where, and do most of their killing at night."
She sat up more properly now, her body barely modest behind a hand that could only partially cover her. She peered down at her limp pile of clothing, then back to him.
"So you seek nothing for this heal?" she asked, still wary of him as she shifted closer to the edge of the bed, still not certain how she felt about this. Did this man want something else?
They did most of their hunting at night? So she was hunting them from then on, to the moment they met, until now. Theon couldn't help but admire her dogged determination, even if it nearly killed her. She certainly didn't leave anything half-assed. However the details were a little on the scarce side that made him skeptical himself.
"What did you want to exchange?" he asked, furrowing his brows. "I have no need for the meat. I have plenty on my own sled and furs for warmth."
"I can use the meat to get supplies. One can never be too careful in the Tundra. Hyoite's weather is as fickle as an old woman. And if you're left without what you need, you could be dead." Here she finally moved to stand, carefully at first before retrieving her clothing. Which made her frown. It seemed they had cut most of it away.
"Here," he said and rose to fetch her an extra pair of trousers he had made. They were for him, but they'd likely fit her considering her height. "Try them on."
She raised her eyes to inspect the pants, then turned to Theon.
"Why are you helping me?" she asked, taking the pants quickly. Then she paused to observe him more. "And do you have a spare shirt?" She couldn't go around topless, after all. Besides, this was the arctic. Things froze easily here.
Theon eyed her quietly for a time, observing her breasts then the burned flesh on one side of her body. His eyes finally came back up to hers. "I have a shirt yes," he answered, moving toward his pack again and pulling out two of them, one meant to be layered into the other. They were fur-lined and woolen and tapered around the wrists. "Here. It is...all right. I don't require payment. Why are you so opposed to someone helping you?"
She accepted the clothing, still keeping wary of him, but after inspecting the shirts he offered her, she said, "Thank you." It was a quiet gesture, but an acceptance at least, and she raised her eyes at his last statement before lowering them and pulling on the clothes.
"This is not a land that you can trust... People and beasts alike." And she studied Theon as she fixed her clothing so that they lay flat. "You should take heed of that. Someone so... Willing to help will be taken advantage of. "
Theon frowned that she thought him to be so naive. Perhaps he had been when he first came to this continent, with no clear goal, no recollection of who he was. He still had no answers, but he'd learn to survive long enough by hard lessons learned.
"I do not always freely give aid without some recompense. If you insist, then I will take something. Answers. What is your name woman? And why do you hunt those beasts? Other than for the materials their bodies provide. Did they scar you?"
"You ask a lot of questions, and I am tired." And here she frowned at him before nodding," but if you are to call me something, you can have my name." And she paused, blue eyes looking up at him. "It's Ninn."
"Ninn," he repeated. "That's a good name. Suits you I suppose. Theon, as I told you before." He nodded to her and pointed to the hearth. "There is hot water boiling. Would you care for some stew and tea?"
She still looked at him skeptically, and then glanced to the hearth as she adjusted her clothing, which was a surprising fit, but the man still had broader shoulders than her, so one side kept slipping down her shoulder, and of course it was the side with the gnarled series of scars.
"Yes, I'm famished. A good meal and drink would be suitable." And she gave a thankful nod in his direction, though it was a bit rigid as her eyes never once left him.
Theon had no qualms about sharing what little he had with those that needed it. Seeing as it was his fault she lost most of her clothes anyway, he saw the only logical option as to give her something of his to replace it. He had plenty of furs to keep himself warm, at least in the long travel he would take to the next village over. Settlements here were so spaced apart that it could take weeks just to get there and the chances of dying along the way were always very high. Theon knew the risks of traveling alone - if something awful happened nobody would ever know. And his risk was even greater now that he'd given away a layer of warmth that could possibly meant the difference between life and death.
"Very well," he said, with a slight bow of his head and reached into the hearth, fixing the bowls with a thick, fatty meaty stew and then two hot cups of a local brew that he couldn't get a handle on pronouncing. But it was sweet and savory and immediately filled one's body with a soothing warmth. It was amazing the kinds of food and drink the locals could conjure up in what seemed to be little more than a vacant wasteland. Theon placed the bowl and cup beside her and remembered the spoon last.
She didn't even wait for the spoon. Her hunger had gotten the better of her as she took the stew to her lips and began to drink it down.
She must have been accustomed to scalding heat, considering her face and Theon stared at her in silence as she ate.
When she was all finished with her stew, she wiped off any dribblings on the back of her hand and held out the bowl.
"If I can have some more, I'd take some."
Theon had only taken a few bites of his own when she presented her bowl. "You eat like this all the time?" he asked, filling her bowl again and then he took a few sips of his chocolatey drink.
"No," she said, after taking the bowl and drinking down some more. "But I haven't eaten in a good while." She licked at the dribble on her lips this time and went on to enjoy the rest. "It takes a lot of effort and patience to track those beasts."
Theon gave a flicker of a smile, watching her scarf down the second bowl. "I would imagine so yes," he said. "I don't imagine their meat tastes any better either."
"Yes, but its acceptable." And she noted the smile on his lips so she tilted her head and asked, "What?"
Theon sniffed a softly laugh and shook his head. "Oh it's nothing," he replied. "So how long have you been out here?"
"Out where? Hunting the beasts, you mean, or the tundra?"
"Living in the Tundra," Theon specified.
Ninn stared at him a moment before she replied, "My whole life." And she looked the man over. "I take it you're not from around here?"
"It must really be that obvious," he said and gave a sheepish laugh. He nodded. "I am not from here, no. I have traveled from the south. But I like it here. I like the quiet. For the most part. And the people are...interesting." And he gave a small smile.
"It is obvious when there are only a few settlements and one is not familiar with the way. Though some do prefer to live in solitude.." And she looked him over with a frown. "Where are you from?"
Theon took a few seconds to sip his hot drink and let it's warmth fill his body. There was no clear answer he could give her and he doubted saying he didn't remember would give him any ground. "Connlaoth," he said. "The vast land to the south. It's quite nice. Warm even. But I do not miss it. I seem to be partial to the cold."
So you aim to make your life here?" She asked evenly.
"Certainly," Theon said with a nod. "I believe I have skills here that could be put to good use. That and Connlaoth does not generally favor 'magic swords' as you put it."
"Yes.... that nation is a bit... precocious around magic." And she studied him, then glanced over at his sword. "So how did you obtain such a weapon? And how does it work exactly?"
Theon grabbed Lohengrin's scabbard and examined the sleek, slender blade, feeling it's energy course through him upon touch. "I've always had it, I think. It's alive, almost. You can feel it when you hold it. It keeps you more focused, ready, and heals wounds. As you've experienced."
Alive? Perhaps he was 'one of those' who presumes much of his items, giving them human characteristics after being alone for so long. She didn't question it, it was just how things could be out here in Hyoite, but as she studied it, she found herself commenting, "It just seems an ordinary blade." Though, as he stated, they both knew the wiser.
"And I think therein lies it's beauty," Theon smiled at her. "Speaking of swords, I could help look for yours. It can't be far. I remember you had it when you came."
She still looked at him warily.
"How will you help?" And she turned to his weapon. "You could always lend ne your blade. The lands here are dangerous now. You ask for quick death if you come without so much as a knife."
Theon shook his head. "I couldn't part with it. I would need my blade as much as you would need yours," he said. "But we will look for it yes? Yes, of course. I can help. There were many gathered around you when you arrived, bleeding everywhere. If it is not outside, then it is likely one of them has it."
She frowned at the thought.
"Very well, we shall check around the village first." And she moved to rise, being careful of her wounds.
"You can lead the way."
He managed to spare her overcoat and cloak and they were dry from sitting beside the fire and he quietly put them over her shoulders as he threw his own on after. Jouzan cawed and ruffled his feathers as if he hoped Theon didn't expect him to go along. He hopped down by the fire and pecked at what left of Theon's stew.
Theon led her outside, following the trail of blood she had made until he found where he'd picked up. "No sword," he said with a frown, even kicking through the snow.
Ninn was quiet for a time, frowning as she observed the land.
"I suppose now we go and ask the villagers." And she adjusted the cloak over her shoulders and moved forward.
"Perhaps. You know these people slightly better than I do," he said and followed her onward.
It was true she knew the people here well enough, but it wasn't like this was her home. Trust was hard earned, and this place was barely on that list. But she knew a woman from here, though she was currently ill and was not doing well in these parts, but from what she could tell, the village was trustworthy enough.
So she went to the place she figured would have the answers- Yannic, the peddler. He did trade with just about anyone in town, and if someone had something, he normally knew about it. She saw soft puffs of smoke coming from his hut.
"Come, I have an idea of where it might be."
Theon followed her to the small, ramshackle hut that had a fire roaring inside of it. He opened the door, finding and older, well-weathered man inside and when he saw Ninn, his expression transformed. "Ninn!" He said outloud and held a hand out to her, pulling her toward him. "I heard what happened and I feared the worst! Are you all right?"
The woman grew stiff at his reaction.
"I am well. Thanks to this healer here. It seems this stranger has proved his worth."
Yannic raised his eyes curiously to Theon.
"I see." And he returned to Ninn. "Is there something I can do for you?" But then his eyes lit up as he said, "Ah, I know. You're here for your sword. I found it discarded in the snow. Teymu has it. He should have it cleaned and sharpened. Unless there was something else you had wanted?" But a shake of Ninn's head verified she did not, but the man then turned his attentions back to Theon.
"So you're a healer then?"
Theon watched the stern, stiff exchange, eyes lingering on Ninn for the time until Yannic addressed him. "A healer? No," he said shaking his head. "Not by trade. But I managed what I could and managed to pull her back from death's door." He gave a smile and watched her again. But his voice addressed Yannic.
"How do you know each other?" he asked curiously.
Yannic chuckled.
"Everyone knows me! I make it a point to get acquainted with any villagers or strangers. It does my position well to do so. One can't barter if one keeps to themselves. In fact, you would have met me eventually, I am certain even if it were not for Ninn here."
When Yannic was done speaking, Ninn cut in.
"Teymu... Where can I find him?"
"Eh? Ah eager to get back your sword I see. Well, more than likely he's in his cottage. But if not, try his brother's. Trey just recently returned so the pair might be catching up.
With a nod, Ninn turned around and left, and began to make her way up the southern hill towards Trey's. Odds are he was there over his own house any way.
Theon was intrigued by Ninn's curt, yet somehow polite behavior as they went about hunting for her sword. He followed after her and moved quietly. "Do you come to this village often? The people here seem to have an attachment to you," he asked as they walked.
"That is because they are friendly to most. Not all settlements are this way. The more North you go, the people and weather both get equally cold."
Theon walked with her in stride, grinning as he went. "That is good to know. I can only hope when I travel to the next village over, I find similar hospitality." White puffs emerged from his mouth. "That is my next destination."
She didn't comment and kept on walking. It wasn't her place to care or to pry. But what was on her mind was her sword, and the cottage soon appeared at the top of the hill, but even before she approached it she paused.to swear. No one was home , as was evident by the lack of smoke from the chimney. She supposed Teymu must still be smithing. Without so much as a word, she headed back down the hill they had just.climbed, crossed the peddlars tent and rounded a close or trees. Though there was no smoke coming from his shop, Ninn saw movement and began to pick up her pace.
Theon sensed her alarm and reached for his blade when she began to move quicker. "What was that?" he hissed as he looked around. He'd seen it too, but it'd been too quick for his eyes. But his hands were at the ready and Lohengrin's edge flashed silver against the snow.
And that's when an arrow whizzed over his head. The woman didn't seem to notice, as she advanced, but with no sword, she was left with just a meager dagger in defense. But sword or not, she wasn't one to back down from any sort of fight, so with the small dagger in hand, she followed after the moving shadows through the trees.
Theon ducked low enough to avoid the arrow, but he could not see who was firing at them. Despite the blankness of the snow, they remained in shadow and there was no moment to spare for idle viewing. Theon bolted after Ninn, keeeping pace with legs as long as hers and pushing her toward the thickened copse of pine trees.
The shadowed figures had a lead on them, and as the woman continued to run through the thickening snow, there was only one thing that halted her in her tracks-
And that was of the bloodied body laid splayed open, innards hanging from the trees, still wet and dripping into the snow.
Theon too, skidded to a halt when he saw the body, but he couldn't stand idle for long. He heard the whistling, anticipating it before it came and he snatched Ninn by the arm, yanking her out of the way before the arrow buried itself into her head. He didn't know what chased them, or what put that body in the tree, but he wasn't going to wait before it was upon him.
The woman let out a cry as Theon yanked her aside, but when she realized why, her eyes went wide as she growled.
"This wickedness has gone on too long. We should fall back and warn the villagers."
Theon pulled her back to him. "Wait! What is it?" he asked. "What are we dealing with? Those same monsters again, or something worse?"
"I can not judge if it's worse, but this is not in the monsters style. They use not arrows to cut through men, but their teeth."
"First, we must get your blade. How are you to defend without it? Your hands are only so much use. Retrieve your blade, I will run ahead to warn the villagers," Theon said sternly. "GO!"
Ninn glared at Theon before nodding.
"Go swift, as will I." And she rushed off, hoping no one had touched her blade.
A primal fear gripped Theon, more than the plague of his visions. What he could see and what he could prevent were one thing. But this was something else entirely. The foreign entity that suddenly attacked them, and seemed intent on killing the villagers, brought up the hackles on the back of his neck. It made Theon run all that much faster.
They hadn't gone that far when he saw the village come up from behind a patch of trees and the anxiety gripped him, that he was already too late.
With blade in hand, Ninn was quick to reach Theon's side. And she called out to him, "Why are you stopping? We have to get to the village."
Theon didn't stop. But he was surprised she'd caught up to him so quickly. And with the village in sight, Theon felt his stomach suddenly drop as many huts and shacks were already engulfed in flame.
Ninn swore.
"Damn it, we're too late!" And she saw an upright creature take off, bow in hand. Without saying a word, she dashed after it and the moment it realized Ninn was coming after it, it bolted off into the deeper wood.
It was only then that Theon remembered Jouzan and he ran off toward the flaming town. As he ran he heard screams coming from the inside of a hut and without thinking, Theon ran for it. He smashed through the door, smoke coming out like a wasp swarm. Two women screamed from inside the hut, one crying over the form of a man, still on the ground.
"Come on!" Theon said, throwing the cloak over his face to protect it from the smoke. There was nothing to be done for the man, who lay buried underneath a heavy piece of timber and one woman pulled the other along. The second protested, screaming something in a strange tongue. Theon grabbed her and yanked her out from beneath the collapsing roof and they both fell forward into the snow.
Theon stood, helping her up. "Find others!" he said. "Save them if you can."
And just when he thought it was too late, he heard the squawk of Jouzan swooping on overhead.
The beast was.too fast for her, and she abandoned the chase and rushed back to town. She arrived in time to watch Theon rescue two ladies from their hut, and realized had she been alone, those two women would have died. Searching the other huts, she called through the flames to see if anyone needed any help. It was all they could do for now.
After the smoke cleared and the survivors had been pulled from the flames, the people that survived sobbed at their loss. Not only of the homes that were gone, but also from the people that never made it out. Theon stood there, watching the ashes, Lohengrin at his side, before he moved on to help heal the people that needed it. He looked at Ninn. "Will you help me tend to the survivors? The homes that did not burn can house them before the falling night, but their wounds could fester and rot."
Nijn gave a nod.
"Of course," she answered, as if there was no questions about it. "I can help well enough, even without the blessing to heal."
He couldn't help it. He felt himself smile and he nodded to her, a respectful nod and set to work. Jouzan gathered herbs found in the nearby woods. They worked tirelessly, helping heal the burns and mend minor wounds that could heal themselves until the sky began to darken.
When the light faded away and the shelter was shared between the survivors, Theon sat in his room, one of the small buildings that remained standing, and put more kindling into the fire. "Do you know what hunted them?" he asked Ninn. "Who was that that set the fire? It seemed a person did it not?"
Ninn sat quietly beside the crackling fire, her.muscles sore and her clothing soaked beneath her coat, in which she shed. She'd been lifting and moving people for the last many an hour, helping those get to shelters who had not the strength to stand. So after a moment of enjoying the coat.being discarded and a good long drink of waters she turned to him and said, "that I do not know. I haven't been here.long, but what did this today did not seem like the beasts I hunt. It's.something different... Something.. more."
"Something that hunts you," Theon said, looking up at her. "It sent someone off as a distraction. What we chased through the trees, perhaps was a diversion. Perhaps it thought you were in the village. I don't think you interact with people very much, but...perhaps you rubbed someone the wrong way. And I don't think they care who gets hurt in the middle. Do you know how those fire creatures you hunt came to be?"
Ninn stared at him for a moment, digesting what he said but only commenting on the one part.
"If I knew that, I wouldn't be here. I've been chasing them for as long as I can remember."
"Well, that doesn't help anyone. You continue to chase them, you will always be chased in turn," he said and sipped the mug of hot chocolate before him. Rations were scarce, but the people of the village, it seems, had enough to scrounge at least that for him.
"Let me help you, Ninn. I can help you track this man down. If I can make one small difference... If what I see can be changed, I will..." He paused then, wondering if he even believed his own visions were real. He looked at his drink. "I want to help."
Ninn raised a brow at him.
"Are you trying to make this your problem?"
He cut her a look, frowning. "Perhaps it isn't my problem, but look what happened today. It's clear this affects more than you. It wasn't their problem either. I'm already involved. Let me help you. I'm a wanderer here, I have nothing to lose."
"It's true," Jouzan said, fluttering down and walking beside Ninn. "We've been here for months with no direction. It's something at least."
Ninn was about to answer his question when she jumped nearly ten feet into the air (or so it felt like it!) when the bird talked as she whirled around to face it and stood defensively.
"What is this!? A talking bird!?"
Jouzan cawed a laugh and looked at Theon, ruffling his feathers. "I am bird, yes. And you are intelligent enough to understand my speech. Is it really so surprising?" he said and hobbled over beside her. He pecked at her hip. "But you are in one piece, and that, really, is the surprising thing."
Theon shook his head and waved the bird away. "Nevermind him." He sighed. "But he is right. I've been wandering the tundra for many months. I have no direction. This at least, is some purpose."
Ninn steeled herself after digesting over what the bird was and glared at Theon.
"You have chosen strangely a purpose. But never the less, help for this sort of chaos is welcome."
Theon couldn't help it. A boyish grin took him. He didn't question it however. "Good. I am glad," he said with a nod. He fell silent for a moment. "Would you like some more chocolate?'
Ninn looked at him funny before shaking her head.
"No purpose... Yet you chose Hyoite?" And despite asking Theon, she gave a skeptical glare at his bird.
Jouzan returned her skeptical glare and ruffled his feathers again to settle by the warmth of the fire. "Few men choose where the wind takes theM," came Theon's reply as he served Ninn a cup of hot chocolate never the less.
He set it before her, taking a seat beside her. "The first memory I have is waking up on a ship, sailing toward this very continent. There was a man beside me, but he turned into water and melted away.... I don't remember anything before that. I've been wandering ever since I made it to shore, trying to find some reason I came here...or who I am. I suppose it's been so long with no answers, it makes little difference where I point my north now."
Ninn wasn't sure how to take that information. Perhaps he was crazy, perhaps not, either way, his intentions were not foul and with a nod, she said to him, "Very well. Perhaps your fate lies in another North."
ANd she took the hot chocolate and sipped it lightly. Not used to such sweet things, she took her time on it and studied him in silence.
"So you remember nothing? Not where you're from... what about your name? Or that bird of yours?"
"I don't know my name because I remember it," he said with a grin and sipped his own chocolate. "I only know it because people addressed me as such. I don't know where I am from. I know that the ship is across the sea, a land very far away." He returned her studying glances. "Maybe my lack of memories is just a clean slate, to make new memories. But I remain skeptical."
Ninn gave him a scrutinizing look.
"Who called you this name.... 'Theon'?"
"The crew. People spoke to me as if they knew me. When I came to shore, it was a whole different world. I was a stranger in a strange land. I still am. But I've learned to make friends where I may, make acquaintances, connections in some way that could help me. Jouzan is my guide, my eyes in the sky, as he is fond of saying. But he's as lost as I am, unfortunately. He busies himself with getting fatter and fatter!"
Jouzan gave him a derisive look however and cawed indignantly.
The woman looked from man to bird.
"Seems like you could take a lesson from Jouzan. It looks like you could afford some extra meat on your bones. The tundra does not take kindly to those with inadequate physiques."
Theon gave her a strange look. He'd heard of such a thing, but he didn't know how being fatter could possibly help him move through the snow. He looked down to examine his body. "What's wrong with my physique?" he asked.
Ninn just stared at him.
"You're tall, but scrawny. Either way, you look out of place here. You seem too.. clean to be traveling in the snow. Ive only ever seen a face that smooth on a boy... Though perhaps you just look old.for your age?"
Theon gave her a raised brow. "I am not scrawny," he said defensively. "I am most certainly too old to be considered a boy. I'm a man if you couldn't tell. See? A man's chest!" And he flexed his muscles along his arms and chest.
Ninn cast him a dubious stare. It seemed his crow did the same.
Theon just laughed and relaxed. He blushed and shook his head. "I don't know why I'm trying so hard to prove something that makes little difference," he said and sipped his chocolate again.
And neither did she, and went back to sipping her own drink, seeming to all but ignore him now.
He just watched her, eyeing her burned face, curious but remaining silent.
Only taking one more sip, she set the empty mug down and moved to curl up on the floor.
"You should get some rest. We travel at first light."
For they'd be fruitless and vulnerable traveling in the dark.
"Of course," Theon said thoughtfully. When she laid down, he stood up and reached for his cloak. He pulled it over her and laid down on his own bedroll.
And after a moment, she threw it back onto him without so much as a word. It was his cloak, not hers. And she didn't want nor need his sympathy.
"Hey! You've got to keep warm," he said and moved to return it to her.
Growling,s he sat up and shoved the cloak back into his face.
"I don't need it!" she snapped, and moved to lay back down. "I'm warm enough already. Just get some sleep!"
"You'll be warmer with the cloak. Why are you so stubborn? You're already wearing my trousers and tunic. I don't mind sharing the cloak." Theon thought the offer innocent. They did just decided to work together after all.
If her back wasn't to him, she'd be glaring at him.
"And that is enough. You keep your cloak and I'll keep your trousers."
"We'll be just as warm if we share it," he said plainly and spooned behind her, pulling the cloak over both of them.
And that's when she attacked him, rolling over top then pinning him down by his throat with her knee.
"Don't you fucking touch me!"
Theon choked and scowled up at her from his place where she pinned him. "What the fuck is your problem!?" he growled up at her. His voice came out like a frog, croaking. "I'm just trying to help."
She sunk her knee deeper into his throat.
"Help that is not wanted.". But after her glare grew sharper, she moved off of him. "Know your boundaries or you'll wind up with more than a bruised wind pipe."
Theon coughed and moved, sitting up. "Fine," he said after a second, catching his breath. "But what difference does it make?" he found himself asking. "If we're working together..."
If looks could kill, Theon would have been a dead man.
"We are not friends. But keep that up and surely we'll be foes."
Theon sat up and scooted away. "As you wish, my lady," he said. Despite the throbbing in his throat, and where he laid on his bedroll, he smiled in her direction. The loners were always the toughest to crack.
Ninn rose hours before daylight, her things gathered, ready to go. They'd have a long day ahead of them, and she wanted an early of a start as she could get. She had taken the time to even wash herself with a simple wet clothe in the corner, then put on her heavy clothing and moved over to Theon.
She lightly.kicked his side with her boot.
"The sun is rising. It's time to move."
Theon awoke with a start and looked Ninn over as she stood over him. Even in her heavy clothes it wasn't an unpleasant view. "Very well," he said and sat up. He pushed his hair out of his face and pulled a fresh shirt over his form and slipped on his furs. He'd never been especially hungry in the morning, but he forced himself to scarf down a piece of bread.
He threw the crumbs toward Jouzan and the bird ate them as he collected the rest of his gear. He put Lohengrin into it's sheathe and nodded to Ninn.
It was then Ninn handed him some dried meat.
"Here, you'll need the extra energy."
Theon nodded a thank you and took the offered meat, munching on it gingerly. It was tasteless somewhat, but good never the less and when they started walked, the snow was coming down in gentle sprinkles.
With fresh snow on the ground, it covered the tracks she had hoped to follow. But there was enough of the previous night's chaos to follow. Soon they were moving through the deeper wood, where not all the tracks were hidden, so theywere able to move with more speed. But only ten minutes on their tracks they stopped abruptly as the winds picked up while Ninn tried to look around for clues.
It was Theon that found one. He reached down and plucked an arrow sticking headfirst from the snow and held it gingerly in his grip. The head was unusual, looking like some kind of animal bone, carved out into a wolf's head. "I found this," he said.
Ninn looked at the item with a frown.
"But what can it tell us?" She asked, clearly frustrated.
"It looks a lot like the arrow that struck at first. The wolf head is unique however. The person likely passed this way. Keep looking around, I'm sure we'll find more clues," he said with a nod and continue to survey the ground.
Nodding, Ninn's eyes continued to scout the area.
"What direction had the arrow fallen from? Perhaps that direction can offer us better clues."
"This way," Theon said, pointing a bit westerly of them. Their path was still north and just a few yards up ahead, Theon spotted something red dotting the snow.
Ninn frowned as she spotted it.
"Blood..." And she noticed to trailed towards a narrow path that snaked up the mountain side. She wasted no time in following it up.
Theon trailed after her. Jouzan flew on ahead of both of them and cawed. "A body down below," he said. "Still alive." Jouzan flew down to the man as he huddled in the snow, trying to crawl through it.
Ninn' s heart leapt into her throat.
"A survivor?" And she rushed over to the man's side.
The weather had savaged him and Theon held his breath upon their approach. He knelt beside the man and gently rolled him over. The man cried out suddenly, trying to reach for the dagger in his belt, but felt nothing but air. "Get away!" he cried hoarsely.
"We're not here to hurt you," Theon said. "We're here to help."
"Turning to Theon she asked, "Can you heal him?"
"I will try," Theon said with a nod and pulled Lohengrin from his side. The blade shimmered and was gently cool to the touch, rather freezing cold. "Here, man, hold the blade. Try to relax."
And that's when the man lashed out, clawing at Theon with one beastly arm and a snarl.
The woman jerked back, gritting her teeth as she realized, "He is cursed!" And was quick to draw her blade to strike him.
Theon's arm flung upward, Lohengrin severing the ghastly hand with a stinging edge. He felt backwards in the snow as he watched as if in slow motion the beast man continue his path toward him.
But the beast would never make it, except the gurgling bounce of it's head as Ninn severed it in one strong stroke. Blood splashed them both, and was warm as the corpse fell into the snow. It's body, still hot from life, expelled soft puffs of white from it's dying form as Ninn expelled white puffs of breath from her lips.
"Are you alright?" She asked, uncertain how close the man had come to harming Theon.
"I am okay," he said, looking at his arm and seeing it untouched. He reached down and plucked the head from the snow examining the monstrous face. "I've never seen anything like this... What manner of beast is this?"
Ninn peered over her shoulder, palms gripping tightly her blade.
"I think we're going to find out."
Or perhaps die trying, as two more of those wicked things jumped down upon them from the trees.
Theon scrambled to his feet when the other two descended upon them. He chucked the dead man's head at one of the plagued beasts and knocked it back before cutting through his body like a knife through butter.
When the beasts were slain, and scattered in pieces, she wiped at her brow and turned her eyes to Theon.
"I think that's it. And a sure sign we're on the right path."
"Perhaps we should examine the bodies first," Theon suggested, cleaning his blade on one of the shirts of the beasts and he resheathed it. "They could tell us more about our enemy, and what to look out for. They are...terribly grotesque."
Ninn nodded and got to her knees, examining the bodies with a frown.
"These men are so strange... like beast and men combined," she mused.
"Their bodies seem to have been transformed, however," Theon noted. "They must have come into contact with something that afflicted them. But how? And what?" He inspected the bodies, portions of it until he found something that looked like branding marks along the back of one of the necks of the beast men. One of them flickered, as if a ward form a spell before buzzing out. "Magical transformation perhaps."
Ninn stared at the mark and tried to digest why it seemed so... awkwardly familiar. But the answers were kept quiet, but the notion of familiarity was gnawing. Peering over to Theon, she spoke, "What if we cut them open? It would be possible to tell if they are the same, or at least linked to those creatures I hunt by taking a look at their insides. The ones who killed many..w ho scarred me... Those creatures breath fire."
It was a valid thought. He nodded to her and moved over one of the bodies, turning it over and took Lohengrin. The blade sliced it open from stem to stern, the entrails spilling out.
Though it was a gruesome sight, Ninn never once blanched. And though a vile smile rose up from it's innards, she found herself frowning as she poked her own blade against a certain organ.
"Fire pouch... it's definitely at least got the same sort of power. But it looks..." And she frowned. "A bit small. Perhaps it's why we never saw them use it? Or... it's perhaps temperamental. And they used it on the huts and that was all the fire they've got. Either way this is highly unusual... But," she turned to Theon. "At least we're getting somewhere."
"But why make them like this?" he asked, as he pushed the innards around and found just the right areas in which to detach the fire pouch from the body. He pushed it out into the snow and cut it open and a foul smelly gas emerged from it.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps there's a lot more to these creatures than I realized.. or perhaps they're starting to interbreed with humans. Either way, I don't like it." ANd her eyes cut towards the snow laden path before them.
"We should press on. No doubt if there are others they know we're here."
With what little they could discover from the bodies, they moved onward down the snowy path as snow began to sprinkle down on them, fluttering into their eyes, in the direction the beasts had come.
Aside from the howl of the wind and the shuddering creak of trees, the trail was silent. Wisps of snow moved in a way that put Ninn on edge. So movement became slow as her head jerked around to study the shadows.
The wind began to pick up and the snow driving forth began to go stronger. Theon pressed onward though the snow, despite the wintry conditions. They didn't bother him much, but Jouzan had taken to huddling in his cloak.
Just when she hoped the road would broaden, it narrowed further as the pass came to a sharp turn. But she hesitated, noting there was a lot of ice covering the trail here, and trees. It would not be wise to simply pass-
but was there another way up?
The snow was coming in sheets now and made the path all the more treacherous. "We should find a place to camp, to rest. We can take turns on watch if you'd like, but if we keep going like this, we'll be buried under snow," Theon said, barely able to hear himself over the rising wind.
Ninn cut him a look. She knew he was right but... She shook her head.
"The path is too narrow here to find reprieve. We can only move forward and hope we find shelter, or pray the snow and winds yield."
Theon did not argue. Though the path was narrow, she too had her point. Jouzan ruffled his feathers beneath Theon's cloak and suddenly flew from out of his confines, a dark blue shape against the fluttering snow. He flew on ahead of them and cawed abruptly, spotting something just ahead in the pass beyond.
"Shelter. Of a sort," Jouzan said upon fluttering back down to them. "A cave just over the ridge!"
Theon nodded and gestured to Ninn. "You go first. I'll follow." The ridge was steep and the stone was encased in frost. There was just enough of a space for a boot to jut in and push up.
"Seems your friend is more than a little helpful. Let's just hope the cave isn't occupied." And with a few carefully placedsteps, she was up and over the ridge.
"We will find out shortly," Theon breathed, following up behind her and skidding a little on the frozen stone. He caught himself on the ledge and set his feet firmly on the snow. Jouzan nestled in the protection of a tree, and waited for them to catch up. When they did, he swooped down to Theon's shoulder and ruffled his feathers, brushed off excess snow.
The outlet was dark, indeed, but well concealed from the snow and from what he could see Theon saw that perhaps it was a hermit's hole, for there was a pack there, a bedroll, and some strewn supplies. But it was otherwise empty, and would serve as temporary shelter from the pelting snow.
Upon seeing the place had once been occupied, Ninn immediately began to survey the area to look for clues if the person dwelling here might return. One could never be too careful here in Hyoite.
It looked like it had been empty for perhaps a few months, or perhaps less than that. There was always the possibility that it's inhabitant had gone off somewhere and never returned, being killed by animals, or froze to death. Either way the hovel was protected from the fierce winds and sheltered from the snow.
"It looks all right. If we're only going to use it for one night that is," Theon commented and sat down beside the bedroll. "Looks like there's something to start a fire, but the ashes haven't been disturbed in a while."
Ninn cut him a look.
"I don't aim to stay here any longer than we should. We haven't made enough grounds yet, but it would be wise to rest up, and to eat." Abandoning her mission to scout the area, Ninn set to work preparing a fire with whatever dry wood was left.
"The winds are too strong to face head on. I saw we wait, at least, until they calm down. The angle of the entrance keeps us largely protected from them," Theon said. He sighed and moved to inspect the foodstuffs left behind. There was a great deal of jerky, and he ripped off a piece after sniffing it and tossed some to Jouzan and ate some himself.
"The winds might never die down. In Hyoite, the weather is its own beast. We'll rest, but within the hour we press on."
Theon shifted through the supplies and found a small knife, a bundle of some herbs and he sniffed them. "What's this? It smells funny. Some kind've weed I think," he said.
"It's tindelle weed," she said upon first glance. "A poison." And she paused before adding, "it heightens one's senses with smaller doses. A lot of locals get addicted to it and it has caused more than a few deaths."
"Perhaps this might help us find our way a little better," Theon suggested, tearing off a piece of the tindle weed and prepared to throw it into the fire.
Ninn's hand shot out to stop him. And her eyes narrowed.
"No. We need a level head. And that much of it would only make things worse."
"I meant just a pinch. Perhaps it will give me a clear vision," Theon said. He snapped a small branch off with the other hand.
"I think not. But perhaps it is just my judgement that does not need modified."
Theon looked at her squarely. "My visions can help us. But they are often muddled and are hard to distinguish. It's an avenue I haven't yet explored and it could be worth a try."
At this Ninn raised a brow at him. "Visions?"
"Yes. My visions," he said with a nod. "When I meditate, I can have visions of things yet unseen. Whether it's the future or of events far away I cannot say... But sometimes it's seconds before it happens, or perhaps of things years yet to come."
"And you want to trust the tindelle weed with that?" She wasn't sure she could agree, but she herself had no magic or other worldly power.
"It is merely an attempt. Nothing more. An experiment if you will," he said and tossed the sprig of tindle weed into the fire.
Ninn said nothing, holding her breath momentarily as she looked from fire to man.
The sprig was all that was needed and smoke gradually began to dim the lighting in the cave, small as it was. But warmth was also immediately brought with it, and after taking a deep breath, Theon could feel his body immediately relaxing. He looked at Ninn, wondering if she would hold her breath forever.
Though holding her breath was not an obvious action, her stiff posture did give it away. And as she observed Theon and the way the small bit burned, she settled herself down slightly away from the fire before allowing herself to breath again. Though she could smell the scent of the tindelle weed, the effects did not hit her as she still was cautious and slow with her breathing.
Theon took a deep breath and blew out gently, slowly, smoke from his nostrils. He felt completely relaxed, as if the world could wait. Even the wind seemed to blow slower and the snow moved gentler. "My mind does feel clearer," he said, hearing as if his voice were echoing out from somewhere deep.
"Yes.. the tindelle weed can have that effect." And she studied him, barely beginning to feel the effects too as she sighed.
Theon closed his eyes and took in another deep breath, his body shuddering suddenly at the warmth that was spreading through his cold limbs. It was not unlike the warmth that Lohengrin was capable of spreading, but this time, he felt the vision as if he were present, in that moment, and heard a howl of a wolf echoing outside the cave.
"Listen," he heard himself whisper. And the moon shone upon an opened path, beneath glacial walls, creatures within them frozen in frost and time, the trail shielded from the blinding snow. The wolf, he saw, was moving swiftly through it, sniffing the ground as it went. The wind was gentler now....
Theon sniffed, and opened his eyes, when he saw Jouzan plucking a small branch of the weed in his beak and tossed it into the fire, and the smoke doubled in force now. "Jouzan!"
The bird cackled and fluttered out the exit.
Ninn growled and attempted to cover her mouth with her hand.
"Your bird has rocks for brains. Is he trying to kill us?"
Theon coughed a little, but the smoke wasn't too strong. "Maybe he's just trying to loosen us up from the stress of travel. We stooll have a long way to go."
Ninn cut him a look. "The stress can not be relieved until the monsters can be irradicated."
"You need a clear mind to fight well," Theon said. He waved a hand for her to join him. "Come sit with me. Cross legged like so. We must clear the mind."
"I don't believe in that. A focused mind is better at wielding a sword than an empty one."
"A mind can only focus if it is emptied of all that which cages it. Free your mind and you will free yourself," Theon said. "The least you could do is make the attempt."
Ninn kept her stern look before releasing a hot sigh through her.nose. it wasn't as if she had much of a choice if she stayed here.
Theon smiled to her and motioned her to sit beside him again. "Okay just take a deep breath and let it out slowly."
Despite his invitation, the scarred woman remained where she was. The only thing she obeyed was the action to breath deeply, slowly.
If she wasn't going to sit by him, he'd sit by her. So that's just what he did and sat in front of her, holding his hands palm-up, taking in a deep breath and watching her carefully.
Ninn glared at him as he moved, but another sigh from her hand her shoulders becoming just a bit less stiff. But she said nothing. He was free to move as he wished...
She just had no idea why he was trying to get so close to her. Either way, she mimicked his posture, trying to clear her head as she closed her eyes and the foggy sensation of the smoke began to set in, and again, her shoulders showed a bit more relaxation, though there was still that slight obvious tinge of tension that just didn't seem to go away.
As the smoke filled his lungs, Theon too began to feel the effects taking hold on him. He tried to concentrate on the vision but he started to see stronger images of nonsensical things, places where trees had faces and stones could walk and Jouzan could speak in only tongues. Theon opened his eyes and even Ninn began to look funny. He remembered her having grass growing out of her nose, right?
She still had her eyes closed, the smoke slowly affecting her. But she had her eyes closed as she attempted to meditate, but when she felt eyes upon her, she saw Theon and his expression. But her response was just to simply stair as a light headed feeling washed over her. Yet still, she controlled her breath, remained in control.
Theon shook his eyes, but it only made her face look like scrambled eggs. He didn't panic, remaining calm through soft breaths as he reached a hand out to poke her, but stopped just short of her nose. "Do you feel a little funny?" he said, pulling his arm back and examining his hand, which now had his fingers looking like octopus tentacles.
Despite the calming effect of the drug, she stared back at him irritably. But it was only then things were getting strange for her as she gave a shake of her head.
"I did warn you of the smoke," she simply reminded him, and tried to ignore the fact she was seeing him with three eyes and two mouths!
Theon leapt abruptly, moving across to sit beside her when he felt as if ants were crawling over his form and he peeled off the cloak on his shoulders. He began to scratch his arms and chest. He stopped when he felt nothing, but his hands began to take on a rather reptilian appearance and he saw them covered in blood.
He closed his eyes and they were still there. and those hands were possessed with hatred, and turned from scales to fur, a beast in the snow, and it slew without mercy. Theon forced his eyes open, clinging his arms around himself, and knowing then in the mountains beyond there was a fortress carved in the very mountains that would be their destination. But he wouldn't say a word about it.
Instead, he looked out toward Ninn and saw her blurred, as if she was fading, and he felt so heavy as he reached out for her arm. "Are you all right?"
Still not completely captive by the smoke, when Theon's hand came forward, her own shot up to intercede, catching it in mid-air while glaring.
"As alright as a woman can be on this tindelle weed," she growled, but that was enough of an act for her to inhale more of the smoke that she would have liked, causing her to cough before she shoved his hand away, almost fearfully. For a second there she thought his arm was some sort of snake.
Theon shut his eyes tightly, to keep the odd shapes and things from around the cave from getting to him. But he couldn't close his eyes for long before another vision came to him. And the mountain castle sagged and melted in places like a oil painting liquefying beneath the cruelty of turpentine.
He opened his eyes and saw Ninn's face was getting that way too, her whole image melting away and all Theon wanted to do was scream, and somehow his voice remained caught in his throat as if his tongue had been severed.
She saw the look in his eyes, and though the world was beginning to churn for her, she had at least known the effects and was somewhat prepared. Though her judgement and body were still impaired, but seeing his despair and how it effected her vision, she grit her teeth, growled, and tried to swing a fist at him.
"This was your idea! You were to embrace this for whatever magic it may lead!" Though at her shouting, she only inhaled more, and it, to her- appeared as if the cave were suddenly on fire.
Theon saw that fist coming toward him and he snatched it in a hard grip. He held it fast and saw in her hand the remnant's of a dead bird, but it looked nothing like Jouzan. "I know!" he growled back to her. "I did see the path! But the way is blocked. Hidden in a frozen pass, a fortress forged into a mountain."
Ninn fought to yank her hand free, still glaring at the man as the world around him became distorted, darker, jarring. She wasn't sure what to believe, her mind falling prey to the tindelle weed smoke. For she wanted to run, to leave this place of insanity, but her legs felt like lead, and the world appeared unyielding.
"Don't panic," he breathed. "It's all right. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you." His grip softened and he released her wrist. "It's okay, Ninn."
The second he let go she stormed out of the cave, uncaring that harsh wind and snow was grating her face. She needed air, clean, uncontaminated air. The damn tindelle weed... She'd have to pay back Theon for this, later.
Theon couldn't stay in that smoky cave forever. But he put the fire out and blew it away with his hands, trying to keep his eyes not focused on any one thing. Slowly the smoke was coming out of the entrance and Theon came out coughing, huddling with his cloak over his shoulders, but not quite chained. He hacked out into the snow a bit, getting the better of himself.
When he was of his own mind again he sat down at the entrance, thankful for the brisk cold that brushed against his hot flesh. It was a risk, certainly, and one that had nearly driven them mad. But it was one he had been willing to take. But finding the mountain pass would be the challenge. The snow was building up in fury.
When her head began to clear, her breathing slowed, however, her defense was hardly lowered. The tindelle weed had an effect to linger, and with a frown, she stared down at the snow, and felt her depth perception become distorted, if only partially so before she looked towards the west.
Theon moved toward the exit and crawled out, standing beside her in the flurry that headed their way. "I am sorry," he said, dropping his head a little. "You warned me. I should have listened."
Ninn was still finding herself when she growled, "Men never listen." But said nothing else as she appeared to embrace the chaotic cold, as if clutching onto that would help move the drug along quicker and offer her some reprieve. But her world was still swirling, and that made her hesitate to move, afraid she'd simply fall over, or pass out from how dizzy she felt.
"But I know now," he said with a resolute nod. "Sometimes you never know unless you try, yes?" He noticed her almost losing her balance. But didn't reach out a hand to catch her.
Ninn glared at him, but said nothing. This would be so much easier if she were by herself. Now she had this man to deal with and she still wasn't sure if she fully trusted him.
"When the weed wears off, we will continue."
She was through with wasting time.
"I agree," he nodded to her and crawled back into the cave to retrieve his unequipped items. He put them back on and came out again, cloake secured on his shoulders and sword at his side. "If we walk with the wind, the snow might not be so bad," he observed. "We must find a path through the mountains. That is our firsth destination."
Ninn remained at arm's length of him at all times, her own equipment already on her person as she collected it after him. With her arms folded across her chest, she remained with her eyes boring into the snow, while more of it kept collecting from the sky.
They could return to the solitude of the cave, after all they had not eaten, but Theon didn't ask her. Instead he nodded to her and stared to walk forward, trudging through the snow, his hood over his head. Jouzan returned at last, flying over head just a few feet above them.
"You might want to start running," the bird said.
Theon looked over his shoulder and saw even through the snow flurry, a large pack of fire wolves bearing down on them at full speed. "Ninn.... Ninn! Run! RUN!" There were too many to kill, it was a horde, a swarm.
At first him calling her name grated on her. She wasn't fond of him to begin wtih, and the fact he knew her name (where many did not) still stung that he had even found it out. But that was quickly washed away the moment she saw what he did. And she cursed through her teeth and turned tail to run.
[Oh god, did she never tell him her name? I can't remember! xD I guess he could've just magically guessed her name, not that he has that power?]
Theon waited no time in running through the snow, but it's thickness blanketed over his boots and made every step all the more difficult, as the horde was quickly gaining on them.
Ooc: I'm pretty sure a villager used it to address her and he found out that way... >>
Ninn knew there was no way to out run the pack, and with the path before them growing narrow along a steep mountain side, she realized they had but two options and suddenly she halted in the snow. And before Theon knew what was happening, a wolf was upon them but only seconds later something else crashed into him and the attacking wolf, and all three of them were sent over the cliff.
Ooc: hope its okay to assume things in.this post. If not I can edit it. But I figured Theon could get attacked and the. NInn tackles him and takes their chances surviving the fall over the cliff.
[It's cool, no worries.]
Theon had barely turned around in time to find a large wolf was suddenly upon them. However, even that didn't matter. He shut his eyes tightly and only opened them when he became weightless and the air was rushing through his hair, and he saw the cliff above him rising slowly. At least that's how it felt for that brevity of time.
Weightlessness was all she felt as her belly felt as if it were to rise up out of her mouth. And the fall seemed.to last an eternity, until the base of the cliff began to widen, and the rough rock.and trees that jutted out like porcupine quills began to get in their way, and tree after tree hit them, Ninn finally managed to thrust out an arm, and just by chance snagged the base of a.small tree.
It wasn't without its consequences, to be stopped so abruptly as the ice and rocks cut at her shoulder and face, but they had stopped falling... As was evident in her second arm.still gripping tightly to Theon and as she turned.to.look at him, she saw the wolf smash into the snow below.
His back had been to the tree upon landing and he lost all the breath from his body. He impacted the trunk hard and he was sure he had broken some ribs in the process. Something had ripped his cloak a little bit that was the least of his worries. He was alive and that was all that mattered.
They were still some distance from the ground, enough that they couldn't simply step down, or even jump. And their combined weight made the tree creak beneath them, as Ninn tried to assess their situation. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a few sparse saplings between large gaps along the cliff's wall. But it was evident most of the way between each sapling was laced with layers of slick ice.
Theon held onto her, but even he knew the tree wouldn't hold them for long. He looked at Ninn and then the cliff wall. The saplings might be strong, despite their youth. Yet it could be that within that youth, they would be malleable enough to be able to hold their weight, if they made it down one at a time. It didn't seem that climbing back up the cliff was much of an option.
"Ninn," he gasped a little, ignoring the pain from his ribs. "We can use the tree, maybe, like a spring. Grab, gah, onto the sapling. Go first. I can't move much with you holding me. However we have to move the tree first, achieve momentum."
Ninn turned to Theon and gave a nod. They had little choice, she observed, and she moved like a leopard, each step purposeful and light. But the first sapling was barely out of arm's reached, even as she strained for it, and even given her taller than normal height.
But drawing back to the tree, she put as much force down upon her feet as she could concentrating on the sapling just barely out of reached before springing off of it, and securing a hold on the tree's slender trunk. But it wasn't without it's own slickness for soft snow made her grip slip as she gasped out and had to dig her boots into the side of the cliff to stop herself from completely letting go. And the force of the sapling nearly becoming pulled out from ehr grasp cut into her palms. But hse ignored the pain as she climbed back up to a more stable position, before looking towards the next sapling and judging the distance acutely.
She wasted little time before reaching out to the next one, before catching her breath again and peering back at Theon only once to see if he was going to follow.
The going was not easy, perhaps even less so for her. He favored his side considerably but found strength to jump. He snatched into the first sapling just in time and flung there, peering down and waiting for Ninn to move, allowing himself to scale down to where she was. But all the while he could feel the sapling's roots begin to give way.
Ninn could see the man falter, and hesitated not to move to her next destination, one sapling lower. Peering up, she just hoped the man was quick enough to move, lest he fall and hurt himself even worse.
Theon felt his grip slipping and just before the root slipped from the cliff and Theon fell down to the sapling below him, slamming into the frosty cliffside. "Gah!" He gasped a little bit maintained his hold nevertheless.
Ninn swore between her teeth. Of course this couldn't be easy. She had sustained some injuries from the fall, but Theon seemed to have taken the brunt of it. And despite not particularly liking him all that much, they were still partners and she'd feel guilty just to let him fall. So with swiftness, she moved to the next sapling and urged him, "Come on. Let's move swiftly. The faster we move downward, the quicker we'll be at the bottom."
Theon didn't think of himself as much of a climber, or faller, rather, however, they still needed to get to the ground, and he had no plans of letting the ground take his life away from him. He followed her example, dropping down to the next sapling as he did so, landing much better the second time, and so on. Once they were but a few yards from the bottom, he gestured to her that there were no more saplings to hold onto, but the fall didn't seem all that gentle either.
Quick thinking had Ninn's eyes studying the side of the cliff. It's walls were slick with ice in one portion just beneath her. And as her eyes followed it, she saw it traveled downwards, in a subtle slope, that, she hoped, might provide a safer landing for them than to simply fall. Though who's to say the ice slide trick would work?
There was only one way to find out. The method, of course, she deduced, was to simply fall.
She turned to Theon, panting as she tried to catch her breath from all this climbing.
"There's an ice patch. We can use it to slide down into the snow banks below. The landing will be gentler than us simply falling, and hopefully we can avoid any major injuries."
Assuming Theon hadn't already broken something. At least as far as she was concerned, she felt alright for now.
It was a better idea than simply landing and breaking ones legs. Theon waited for her signal and then he jumped, or fell rather and slide down hard on the curved slope, the ice taking him down toward the snow embankment and he tumbled in it.
He gasped and looked up at her, grinning despite having gotten a bloody lip from it, and his ribs still hurt. "Well, that was fun," he laughed.
The woman had gone first, landing not so gracefully in the snow, but safe none the less. And she was right, it was definitely much quicker- and easier, than the damn saplings that had threatened to give way beneath their grip. Once Theon was at the bottom as well she began to pick herself up and dusted off the snow.
Theon had some difficulty getting up, nursing a hand onto his side and peering up at Ninn. He forced his body to straighten and held the hilt of Lohengrin to soothe his body and give him some semblance of strength. He limped as they moved on, walking toward the dead dog's body in the snow.
Peering down at the wolf's body, she moved to check and see if it were still alive. Better safe than sorry. But just as her shadow loomed over it, it's eyes opened and suddenly it was chomping furiously into Ninn's arm.
Theon overcame his pain and pulled Lohengrin from his sheathe in a loud shriiiing! and darted toward the wolf. He wasted no time, running the sword's tip through the neck of the wolf and rolling all his weight into the blow.
The animal whined and growled, still trying to tear off Ninn's arm, but when its blood painted the snow, soon it ceased to be, it's jaws still hardened around her arm, but lacking life behind the bite.
The second she felt any slack in the beast's jaw, she kicked the damn thing off of her and turned away, snarling out swear words between her teeth and hugging onto the bleeding limb. It stung so badly, and was coated well in blood. She wasted no time scooping up snow and patting it over the wound, hoping to clean it out the best she could. But the teeth had gone in deep, and no doubt it would only add to the scars already marring the skin of that arm.
Theon pulled the blade out of the dead wolf, breathing hard though his ribs stings him. He stalked over to Ninn and held out his hand, gently taking her hand and viewing the nasty bite mark bleeding through the snow she tried to pack it with.
Ninn bared her teeth a moment,t he pain causing her to freeze for the moment before she yanked her wounded arm away.
"You don't need to assess it... the bites are bad."
"And it will get infected and suffer frostbite if it is not dealt with. I can heal it, if you would let me," Theon said steadily.
"I know that," she growled as she studied his face. "The bite is bad... Can your magic sword get rid of any beast taint?"
"It is worth a try," he said and gently pulled Ninn off to the side, beneath the shade of a tree. He withdrew Lohengrin from its sheath and laid it across her palm, holding it by the blade in his own hands as well.
Every move stung, and blood continued to bubble up.from the deep crags bitten into her skin. And when Theon moved to align her arm with the blade, all she did was remained silent and watched.
His own ribs would remain sore as he concentrated the healing effects of the sword into Ninn's arm. The bleeding would slow significantly and soon a black liquid began to secrete from the wound instead, taint.
Upon seeing the black liquid replace the blood, Ninn's eyes widened as she jerked her hand away.
"What is this magic?" she hissed, covering her arm protectively from him.
"I-I don't know!" Theon said, but he remained firm. "I've never seen it do such a thing before. But perhaps that was the taint you spoke of. Oh, look!" He pointed to her arm and the black liquid looked like a living thing and started to crawl back inside of her wounds. Theon reached forth quickly and grabbed her arm, pressing Lohengrin's edge against her skin again and the liquid hissed softly and began to flow back out of her bite wounds.
Ninn couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her eyes remained wide in awe as the black substance appeared to have a life on it's own, and it took every ounce of her being not to yank her hand away as she felt the ooze wriggling out from the wound on her arm.
Once the wound ceased to leak out the black ink, they healed over, gently and soothingly, until all that remained were vague mars on her skin.
Theon let go and watched the liquid dissolve into the snow, vanishing from sight.
As much as she couldn't believe there had been some liquiduous creature that came from the bite on her arm, she found herself gaping now that there was barely a mark at all on her skin. And with wide eyes she turned her arm around, then back again, just to be certain it had healed properly all over. And idly she looked at her scars with a frown, an then down to the vanishing black wormy liquid as it dissipated.
"What do you think that was?" she asked, gingerly kicking the snow to see if it hadn't just seeped into it, out of sight.
"I cannot be certain," Theon said, peering down to where she kicked the snow. How could he know what that was? But the creature that but her was no ordinary wolf. "Taint, perhaps."
"Taint.."
She frowned.
"A curse." Sighing, she wiped sweat and damp hair from her forehead before looking over at Theon.
"If that's true... maybe we can use your blade to dissect the wolf?"
But when she turned to look for it- the wolf's corpse was decomposing into a crippling mass of black- then was no more.
Well, at least she hoped what Theon did cured her of the taint she asked to have removed. She knew hwat one of those bites could mean....
"I'm sure we'll find another one. We should move on."
Theon nodded to Ninn and walked behind her, returning to trudging through the thick blanket of snow. At least, however, the weather was starting to clear.
It was hard to say how long they had been traveling, but soon a river came into view- frozen over with a thick crust of ice. And the pair followed that for sometime. It must've been an hour, maybe close to two. And still..
There was no sign of wolves. And as Ninn studied the cliff top looming over head, though she couldn't see anything, she felt a disturbing sensation they were being watched.
Another half an hour into their journey made Ninn realize the piece of land they were traveling on between the cliff side and river bed was growing skinnier as they went, and eventually she could see the end of it, and they'd have to choose to either go back, or find a place nearby to cross the river.
Theon stared at the water wide-eyed as it rushed beside them. The land quickly was no longer becoming an option for increased travel. How were they going to get across, there was nothing readily within sight that could offer itself up as some kind of bridge. And the thought of stepping inside the water only made him freeze. He couldn't bring himself even to step toward the ledge.
Ninn sighed.
"We've got few options. We can find a bridge, make one... or find another way around. Which means going back the way we came." And scaling the cliff side wasn't an option.
Theon forced his eyes away from the water. It would do no one any good to panic now of all times. It was strange that blood and gore did nothing to make him squeamish, but the sight of water, deep rushing water gave him cause to stop.
Now was not the time, he knew. And yet somehow he couldn't help himself.
"We make a bridge," he said, forcing his eyes on her. "There's no other way across." He gestured to the trees closest to them. "We fell one of those. Angle it just right, and we'll make it across."
Her cool blue eyes followed the length of the trees from base, to sky. Then she turned to the river, still moving, despite the layers of ice.
"We need one that will make it across the entire width of this river." She judged the location they were at, and as she peered up and down stream, she noticed a small pinch in the river and a large pine already appearing half uprooted.
"That one there. Pine's roots do not go deep. It'll be top heavy, and it seems nature has already started its fall."
She secured her weapons tightly to her person, but as she moved around the tree to assess just how they were to tackle it, she gestured to Theon.
"We could both get on the other side and can push, but ... it might help to loosen up the soil some." She stomped her boots on the ground over it. "Hard as ice." She frowned and looked to Theon's blade.
"Can that thing make any sort of heat?"
Theon examined is blade and shook his head. "No I don't believe it can. I've never had the notion to try. But perhaps the blood of the wolves is susceptible to heat." It was worth a try, and it could possibly stand to reason that what cause flame might also take flame.
Blood still coated Lohengrin and he took a flint to the blade, small sparks dancing across the edge of it. The blood smelled oddly, that tingled Theon's nostrils. After a few more strokes the blood started to smoke and smoulder, taking to flame.
Ninn stared at how the flames danced upon the blood that soiled his blade. She never thought the beasts's foul blood would amount to anything.
"Alright, come. Take your blade and press and cut at the roots and dirt here. It might even be wise to wipe off what remains, to let this whole side get tainted."
Theon hadn't thought that blood would be of any use either. He thankfully didn't get any on himself, skin or otherwise, and hacked and burned at the roots until the tree started to creak. Slowly the tree came down and when it crashed down the branches danced with impact.
Her eyes lit up as the thing fell, and without missing a bit she called, "Let's go." And made quick work to cross the fallen tree, her footing sure and true. She didn't bother to look back until she was on the other side.
Theon stood at the edge of the riverbank before braving stepping up onto the tree. But he paused before the water, closing his eyes, and hoping the nightmares wouldn't take him again.
Ninn braced herself. What was he doing? Why was he going so slow?
"Theon move you must. Please, before we are all buried in snow," Jouzan cawed impatiently, waiting in a tree on the other side. "Move quickly. The hounds are upon us."
Theon glared up at the crow, though he could feel the hackles standing on end on the back of his neck. "Will you shut up?"
The hooded crow cawed in laughter and watched the man struggle to cross a simple bride. He didn't look at the water then. Theon kept his eyes on Ninn and he ran across it though he could see himself being swept away by the river, pulled off and cast away into the endless ocean.
But not today. Today the only water around him would be snow. Theon climbed to his feet after falling on the other end and dusted himself off. "Nothing. Let us go."
Ninn found herself holding her breath as the man moved across the fallen tree. When he reached the other side safely, she exhaled and gave him a nod. Though she had an inkling he might have some aversion to water, or phobia, she didn't press it. It wasn't her concern. It wasn't like her to ask. After all, after this? Who knew where the wind would take them. And having other around was still strange.
"Come," she gestured for him with her ratty, gloved hand before moving forward, steadily with eyes cleaving through the forest, seeking out any malicious shadow or possibility that something might jump out in their path. But it was hard to judge where they were compared to the cliff side, and as she looked over her shoulder, she noted the sun was starting to set.
Damn. That was one thing about the tundra. The sun was a strange who only visited for a few hours. She guessed they had an hour, two tops, if they were lucky. But the shadows, she noted, were already long and soon they too, would disappear with the sun.
Rounding the bend, she released a sigh when she noted what appeared to be another trail scaling up the mountain's opposing side. However, the river still remained between them and as she moved on, she continued to look for a way back over. And it was as they crested a small hill, she paused and noted a broad lake before them, frozen over with- what she hoped, was solid ice, for from what she could see, it'd take them until the next morning to go around the damn thing. And time was not something they had to squander.
"Looks like we cross here," she said, breath coming out in long puffs of white.
She pointed up to the sky.
"The sun is falling. And this is the clearest path to the mountain's other side. I wouldn't' suggest we dawdle, because those beasts have no hindrances at night." And not waiting for his approval, she began to step out onto the ice, with cautious, light steps. And though the ice groaned subtly beneath her, it felt solid, so she kept on moving.
Theon remained silent in their long meandering. He was content to let Ninn lead since he felt she was most familiar with the frosted terrain. He pushed the river from the back of his mind, for any focus on it would only impede him from the task at hand. Jouzan flew on ahead here and there to scout the area.
The going was difficult and boots trudged through thickened snow, slowing their passage whether they wanted to take their time or not. Theon kept an eye over his shoulder, watching the tree line as they moved through it. With it dissipating, thinning out as they neared the lake, Theon wasted no time following Ninn onto the ice. He gave her ample time to move on ahead of him so their weight was not shared.
He stepped opposite where she did, to keep from stressing the ice more than necessary. But the lake was large, and there was still a long way to go.
The going was slow, but steady. The ice was too slick, even as covered in snow dust, and could also prove fragile of one was not careful where they navigated. It even groaned, its sounds taking on a haunting air, just as a large shadow swam below. And as Ninn's eyes followed it, it moved under Theon before disappearing from sight.
Ninn's eyes darted around, but there was no signs of it.
"Just keep moving," she told him while maintaining her own careful steps and speed. They were passing the half way point. Now was not the time for trouble.
Theon had been doing just that when he noticed the black shape beneath the ice and he only gave a few seconds pause. It soon vanished and Theon held his breath for a second, watching the ice begin to splinter and crack and Ninn falling through.
He gasped, sucking in air sharply, as he blinked away the vision and watched Ninn continue over solid ice. He pressed on, until a dull thumping sound occured beneath them. The black shape beneath them stuck the ice hard with its head and reared back to do so again.
The first hard bump to the ice made Ninn freeze in spot. Turning around, she saw the what the large black creature beneath them was up to and scowled.
"Take your pack and strap it to your belly, then start to run for shore!" Ninn shouted, moving to do the same with her own. "Once you get enough speed, dive onto your pack and the ice should pull you the rest of the way!"
And once her pack was secure, she gave Theon one last stare.
"You don't want to know what will happen if that creature breaks the ice."
And without a second thought, she broke out into a run, and let her boots glide with the ice in strides as she tried to pick up speed.
He nodded vigorously to her as the creature came up for a second ram and bashed its head into the ice above it. Theon staggered a little, pulling what he could up in front of him. With a run he set out, moving swifter across the ice and managing miraculously to maintain his balance. He kept his muscles taut as the creature followed them, slamming into the ice along the way and cracking it.
Theon lunged forward and dove into the ice with the pack beneath him and he slid onward with increasing speed. More cracks appeared beneath them and he ducked as low as he could, minimizing wind resistance.
Ninn dove onto her pack just as the ice began to crack, and she could have sworn it was chasing the pair of them as they were racing for the shore.
The cracks traveled faster than the pair could slide on the ice. Neverthess, Theon soon passed Ninn and skidded onto the snowy bank as The ice cracked beneath Ninn.
She felt the hard slap of ice and the cold bite of water as she went belly down in the lake. Thankfully the waters were shallow, but water logging her gear made her twice as heavy and trying to get her footing and make her way out of the shallow waters was proving impossible.
"Ninn!"
It was a futile cry when the ice finally broke. But at least she was closer to the bank than farther away. Theon staggered up and forward, not thinking as he reached for her arms, feet slogging into the shallow water just by the shore and pulling Ninn forward, knocking them both into the snow.
The creature had paused before the shore, the water too shallow for it to venture further and dove in waves away from the shore.
Snow fell off of her face as she gasped and pushed herself up. Taking a frantic look over her shoulder, and seeing that the ice began to settle, she gave Theon a light shake to his shoulder before getting to her feet.
"Come. We can not linger."
And she worked on slowly brushing off the snow, but her face was still red from it, and she needed to adjust her scarf to try to keep warm. It didn't help the winds had picked up now that they were in the valley and the cliff side and mountains channeled the winds so that they were unforgiving.
But the whole tundra was this way. It was an unpleasant atmosphere and only the brave and foolish dare try to claim it.
Theon was still somewhat dazed by all that occurred, and so quickly as well. He did not dawdle, but saw that her clothing was soaked from the lake, and they could not stand in this blistering wind forever.
"We must find shelter," he called out to her over her shoulder.
She knew that far too well, as her body prickled and burned from the extreme cold. And though she wanted to keep going, she agreed.
"Yes, and we'll need a proper fire." Because she needed the warmth and her clothing dry. "Keep your eyes open. Perhaps we can find an alcove or cave for the night."
The wind was picking up and whipped his hair about his face. Theon stood closer to Ninn whether she likes it or not becausehe could see her shivering. At least the surroundings were temporarily clear and he spotted a cavern up ahead. When he checked for any dwellers, he found none and slipped inside and quickly started work on a fire.
And while he worked on a fire, her cold, trembling hands worked at undoing the laces on her boots and clothing, which she was quick to discard. When she was down to her undergarments, she told him, "I'll need your jacket, or shirt. My clothing is useless now until it dries. And I don't exactly want frost bite or worse."
Once a few embers formed in the fire and the flame started to take, Theon took off his cloak and shirt, draping them around her shoulders and he lowered his to her face. "You're very pale, Ninn. I know you are averse to it, but body heat might be more effective than just clothing."
Hypothermia was no laughing matter, and this cold was intense. The tundra was unforgiving and always wanting to bring those out there into its clutches. She didn't even flinch as she peeled off her remaining clothes, her lips already blue, and now that they were exposed, so were her nipples and her skin was unnaturally pale. Even her scar was takingon a blueish hue as she wrapped the cloak around herself with a nod.
"Get undressed."
Theon slipped out of his clothes and moved them both closer to the fire. As the embers started to engulf the kindling, he pulled his limbs around her form and wrapped the blankets up around them.
She couldnt even bristle if she wanted to. She was so numb and her teeth wouldn't cease chattering. But she was grateful for his warmth, despite the need to be naked. And as she began to warm, it reminded her of the one thing in life she told herself she never wanted, simply because she never had. But she never needed a man before. However, this was different, and this was survival.
Theon found no need for words in a time like this, not when her very life was at stake. He made sure to press her chest to his so that her heart was warmed first. Extremities were important, but the core was what mattered most. If her heart stopped, it didn't matter of her fingers had frostbite on them. His hands rubbed at her back, gently until stopping altogether since the friction would not make her warm up any faster.
At first it wasn't awkward, but after a few moments of being like this, it was. And she flushed a little when she was able to, for she felt foolish she needed help. She always worked alone though times like these she realized sometimes working alone had great disadvantages. After all, it'd be a lot harder to bounce back from this if she were.
"Since.. since we're so close to their liar," she went on, speaking through gulps and shivers. "This night.. it... it won't be easy."
Especially since there was no way they could go without a fire, and both of them were in a rather vulnerable position.
"Jouzan will alert us if he spots anything. He often prefers to hunt at night and I doubt fire wolves will remain unseen for long. Just rest, regain your strength," he said, like a father might to a child. His arms just pulled tighter around her. The fire burned brightly and would do for a while.
She shivered and continued to lean into him, thankful he wasn't a smaller man. And though this sort of attention wasn't her thing, she couldn't help but feel she needed this, a moment like this, as she closed her eyes. She knew she'd sober after the moment passed. After all, how could it feel comforting to be... Vulnerable?
"I'm not s-sure I could just fall asleep." She informed. She paused a moment to think. "What was it like where you were from?"
Theon didn't respond right away. He mulled it over with a soft humming sound. "I don't know where I'm from," he said at last. "But I have passed through a few fascinating lands. The first was a southern nation called Serendipity. Very large, beautiful, nd very green. Everywhere! Not much snow except in the winter and mostly in the mountains.
"I also passed through Connlaoth. A bit more rustic than Serendipity. And a very hardy people. But I think a lot of people are where they are from. Hardy and proud. But I kept walking north, until I ended up here. I like it here. There's something in the solitude."
She had almost dozed off in the silence when he spoke. She opened her eyes to consider what he described of the lands to the south.
"Green... It would be strange to see worlds with so little snow when the tundra is claimed by it." But at his last comment about liking it here, she frowned. "Most that choose a life here do, or were born into it and know little else."
"And what did you choose?" he asked, peering down at her.
She sent quiet as she thought it over.
"Vengeance."
"Someone hurt you?" he mumured.
"Not someone," she corrected, her voice husky and sore. "Something. Do you think I chase monsters for fun?"
"I wouldn't know. I don't really know anything about you," he replied, a small smile on his lips. "What happened?"
She grimaced. Was he really asking about it? About her?
"The creatures are cruel, unforgiving. Isn't that enough reason to hate?"
"You hate them for their nature? Or what they did to you? Does a deer hate the hunter that strikes it with an arrow? I don't know. I can't answer such things. But I do not think hating them is enough. I think if tried to understand more about them, we'd be able to stop them."
She couldn't believe what words she was hearing, and her eyes flared with rage. But her tongue remained without flame, as she spoke.
"You speak as if you know this, but if you knew any of this, you would not speak."
He could sense her temper even through her chilled body. But his voice remained soft. "Then help me understand."
She moved to push away.
"I should be warmer now. The fire needs tended to."
Theon sat up and secured the blanket around her, and put more kindling on the fire. He crawled back beneath the blankets with jerky in hand and tore some with his teeth. He offered some. "Can you eat?"
"I'm fighting off hypothermia, not a stomach malady," she snapped. "Though eating might be hard." She was still shivering. "But I can manage."
Theon pulled the covers up to their shoulders after ripping off a piece of the jerky. Pointing it toward her, he fed it to her whether she wanted to or not.
She moved to yank the jerky away.
"I'm not bed bound," she glared, trying her best to keep back her trembling, but it was hard. Damn that lake had been cold. But once she was able to take a bite of the jerky, she was thankful for it.
Theon said nothing and knew she was not yet warmed. But she'd be as stubborn as ever about the ordeal. So he didn't ask and just wrapped his arms around her again, making sure the blanket was up to their ears.
She didn't say anything, and was grateful for that, and the silence. And once she was able to finish eating, she sighed and nestled.in against him and closed her eyes, praying sleep would come.
Theon alternated between poking the fire, keeping it up and returning to the blankets. In that intervals, he laid put her wet clothes and warmed all up of the items from her pack. He bundled them tightly together for the night, though he never let himself fall fully asleep, even with Jouzan outside to keep watch. He simply watched her, and stayed close.
Sleep eventually claimed her, and only then did her rigid body soften against his. Though she was restless, and began to fidget before wrapping her arms around him tightly and pressing herself close.
Theon awoke with the vagueness of dawn, and was surprised to find Ninn nestled in against him. It was good to see she survived the night.
His stirring caused her to awaken, and groggily protested at first, until she realized the intimate position she had found herself. She went rigid. But upon recalling what happened... She could only assume nothing HAD happened as she frowned.
"So its morning?" It still felt as cold as the night,.
"Yes," Theon nodded to her. He sat up and gestured to her head. "How do you feel?"
She rubbed her head."Groggy as hell. But I guess I'm lucky for that."
A grin flickered on Theon's lips. "When you're well enough to travel, we can move on." He crawled out from the covers and moved toward the ashes of the fire, sifting through them and checking on those clothes. It was satisfying to see they were dry, and he pulled on his trousers and rummaged around for jerky.
As much as she hated to admit it, she wished Theon had stayed. The second he was gone she realized just how much the cold affected her as she hugged the blanket more closely to herself and absentmindedly watched him dress.
[Dat ass]
Theon looked up at the sound of a caw. Jouzan fluttered down with a rabbit carcass in its claws and nudged it toward the fire. He cawed again, stepping on the ashes. "You won't be able to cook much in that."
Theon rolled his eyes. "What would I do without you?" And got started on the fire again. Theon glanced at Ninn. "Rabbit for breakfast then?" And smiled gently.
At his words, Ninn looked away and stared at Jouzan.
"Have you seen anything in your travels?"
"A caravn passing beneath an ice ridge to the north of us. But no wolves. Not yet anyway." Jouzan ruffled his feathers and bacated the spot next to Ninn, trying to warm his feathers.
"A caravan? What sort? And did they bear any sort of a flag?"
"They did," said Jouzan between nuzzles. "Crossed bear claws."
Ninn's brows furrowed.
"Crossed bear claws." Her lips flared into a snarl. "The Dykemen. They're... not exactly good news, and we're not exactly in a good place for bad news." Sighing, she moved towards her clothing. And though she felt weary, she knew they could not longer. Not with those types of monsters and men lurking this close.
Theon was just through cooking the rabbit. "We eat first," he said. "When you have proper strength then we leave. Eat."
She said nothing, to either argue or agree. She simply went about slipping on her clothing, even as challenging as it was. She felt so pathetic. To think, dressing had become a chore. And it only soured her already sore mood.
Jouzan would rest while the opportunity afforded itself to him and Theon ate half the food in contented silence. When he had his fill only then did he get dressed.
Once she was dressed, she nearly collapsed beside the fire. And once she started in on the rabbit, she did not stop until she picked the rest clean to the bone. Still feeling unsatisfied, she licked at the grease on her fingers before sighing. "We'll need water." It was hard to eat the rabbit. Her throat was sore and dry.
"We'll take some snow and melt it," Theon nodded to her and proceeded to fill some up into an empty waterskin. Alternatively, they could head back to the pond, but he doubted its current resident wouldn't want anyone drinking from it. Not unless it was looking for breakfast.
"We may not have the luxury to remain here long. If the Dykemen find us here, it'll be a worse fate than being eaten by that lake monster."
Theon nodded in agreement. "Who are these Dykemen?" he asked, pulling his boots on and strapping them on.
"They're ruthless traders, who run a fortified self glorified tribe of men who kidnap people for their own or to sell on the slave market. Since this is a land without a king, men make claims where they wish and how they wish. Most keep to solitude or their own orders. But the Dykemen have grown and are a terrible force in the tundra. It's just another thing to add to the list of horrors in this northern wasteland."
And she had to wonder if he'd still like this place the more he got to know it. She wasn't even sure why she even wanted to stick around. Perhaps she was just as crazy as the rest.
"I see. Then we best make haste, yes?" He nodded again and finished dressing. When she was done eating, he snuffed out the fire. Packing away the dry gear went swiftly and efficiently and he threw his cloak and pack back over his shoulders. "I'm ready when you are."
"We need to be wary once we step outside this cave. Perhaps it would be wise to send Jouzan to scout again."
Jouzan cawed a little, as if indignant that she couldn't speak to him directly. He ruffled his feathers and hopped toward the cave opening. He took off like a dart, soaring overhead and staying high enough to remain out of sight before parking himself against the black rock precipice, feathers blending in as he watched the caravaners pass by.
"They seem to be going away from the cave. Downhill. Theyre lugging bodies behind them." Theon reported what Jouzan could see, peering through his vision.
"Alive or dead ones?" she asked, approaching the opening.
"Hard to say. Looks like dead ones from here," he said. "They're not moving and are not clothed in the snow. You'd have to be dead I think... Do you think they might be cannibals too?"
"Cannibals, or worse. Let us know when they're out of sight." Ninn then turned to Theon. "We'll leave then."
Theon waited a few moments. "They're out of sight," he said with a nod and gathered up their things.
Ninn tended to snuffing out the fire before gathering her own belongings. Though she was exhausted, she was still able to get around. Throwing on her thick over coat last, she headed for the opening of the cave.
[I thought Theon already put out the fire¿?¿?¿]
He followed soon after and watched the distance through the gentle fluttering of snow. He let Ninn get a little ways ahead before bounding after, keeping one hand on Lohengrin just in case. Jouzan remained perched on the stone cliff. And from there Theon gasped, rushing to catch up with Ninn. "Jouzan does not think the Dykemen will remain on their chosen path for long. They're coming back up the hill."
You're probably right. I was fighting with my new phone just to post :T
Ninn stopped and turned, ears straining to see if she could hear anything. She hated that the only thing she could hear was the wind.
Theon caught up with her and took her arm, pulling her along through the snow.
Ninn stumbled along, but kept close and alert.
Theon pulled them beneath Jouzan's perch, but the bird remained where he was on the Cliffside, keeping an eye on where the Dykemen were turning back up on the path. No doubt they'd be able to see their tracks in the snow and he could only hope Theon could pull Ninn along fast enough.
They made distance however and before the first of the caravaners crested the hill, Jouzan took flight and flew over the wandering pair.
She was breathing heavily and sweating by the time they made it beneath the tree. It was only then she recalled her previous injuries and turned, giving Theon a sharp look.
"Before... Your sword healed me. Could you not have used it after I had fallen in the river?"
"I don't believe so," Theon said, glancing at her. "But I have only ever used it to heal physical wounds. The blade would not be able to warm your body to normal temperature. Unless it were on fire."
At such a response, she simply looked away, but was soon craning her neck to see if Jouzan had any other news to report.
Jouzan cawed for them to make haste. "Don't look back!" Theon dragged Ninn behind him, trudging posthaste through the snow.
Gritting her teeth, she continued to follow at the pace Theon set. Even as she felt her body becoming feverish at the exertion. It was better to fall to fever than to the Dykeman.
"We.. we should really be hiding our tracks," she spoke through huffs of breath that came out in stacattoed white puffs. Yet, she didn't attempt it herself. She knew they had to keep moving, and just hoped no one would spot them, their tracks, and if they did- cared enough to pursue.
Theon knew they were being followed, whether directly or indirectly and when he heard screaming on the horizon, he started to run.
They didn't need the visual confirmation to know the chase had begun. With what strength she had left, she rushed through the snow along side Theon, her heart hammering inside her ears. She knew running was foolish, but what else could they do? She wasn't the sort of woman to simply give up and when a man jumped out from a snowbank, weapons ready in two fists and a wicked smile, Ninn hesitated not to draw out her weapon and in a flash, she cut the man across, blood spraying them both before she kicked his screaming body aside, and when she did, she caught sight of more Dykemen coming from the North. It appeared as though they were surrounded.
Theon had kept running when Ninn had sliced the man in two. He was several yards away when he spotted the men approaching ahead of them. He stopped short and drew the shimmering blade of Lohengrin. He felt his breath heave out of his chest, as if the air was pulled with slow painful force. A man sprung up from the snow at his feet, startling him.
Theon hurtled backwards, landing on his back as his attacker sprung on him. He held a bone dagger in his hand and hurled it down toward him. With a scream, Theon pulled Lohengrin up from the side and hacked it into his arm, the quickened blade severing appendage from shoulder. Hot blood sprayed against him. Theon found fury within himself, free hand snatching onto the man's chest and throwing him upward. Lohengrin slipped into his belly, Theon rolling over and pushing his weight into the blade, staggering then through the bloody snow.
He turned back for a moment, watching as the encroaching horde came up the hill behind Ninn. But he was too far away, and the men before him would bear down on him soon. Theon turned back regardless, rushing through the snow, the ground grasping harder at every step. He screamed out her name, running for her as the force behind him were coming in fast.
The only two directions the Dykemen could have them cornered were from the North and South. To the East were a tower of mountains, too tall to climb in a hurry, and too dangerous. But due West...
Her eyes flashed in that direction and she turned sharply and began to cut through the snow, heading straight for the ice covered river. She knew it was foolish, and there was barely a chance they could escape, let alone survive...
But she'd rather die of her own accord. And not by the subduing noose of the Dykemen.
Theon kept going, pushing through the snow. Every step was heavy, lugging and holding him down. As Ninn found her exit, he struggled to follow after her. He huffed, every breath burning in his lungs. He knew that if he made it, the Dykemen would close in on them. He couldn't give them that. Looking up, he gave a sharp whistle and whipped his head toward Ninn. The crow cawed and flew over head, narrowly escaping the flight of arrows.
Jouzan cawed loudly beside Ninn. But Theon did not come, for he stayed behind as their pursuers closed in around them. Theon's blade burned red with hot blood. Though he slew many, the blade that stayed him did not spill his own. It stayed against his throat. He stared up at the painted face before hin, before something hard clobbered him on the head, making everything black.
The darkness wouldn't last forever, but even when he would come around, there was barely any light offered in the subterranean ice cavern he'd now reside. And he wouldn't be alone, for right beside him was the scarred woman, arms around him and keeping them both warm in this place of ice. But her breathing was strained, and he might even awaken to the scent of blood.
Had it been a dream? Theon's eyes lids fluttered open and he gasped for breath. Theon huffed, seeing his breath clouding up and dissipating toward the crystalline ceiling above. He blinked, feeling confused, and lost. His head pounded a little, a knot having formed in his neck. The caw of his crow alerted him and he was surprised that Jouzan had no snarky comment to make.
And the warmth at his side had him shifting a little. Was Ninn...hugging him?
If the woman were hugging him, it was a crude way of doing it. But the icy hole they had taken homage was hardly warm. And Ninn wasn't even awake. What had happened took a lot out of her, and the wounds- doubly so. But they'd heal with time, and the blood, whihc had been fresh hours ago, was beginning to darken and crisp over- though the most evident were those on her lips, and face.
Theon didn't move, for he too shivered in the temperature of the cave. Instead he simply turned over on his side to look over Ninn. A stray hand came up to brush away some of the dried blood caked around her mouth. Thankfully the softness of breath emerging from her confirmed that she was still alive.
And somehow, the gentle touch had not awakened her. But what he deduced was correct- she was alive. But where had she taken him? The cave was not like any other, for in each direction appeared to be branches of more caves that disappeared into an eternal dark.
Theon chose not to wake her. It was better that she regain her rest from whatever ordeal she had saved them from. He was certain she was his rescuer, as there was no other living soul about to have done so. Or that would have cared. If it could be called that on her behalf.
He smiled just a little before settling in and resting his chin atop her head, closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift off.
When she had drifted off, the pair had been spooning. She wasn't the sort to willingly cuddle, face front anyway. And she hadn't forgotten what Theon had tried with her but a few days ago...
Even still, she was sore and groggy from her recovery, so when she did awaken, her vision was a bit bleary as she blinked and stared into the warmth of his neck and shoulder. The scent was an interesting one, and as she began to come to, she realized it was the musk from Theon and that they were in a compromising position-
And thankfully both were still in their undergarments, though the rest she had stripped from them. They were wet with blood and sweat anyway. She still had to consider how to clean them while the pair tried not to freeze their asses off.
[Sponge bath]
Theon felt breath increasing on him. His eyes opened for a second time, this time at least with his headache largely gone. He stirred and reached up to stretch, only for a few seconds before huddling back underneath the blankets. "Morning...or evening. I'm not really sure which," he whispered groggily, pulling the blanket up to their chins.
Sensing him awaken, she found herself just staring at him as he woke up. She considered jerking away, or leaving. But like him, she felt it was too cold outside.
Opening her lips, she asked in a scratchy, soft voice, "Looks like you survived that blow to your head. If not, I was considering killing you other wise. You're not easy to lug around."
"Yeah, but wouldn't that just make me even more dead weight?" he chuckled. "Thank you. What happened though? I...only remember killing a lot of those men. How did you get me out?"
She frowned.
"Let's just say it wasn't easy."
And her frown deepened. Talking reopened the cracked wounds on her lips and cheek,a nd now they were sore with stinging blood threatening to seep.
Theon reached up and brushed away some of the crust on her lip. "I can see that."
He smiled nevertheless. "Thank you. Although I do have a throbbing headache."
She flinched away from his touch.
"Your head should hurt. They clobbered you over the head pretty hard."
Theon caressed her cheek instead before retracting his hand. "I know. I can feel it well enough. You didn't leave me behind. I'm surprised."
Ninn continued to look at him sharply.
"I may like to work alone, but I am not heartless. Besides, I fear the Dykemen are equally evil like the beasts we hunt."
"Perhaps they are. But we probably won't get a chance to discover why or how. How are you feeling? Your lips are scratched."
She groaned.
"I've had better days."
"I'm sure." Theon grinned and huddled in beneath the covers. "Where are we? Where did you find this cave?"
"I'm sure the same could be said for most." She stated at him, eyes cool at his question.
"I found this place and we're lucky I did. Its deep beneath the ground, though I'm unsure how large this place is. I only ventured deep enough as I dared."
"I don't know if I could have made it farther. You made the right decision." A gentle smile, and in the spur of the moment, Theon leaned forward and gently kissed Ninn's forehead.
Bristling, she said, "Just don't get the wrong idea."
He retracted back a bit, looking at her gently. "Wrong idea about what?"
"About why I saved you," she replied, dryly.
"And why did you save me?" He knew what she was getting at, although he wondered why she would assume he thought of her motives to be emotionally driven. That she might spare him some sort of sentiment. Theon frowned a little. "Do you think that I think you saved me because of some sort of attachment? Is that what you're trying to say? Or that I somehow feel indebted to you?"
She kept her gaze hard.
"What I'm saying is- Don't."
"Okay," he nodded. "I won't. Do whatever it is you're talking about."
Glaring, she moved to exit the blanket.
"I'm going to check outside. You stay here and rest."
[SHE WOULD LET IN THE COLD RIGHT WHEN HE WAS GETTING COMFORTABLE! D<]
Theon stayed where he was, growing silent and pulling the blanket up over his shoulders. Whatever it was she meant, it left her awfully touchy. And perhaps it was best to let her simmer down first.
A cool wind guided her through the icy caves, bringing her to an opening sometime later. Though dark, she could see the sun beginning to rise, and that it looked safe enough to move on.
Turning back, she slunk back under the covers and nestled in close.
"The sun will rise soon and the way is clear. Once our clothes are dry enough, we move on."
If things weren't awkward before, they were now. Theon laid there, tense a bit, against her. He still said nothing, and only looked up to Jouzan perched beside the fire's dying embers.
"Once we are ready, we should send Jouzan to scout."
"He needs his rest don't you think?" Theon said quietly. "He has flown many miles."
"Survival comes first. We can rest properly once we're clear of the present danger. I will not hold my breath to suffocate over false hopes and carelessness."
"You are right," Theon conceded, sighing as he closed his eyes. "When did you wish him to scout?"
"Now," she told him simply. "We should not waste any more time than we need."
Theon nodded and soon sat up, pulling more cold into the blanket. He stretched sore muscles, rolling his shoulders and neck, before shifting over to his trousers, dressing weakly.
She did the same, slowly pulling on her pants, shirt, and then her layers of leathers and furs. It took some time, but by then she had a bit more strength, and the added warmth of her clothing, that at least was warming up now that she was inside it. She shivered, breathing out a long puff of white air as she looked over at Theon to see if he was ready to go.
Theon was hungry and felt his stomach growl. But the need to get as far away and to a location where safety could be had for more than a few hours was stronger.
For now.
Once he was prepared, throwing his cloak over his shoulders, Theon nodded to Ninn, and whistled. A tired Jouzan flew from the cave. And soon they were off.
It seemed they had been able to avoid the Dykemen, but Ninn lead them along a path near to where they had stayed. Eventually, the river returned into view, and the mountain sides where the beasts had gone. She wasn't sure if it was wise to try that route again. So she turned to Theon.
"Can Jouzan see what's on the mountain? If the beasts or those men still linger?"
Theon nodded to Ninn and released Jouzan from his coat once again. The bird flew up and over, surveying the ground, cawing a little.
"It seems empty, the snow is heavily disturbed...likely from the Dykemen's passing through. The hounds are gone it seems as well. However, blood paints the snow. Heavily."
"A battle then. The dykemen wouldn't linger. Come, let's move towards the path," and she gestured towards the hillside.
They trudged along through the snow, Theon's feet getting stuck within its depth, but he managed to keep up with Ninn. The path was long and hard, and they pushed on until they crested the bloody field.
Blue eyes cut observingly, noticing the tracks and where they lead. But what stood out most to her was a pair of footprints going away from the scene. Her eyes followed, narrowing.
"I don't think we're out of the clear, yet."
Theon saw them too, and Jouzan scouted overhead. The crow saw another man...and a woman, small family, trying to make it across the snow. "A family ahead," he said, gesturing to her. "Should we follow them?"
Though curious, her eyes narrowed.
"We should. Perhaps they can give us a lead."
Theon didn't know where that family came from, but it must have been a long way wherever it was. And farther still to where they headed. Theon nodded to Ninn. He agreed although he feared more for their safety than his own... "They aren't moving very fast, bogged down by tarp-wrapped sleigh."
Pressing on once more, soon they were in view and the man was weilding a bow...aimed toward the sky. Theon's eyes shot open. "No! Don't!" he shouted.
They were too far away to hear and the arrow was loosed. Jouzan swooped to the side long enough to dodge the shot. Cursing the man loaded another arrow and rose it high again. Then it flew and right Jouzan's wing. The bird cawed and began its plummet to the earth. Theon screamed, rushing ahead toward them where the crow landed between them.
Ninn swore. "Fools!" And tore across the snow, leaving Theon to deal with Jouzan while she readied her blade fiercely as she raced towards the archer. Though he poised a second arrow, she cut it through and kept moving until she was upon the family and commanded, "Halt your attack!"
Theon plucked a bleeding Jouzan from the ground, pulling him into his cloak and carefully snapping the arrow from his wing. The bird cawed in pain, and flopped around trying to keep his bearings but Theon held him close. "Don't Jouzan. You'll injure yourself further!" he said, keeping himself still, cradling the bird.
The man was no fighter, but he immediately stood before the woman and his sleigh protectively. "Stay back!" he yelled. "Stay away!"
"Ninn! Don't hurt them!" Theon climbed to his feet and ran after her. "Ninn! Stay your hand! Both of you!"
Ninn remained poised and didn't drop her weapon, though upon seeing the woman had a child made her gaze harden.
"This place is not safe, especially one with an infant."
"We know," the man answered, putting down his bow and looking at Ninn's companion. "That is why we were leaving. Or trying to. There was a battle so we waited until the path was clear. I'm...sorry about the bird! But these snows are empty or game!"
Theon reached them and cradled Jouzan like the woman cradled the baby. "What are your names, strangers?" he said, pantinga little.
"Lukan, and this is my wife, Drenna."
"You shot my friend, Lukan," Theon said, frowning and scowling at him. He was lucky that was all that happened.
"I-I said I was sorry!" he was quick to repeat. "I mean it. We...were just trying to get by."
Drenna drew closer to her husband, holding her baby within the bundle wrapped against her chest.
"We shouldn't dawdle," Theon said, forcing his anger to dissipate and looking at the sleigh. "We need to get away from this blood-soaked field."
Ninn frowned, lowering her sword as she turned to Theon.
"We all need to be out of this valley. Lingering will only raise the chances those beasts or the dykemen might find us."
"Beasts?" Lukan looked over at the woman. "So they've attacked you?"
Ninn nodded.
"Yes, beasts like wolves that breath fire."
The couple looked to one another before Drenna spoke up.
"You two appear to know this land and its plights well. Our village is a day away, but you are welcome to join us." And she hoped they would. The extra warriors would add at least another layer of protection for her, her child and husband.
Onward they went, with Jouzan cradled in the hood of Theon's cloak, bundled and kept as warm as he could. He cawed occasionally to complain of his discomfort, but made no more a fuss than usual. Theon kept his vigiliance, walking on with them as they trailed slowly through the snow.
They were close to the village, as the snow began to pick up, and sprinkle down on them in occasional flurries. Theon stepped in close to Ninn. "Do you know of the village they speak of?"
"Yes, the village is small, but most are. However, we should be wary. This village... They are known to be very reclusive."
"Reclusive how? Like...cultists?"
"Not quite." she frowned. "They just don't want to be bothered by the outside world."
"Then we will be wary," he said in agreement. Theon nodded and could see the faint outline of a village emerging through the fluttering snow, just ahead.
The town seemed soulless, or dead, for though eyes watched from the insides of smoking cabins, not a soul dare greet them.
"Over here. The cabin under the trio of pines. That's our place," the man said.
Ninn followed, but as they approached, she could still feel eyes upon them, even after they were invited inside.
Despite Ninn's feelings, Theon was glad to be out of the cold. He shut the door of the house behind them. Drenna moved toward the hearth and set her child beside it, and started on a fire.
Theon took to tending to Jouzan that trembled a bit at the pain that radiated in his wing.
Ninn approached Theon.
"Hows the bird?"
Theon looked up at Ninn. "He will be okay," he murmured and took Lohengrin from it's sheath. "Hold still Jouzan."
"NO! DON'T CUT OFF MY WING!" cawed the crow. And that was when Drenna and Lukan turned to stare at him.
Theon paid them no heed however and pet the crow, setting the sword across his lap and holding the crow in his arms, letting the sword sooth both of them.
Ninn watched cryptically before beginning to spy on the family that housed them. Though things did not seem momentarily out of the ordinary, ever since she had run into those monsters again, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
"Is he healed? Once he is well enough, we should be on our way."
"Wings are delicate things, they need time to heal, and his wing will likely need to be bound," Theon said with a frown. He looked to Drenna. "Do you have any rags, something that could be a bandage?"
"I have this handkerchief," Lukan offered in turn, taking a piece of cloth from his satchel and offering it to him.
Theon took it in thanks and carefully wrapped Jouzan's wing.
Ninn remained silent, ice blue eyes watching.
"Perhaps it's best you stay."
Ninn's gaze made something harden inside Theon and he felt angry for it. But he just remained silent and set about tending to his companion. When Jouzan was mended, the bird cawed and.plopped up onto his legs. And promptly waddled over to Lukan and pecked him hard in the leg.
The man yelped and stared indignantly at the bird. "You little bastard!"
"It's a shame all that is clever about you resides in your hands, fool," Jouzan cawed and hopped up onto Theon's arm and crawled up onto his shoulder.
"Will you be safe here?" he asked the family.
Ninn answered for them.
"They're as safe as they can be." She watched the two in cool silence.
"I suggest if you're going to tag along, we leave now with haste."
She nodded t the family.
"Thank you for allowing us this short reprieve." And she moved towards the door.
She was set to leave Theon saw, though he knew they wouldn't find any real shelter for miles to come. But instead of convincing her to stay, he stood instead and wrapped Jouzan inside his coat, throwing his hood over his head.
"Let us begone then."
She knew well enough there was no shelter. But her goal was not to find shelter, but to move on..
to find answers, and to kill off those beasts- Dykemen be damned! So without any words, she continued to take the lead, and moved in long strides across the snow until they were far enough away the small village was only a memory.
Theon kept this bird close, and hated they no longer had the advantage of Jouzan taking to the skies. He kept up with Ninn as the village disappeared behind them. And the land only expanded out until they reached the valley from whence they came.
She had lived without help for years, so the bird, at the moment,s he only saw as a hindrance. But that's how it was when there was help. Though it was advantageous in some degrees...
She couldn't disregard the bad qualities it elicited as well. But as cool as the snow,s he continued to move forward, but as they continued to move, it was strange...
For there were no fresh tracks in the snow...
no indication of foul play...
And the skies were turning grayer, darker by the hour. Pausing in the valley they had just descended, she pursed her lips in thought.
"We should make camp here. There will be snow."
Theon frowned at the mention of camp. He wasn't going to lie that this notion gave him great displeasure. She had urged them to move on from the shelter of a solid home, to being out here in the wilderness where they were in just as much danger as they were in the village. True, he trusted her instinct and would not fight her on this. Arguing burned energy neither of them could afford to lose.
"Very well," he said, noting the winds were picking up. "Shall I erect a tent? On the ground? I don't think a fire would be very beneficial in roaring winds."
She nodded.
"We will just sleep close for warmth." And left the statement at that.
"Very well," he said, simply shrugging and going about the task of erecting a tent. It was a low lying structure when he was finished, low enough to withstand wind and given them plenty of cover.
"Go ahead and set up the inside," she instructed. "I'm going to scout around nearby before calling it a night." She turned and looked to the injured bird. "Be sure your companion is comfortable and will be in a stable position for the night."
He was already setting about the task when she ordered it and only glanced at her when he went about fixing the flap. He closed it and set his gear aside and tended to Jouzan. Already the bird was livelier, and the wing was moving as it should. He pulled out Lohengrin, and held the blade across his lap before holding his companion against his chest.
It might have seemed like she abandoned them, for it took an hour for her to return. She hastily threw open the tent flap when she did, and eyed the pair briefly before stepping in.
"No fire was a smart idea. It seems the Dykemen had been traveling just north of here. Though what concerns me are the tracks I saw climbing up the mountain pass. Its hard to say if it's one of the fire beasts or not, but the tracks were not entirely fresh."
"Is it something we must worry about immediately?"
She frowned.
"It's hard to say. Though in a place like this... one can never be too careful."
She peered down at Jouzan.
"How's your bird recovering? He seems to be moving better."
"Much better," Jouzan cawed, flopping about and waddling over to the pack in the corner for a biscuit. He took it out and started to much and the sight made Theon's stomach growled in turn.
"Perhaps we might have some dinner," he suggested.
"Yes, we should take advantage while we can. But we should eat lightly so as to keep our sleep from being heavy."
"Good. Now, take off that wet cloak. Your traipsing water everywhere," he said. His hands were busy pulling out rations. He would have wished for a hot meal, but there was enough food here to sate his hunger and pulled out a piece of bread and broke it in half. He tore the jerky in half and gave her some as well.
"Get closer, it's freezing in here."
She gave him a look, but obeyed, sliding off the wet garment and moving in close while getting the offered food. She chewed lightly on the jerky before breaking a piece of bread and offering it to jouzan.
The bird pecked at it momentarily before fluttering up to her arms, and hopping into her legs, getting comfortable in the crook of her body. He cawed a little before nuzzling against Ninn.
Theon stared in surprise, grinning as he watched the bird try to fall asleep. "I think he likes you. For whatever weird reason he has. Although he likes meat more than biscuits and bread," he said softly, voice just above a whisper. "The fact you offered anything at all had made him...friendly? Maybe."
She stared at the bird for a time before nestling in some more, back to Theon.
"He's proved himself a worthy asset. He should be getting more than jerky and biscuits." Although they had none to give. Even still, she thought of how this journey was going and was surprised she had companions for as long as she did. And.. That they were all alive.
Feeling Jouzan nestling again made her eyes soften some, even when her lips wouldn't yield for a smile.
Jouzan opened one eye before leering upward and plucking a piece of meat from her hand. He gobbled it down before nestling in against Ninn's body heat. The wind howled against the side of their tent, and Theon smiled before finishing up eating and reclining backwards and lying down. He'd removed his coat, and left it beside hers before motioning her to lie beside him. "It's too cold to lie down individually."
"Then you can move closer. If I move I might move your healing bird."
Theon nodded and turned closer to her as he wrapped arms around her. Jouzan cawed wiggling as he got up and moved to sit on top of Ninn. He snuggled in close enough.
It was strange how nice this snuggly scene felt. The feeling was so strange that it kept her awake, so she listened quietly to the howl of the wind.
Though Theon was exhausted and wished for sleep, he noted the unevenness of her breathing. He kept his arm secured around her and he pushed Jouzan off her head. The bird didn't even complain he was so stuck in sleep. "You all right?" Theon whispered.
"I'll be fine.... I'm just used to sleeping alone."
ANd preferred it. Though she wouldn't admit out loud that this was nice, especially the warmth on a night like this where the wind was unforgiving.
"You should try to get to sleep."
"I will. But I find myself tense in situations like this," he sighed. "I'll try. I know we still have a long way to go..." His eyes remained open, however, peering at the back of her head. "What if we don't the answers we seek? What is it we're really looking for?"
Ninn frowned and shifted uncomfortably. But she kept her back to him.
"We're seeking out what we can of those beasts... Though I've told you more than once you do not have to trouble yourself with such a burden. Most think it's futile, but I know I've lost enough to those beasts it does not matter how much more time of my life they take." She closed her eyes. "And I've already settled on this path."
"You ever lost anyone? Someone you loved or cared deeply about?" he asked curiously.
"Lost someone... Yes." but she didn't reply to the second part.
"Oh," he said. "You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to." It was clear that she didn't.
Time passed in silence before Ninn shuffled around.
"What about you? You seem intent on helping others. Do you have a true purpose here in the tundra?"
"If you're asking me whether I know why I'm here, I don't. I go wherever my feet lead me. Something in this tundra was drawing to me. I feel very at home here, despite the fact I have no home and after this, all I'll have for company is an obnoxious bird." He chuckled, glad now to be facing her instead of speaking to the back of her head. "As for the other part of your question, yes I did. Care for someone once that is. I saved her from hurting herself, but she saved me from disillusionment. I would have given up a long time ago on my wandering. But even if I don't find any answers, I try to make the most of wherever I am."
"What about that strange mark on your body? It doesn't look like a tatoo."
"Which? Oh that thing? I'm not sure what it is. What does it look like to you," he asked.
She peered over at it.
"A flower of some kind.... And you have no recollection of how you got it?" She touched it lightly. "How strange."
"As far as I know it's always been there," he said with a smile. "Is it an ugly mar on my flesh?"
At such a comment, her eyes hardened.
"I'll take that as a no," he said, smiling softly and running his hand over her cheek. He made no mention of her own scars, because frankly they did not bother him. She was beautiful in her own way, and in more than physicality.
She remained stiff and hard.
"I ask because it looks placed on purpose."
"A lotus is a water flower is it not? And yet somehow I fear the water," he murmured. His expression was thoughtful. His other hand reached up and touched it. "It feels like a branding."
"And it looks like one, too." Ninn paused to consider the meaning of the flowers type. "Though I can not claim knowledge on a flower I've never seen, I do recall hearing of a flower with a similar, or even the same name as a lotus. "
"Then it's the perfect irony," Theon chuckled a bit and closing his eyes after looking at her for a time. "Thank you." He smiled softly. "For letting me travel with you. It's the moat company I've had in a long time."
Not understanding the thank you, she ignored it to continue her observation.
"I heard the lotus was a symbol of resurrection." Her eyes traced over the mark. "Then it would be ironic indeed."
"To live and die and be born again," he said. He was growing sleepy and breathed softly. "Good night, Ninn."
Although Theon grew tired, in the moment, she did not. Her mind wondered over the story of this flower, and not being able to shake the strange sensation as to why there had to be some connection to this man. Sometime later, however, she fell asleep, cradled into him for warmth.
He stirred a bit uncomfortably in his sleep, face scrunched in distress and his arms cradled tighter around her, holding her close.
His stirring, however, awakened her, and she found herself staring sleepy eyed into Theon's face- which was nearly pressed against her own. It made her cross eyed, and confused for a moment before she began to process their situation.
Right, they were here for survival, keeping close, keeping warm. The soft breathing of Jouzan reminded her of this as well as she sighed softly and leaned into his warmth. It was so damn cold up here in Hyoite, and despite her distrust of others and rigidity towards them, she knew her body needed this. But she couldn't help but remain stiff when she actually cuddled back into him-
Which turned more into a sudden grip of his entire body as a gust of wind blew open the tent flap and was burning away their warmth with its malicious howling.
Theon awoke abruptly when the wind howled around them. Jouzan gave an embarrassing squawk at the sheer force of the wind. Theon rushed to the flap, slapping it down and driving the stake down deep into the snow, taking the straps and sealing the ends of the flaps together. He triple-knotted it, until it was secure before leaning back, panting heavily.
Without the warmth of her companion, Ninn was now more awake than ever. And while he rushed to tend to the flap, she too, burst out of the covers and moved to help secure their meager camp. Though she hadn't done as much as he, she was breathing heavily as well.
"Hyoite's winds are unforgiving."
Theon sat up, sighing and taking the blankets, and wrapping it around them. "No kidding," he chuckled. Suddenly that chuckle turned into a laugh, grinning ear to ear.
Now trapped in the blankets again with him, and with him laughing... Well, she was soon glaring.
"What is so funny?"
"Well, it's just right when we think we have a moment's rest, something happens to make us jump again," he said, sobering just a little. "I laugh because it's been this way since I landed on these foreign shores. And if I don't laugh, I'd become disillusionedwith everything."
She continued to frown.
"That doesn't make much sense."
Then again, she rarely laughed herself. Then again, she had not much in life to laugh about, or with.
"Except the part on how harsh this land is." She tilted her head just slightly. "Even the skies here are unforgiving."
"And it keeps me going nevertheless," he said, smiling at her. "Do you smile? I only wonder."
She frowned more at such a question.
"Smile? Why do you ask or care?" She regarded him carefully. "There is not much to smile about in a place such as this. And I am not one to fake such emotions."
He tilted his head. "Because I care, I really do. We've got to stick together, if I didn't care about you, we wouldn't have gotten this far. You're right, this is a bitter and cold land. The going is just a but easier if you have someone to share it with. Life is too short to waste emotions. They are real when I smile, and my words are true."
She wasn't sure how to even react to that. Awkward as it was, she still held her glare.
"Easier is a strange way to put it. I can only counter that by saying others slow you down. I'm not exactly here to wish to worry about another's life. If you see it as a blessing, that is well for you. But time will pass surely and we'll both be on our way to where ever the snow leads us."
"And that is a future I can accept," he said. "But until then, we are here together, and I will stay with you for however long you wish me to, until paths part us."
"Your offer is strange." She could have smiled, perhaps some of her eye did. "It is you who chose to follow. You can leave when you wish."
"I know this as well. But as your companion, I am here for as long as needed. And I'll try not to be too much of a burden," he smirked and kissed her cheek in a light peck.
She frowned.
"Burden? But a companion is a burden."
"If you say so," he said, not arguing the point. He gave a small smile before lying back down, taking the blanket with him.
She couldn't believe that and narrowed her gaze at the back of his head. She grabbed a hold of the blanket.
"This is meant to be shared."
"Then come on in then," he said, lifting the blanket and covering it over them both.
She sighed, too tired to want to argue and moved in beneath the blanket, before a sudden shift of Jouzan's beak had her gasping and lurching forward, so she was knocking her head into Theon's.
[And just where did Jouzan put his beak that it made her gasp, dare I ask?]
Theon cringed at the blow. "Ow!" He held his head where her akull collided with his. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah," she half growled and peered to look at Jouzan, whose beak almost became a permanent part of her leg.
With a hop, Jouzan waddled over to her and resumed his position by her head, cawing indignantly. Theon chuckled. "I think he's upset you ruined his beauty sleep."
She cast a glare to the bird, then looked at Theon.
"If we're all up, perhaps we should just use this energy to continue on our travels."
Though truthfully, she still wanted to sleep and the howling winds didn't sound like they were going to halt anytime soon.
"Well, we're not up, no energy has been restored, and the wind will freeze us to death. Just close your eyes, Ninn. I could sing you a song if you'd like."
She narrowed her gaze.
"I'm not a child."
"Songs are for everyone, not just children," he said softly.
"Yes, but I can't help but feel patronized."
"I would never do that," he said. "I'm sorry if you think I meant to."
She looked away briefly, as if uncertain, before looking back at him again.
"The town I grew up.... I'd hear others sing songs to their children. To help calm them when they cried."
She didn't know why she said that, but the memories still remained. And she couldn't quite put her finger on it...
Perhaps she was a bit defensive of youth, and their memories. After all, she really had no single family, and hadn't grown up like any other child.
"I know a song. I remember it somehow, but I'm not sure from where," he said. He smiled. "Would you still be opposed to me singing it to you?"
"It sounds like you want to sing it to yourself." But she gave a nod.
He just chuckled. "Very well." With a clearing of his throat, he leaned on an arm beside her, propping his head up.
"Vi-unt laut um frie de vauan,
Sieft dien claut um veier de faun,"
He sang lowly softly, focusing on the words and giving a gentle edge to their sound.
"Sie die grasse, fin kuhn und hiht
Auf gran rien, sihn lund und veis
Retumbau, schals emvald
Clien feir vir, emvald de vahl."
"Frienze cault, grasse un vahlte
Hemde aud, remir fin haulte."
And repeated the first verse in finality.
As she listened to the song, she kept quiet, but when he was done she asked, "was that song in your native tongue?"
"I'm not sure. Perhaps. I say the words with ease, although I can't say I know what they mean," he said. Theon laid on his belly, folding his arms under his head. "Did you like it?"
"It was interesting. Do you know what it means?"
"No. Nothing distinct anyway," he answered softly. Theon relaxed beside her. "I know you've made your life out here. And I hope I've proven to be less of a liability as we go, but I just want you to thank you for trusting me. As much as you have anyway."
THe next day proved to be as snowy as the others past, but they needed to keep moving, and Ninn was undeterred. She kept herself well covered, and so it was hard for the wind to whip through her layers. They had traveled only about an hour when the snow began to turn icy, and footing was dangerous. She found herself slipping, catching hold of something nearby when the tree branch gave way she was holding and she fell.
Ice nad snow from the tree came down with it, coating them both as Ninn winced in pain. Pushing herself to her knees, she brushed the snow off of herself before looking over at the tree- and it seemed to move strangely, that was, until some creature, no bigger than a squirrel, lunged at her suddenly, sinking it's teeth into her coat.
With a cry, she wrenched her arm away, but it only brought the creature with it, and in a panic, she turned to try to beat the thing off against another nearby tree. It took a couple good blows, but the thing finally released it's hold, hissed at the pair of them before bolting off.
Pissed, Ninn clutched onto her weapon and made chase.
"STOP!" Theon hissed at Ninn, snatching at her arm and yanking her back to him. "You're bleeding. You'll track blood everywhere and attract beasts bigger than that. Let it go!" He frowned at her and examined her wound, letting her arm go and frowning even deeper.
He didn't hesitate to use his sword to heal her arm however minor the bite wound was.
Ninn bared her teeth.
"But it'll get away!"
"And do what? Alert those wolves?" He sighed and the wound closed. "Let's just keep going."
With a grunt,s he jerked away from him.
"The beast will leave a trail of my blood anyway." And she gestured towards the chaotic path of paw prints and fading blood.
"That fucker had quite a bite for a little thing."A nd she wrinkled her nose. "Come on, most creatures that small wouldn't attack without reason. And it looked strange- though I guess most beasts out here are."
"Everything has been strange since we started traveling, but going after them and wasting energy won't be helping either of us. Remember the cursed corpses we found. Something deeper seems afoot here. I don't have a good feeling about this. Let's just keep going. The mountain gets bigger the longer we wait."
She paused.
"You have a point. Everything seems to be coming volatile."
With a pat on her shoulder, Theon was ready to move on. Ahead of them snow fluttered down now, and the path softened somewhat with new fallen frost. He walked ahead, Jouzan remaining tucked away in his hood.
For a moment, Ninn felt as though she was leading them blindly in the snow. What trail was let of the creature that attacked had since gone cold, and all seemed quiet. Perhaps too quiet. Something caught her eye, and she paused a moment and stared over at the horizon where a pure white, dire wolf stood, looking at the pair of them but unmoving.
Ninn, who always kept one hand on the hilt of her sword, tensed, but did not draw the weapon, rather kept her gaze upon the creature. It seemed the wolf was only there for a moment, then it turned and left, slowly disappearing into the white washed world of the mountains.
Ninn remained tense before releasing a breath, it coming out in spirals of white from her lips.
"Dire wolf...." she murmured, and slowly began to follow after.
Theon froze a while after seeing the wolf. A sickening feeling churned in his gut. He didn't like the look of this. And when he saw her following it, he treaded after her. "What are you doing? Why are we following it?"
"Dire wolves are not the beasts I hunt, and are natural to the tundra. And the wolf saw us, but made no threat. I find it curious. If it saw us as a threat, it would attack, or alert its pack."
He did not see how following it would be prudent, but he bit his tongue and followed after her, crunching through the snow. It seemed the dire wolf had been waiting for them to follow, pausing on the hill until it saw them crest it and continued onward again.
For a time this went on. Although strange, Ninn felt the need to see this through. After all the hell she had endured, perhaps a little trust was needed, both with this wild wolf, and that of her new companion. She couldn't say many traveled with her as long, or had a similar purpose, but she was beginning to wonder if the winter world was speaking to them. Rounding up a steep hill, Ninn paused, tensing a hand on her blade when the wolf vanished, but after taking a step forward she stopped dead in her tracks. Before them was a wide mouthed canyon, and within the walls of the other side, many feet below them ,was a cavern, with a hint of smoke winking in the dark.
Jouzan cawed and ruffled his feathers as he peeked out from underneath Theon's hood. He couldn't say he was happy to be following this wolf, but he made no more expression of his displeasure. Theon would stand by Ninn as they ventured to the lip of the canyon. Smoke billowed out of it, and though he was alarmed that it indicated a person, he would not act rashly.
"Who goes there?" A voice called out.
And that's when Ninn hit him.
"Fool!" she hisssed. "It's not a fire from a who, but a what!" And if her intuition was right, the what was exactly what she was hunting.
[Why are all your women so abusive?]
Theon nudged her back. "It wasn't me," he growled. "Listen! There it goes again!"
There was a hiss. A woman's voice and it grew more irritated. "Identify yourselves!"
OOC: Maybe you just like role playing with my mean women :P
Up ahead was a woman in ragged furs that were frost bitten, as was too her long, braided locks of her hair that came tumbling out from behind all her layers. She wore no gloves, but shaking, wrinkled hands clung to her coats as deep, sunken eyes glowed back from beneath her hood.
Ninn remained tense, attention from the cave over yonder to the woman before them.
"We're just travelers!" Ninn replied,, keeping her guard as she watched the woman look the pair over.
"Lovers?" she asked, with distaste.
"No, warriors. Natives to this land." At least, she was a native, more or less. Theon....
She knew not much about. Then again, Theon knew not much about himself it seemed.
The old hag continued to stare at them.
"You were the followers?" she looked at them skeptically.
"Followers?"
And just then, the dire wolf stepped up beside the old woman's side.
The dire wolf gave a chuff at the pair, even barking lightly before the old woman put a gnarled hand onto the wolf's head. It calmed and she looked up at them once again. "And why are you here, warriors? Hunting something?"
"Our business is our own," Ninn replied with a stinging tongue. She observed the dire wolf, who simply looked at her. "Your beast seemed to want to guide us here."
"So you followed?" That made the old woman smile. "Curious anyone would simply follow a dire wolf... wouldn't you agree?"
"Curious anyone would keep one at their side."
The woman's smile grew.
"She protects me and I protect her. Call it a mutual relationship."
"Well, if we have disturbed you we meant no disrespect."
But before Ninn could explain anything further, the old woman cut her off, saying,
"You come to hunt the beasts that breath fire."
Ninn narrowed her gaze, but did not argue. "Yes."
The woman went quiet, nodding before turning her head towards the massive canyon to the east. She too, was looking at the cave on the other side.
"Strange thing it is... a cave with no means to it."
Ninn eyed the other woman.
"So you know what it is?"
"Aye," the woman nodded, and turned to walk away. Ninn furrowed her brows.
"Is it of any importance?"
As she walked away, the woman spoke over her shoulder. "Come night fall, you shall get your answers. Best you pair rest well here. The spruce make fine tents in such weather." And she continued about her way.
Theon was quiet during the exchange, knowing it was not his place to speak. The woman seemed more preoccupied to speak with Ninn than address him. Jouzan too was curious, poking a beak out from beneath the fur-lined hood beside Theon's head. He made no sound, only looked between the dire wolf and the old woman. The fluffed feathers beneath the hood made it appear awfully lopsided.
Theon watched the pair walk away and then turned to the trees. "She's right. The weather will not let up. We should rest here while we have the chance." He refrained from asking further questions.
Ninn wanted to ask more, but instead, watched as the pair left. After a moment, she turned back to look across to the cave before stepping away.
"A good idea." The sun was setting, too. "The large spruce over there looks well enough." It was a good choice, though it's branches were so thick it didn't appear as if there was any means to get within- and with that, would there be space enough witht he branches.
Finding a loose section, Ninn pushed the branches aside, just enough to peer inside.
"Spruce don't offer much room, but are the best to ward off the cold without need for a fire. Looks like we'll be sharing body heat for another night."
And she moved to step inside, using her boots to crunch down and push aside any low laying branches that were brittle. Eventually, she made enough room she hoped for both before slipping inside the tree.
By no means a small woman, the space she made was big enough for him. He took his space with ease and dropped his pack qnd rummaged through it. He ripped some meat, biting it and offering her some.
She took it and ate in silence, eyes distant while she did so.
Theon remained quiet as well, though his eyes flickered to her from time to time. He fed Jouzan and the bird resumed his place in the warmth of Theon's hood. He laid back, wrapping himself up in his cloak before turning on his side, closing his eyes and praying for no dreams that night.
There was a light snow fall after the sun was gone. Ninn, though nestled near to Theon and within her own blankets, to keep warm, found herself unable to sleep. So she didn't bother to close her eyes. Rather, she looked towards the inner branch wall of the spruce tree, breathing slowly, and listening.
Then she heard something, though at first she was unsure if she heard anything at all. But then she heard it again and tensed. Turning to Theon, he still appeared asleep, so slowly, cautiously, she stood up, or as tall as she could stand, and made her way to where the tree branches were the thinnest. It was nearly impossible to see outside, but when she looked-
she could see a swarm of orange colors, rustling around like bees. But they were no insects, and as she dared to creep out further from the spruce, she noticed the moving lights were all congregating towards the cave along that cliffside wall.
But before she could investigate, she turned to notice the white wolf standing there. And it said not a word, but turned and left, leaving Ninn to wonder what it's purpose was here. Even stll, she moved closer towards the canyon, getting down on all fours at it's edge and peering out over the side. Even though it was dark, the glowing fire in the throats of the beasts across from her were distinguishable. And there were so many of them...
Ninn realized she must have stumbled upon their hive. For there were hundreds of these beasts, or so it seemed, and for all she knew, that deep within that cave, there could be thousands more.
[I propose that the cave be some kind of tunnel that leads to the fortress place where they were headed in the first place]
Theon noticed the absence of heat behind him. Curious, he rolled over to find Ninn's space empty. There was a small sense of alarm, and he grabbed his things and met her outside at the lip of the canyon. To see the wolves congregating in the cave across from them, inwardly he gasped, but made no audible sound.
"Should we investigate?" he asked her, only then noticing the dire wolf beside them.
"For now, we wait. We watch," she told him, keeping her eyes on the wall. "It seems there may be more to these beasts.... See how they crawl? Some are able to climb up the very cliff side face with ease."
She was right. Their very paws seemed more like hands than anything and Theon's eyes widened. Some of them even stood as upright as they could, though remained partly hunched over, smoke streaming from out of their mouths.
It was unnerving, even for her. ANd after nearly half an hour of simply watching, it seemed nothing of other great importance had occurred. She then turned to the dire wolf, but was surprised to see it had gone. She then looked back to Theon.
"We should try to rest. And see if the cave becomes quiet again in the morning."
Although she wans't sure how well she could sleep knowing how close they were to the enemy.
As unnerving as it was, Theon felt a sensation unfamiliar to him, a boldness that stemmed from knowing where his enemy was. He could see these beasts, and their singular congregation made him wonder if they ought not just destroy them now, bury them all in that cave. But that deeper notion, the state of that animal that bit Ninn, paused his ponderings.
"I agree," he said at last. "As long as we stay quiet and lay low, we should be okay."
Moving back to the tree, she allowed Theon to go in first before she gave one last look at the horizon, then joined him inside. She sighed as she sat beside him, and paused a moment to remove the hood of her garment and pulled her hair forward. It was getting long enough now she sought to braid it, and did so in silence.
Theon glanced at her, observing her fingers moving through her hair. "You're doing that wrong," he muttered.
She paused to look at him.
"It just need to be out of my way. I'd cut it but now's not the time for it."
"Let me please," he said, moving beside her. He gently woke his hands into her hair, pulling it apart and expertly weaving it between his fingers.
She watched him work in relative silence, though if she was thinking much of anything, it was not evident on her face.
He finished quickly and set about getting some shut eye.
She quietly thanked him. But unable to sleep, she found herself staring over at her companion while his eyes were closed. She found it strange to run into someone such as he. A help more than a hindrance, at least. She supposed she should count herself lucky. And lucky was something she rarely ever considered herself of.
But too many thoughts ran through her mind, and though far enough away she was unable to hear the beasts roving around their hive, she swore she could at least sense their presence- a darkness felt deep and cold all the way to her bones.
Theon got up as morning came and the sounds of beasts seemed far away. He jumped, startled a bit at the dire wolf that had made her bed between he and Ninn.
"You shouldn't have moved. She was using your lap as a pillow all night."
And the dire wolf turned and laid her head on Ninn's stomach, getting comfortable and chuffing out a tired sigh.
Theon smiled at the large wolf, and gently pet her fur, the white wolf not seeming to mind anyway.
"Strange..." she commented, petting her chin. "She is so calm being near the hive of those beasts... Perhaps the woman was right. Maybe they are not as active during the day."
The dire wolf was tired of their talking. And she got up, turning around to get more comfortable, and threw her head on top of Ninn and got as comfortable as she could. She gave the woman's face a lick and chuffed tiredly.
Theon was hesitant at first, but turned on his other side, laying in close and burying his face and arm around the dire wolf's furry warm body.
Peering down at Theon, she continued to stroke the dire wolf's head before commenting, "We should rise and check out that cave."
The dire wolf gave a soft growl of displeasure at the continued talking but sat up and shook out her fur and chuffed to the both of them. She got up and went outside of the hanging branches and Theon followed. Jouzan was restless in his hood and wanted a chance to spread his wings. The bird hopped out onto his shoulder, and eyed the dire wolf suspiciously.
There was no visible activity outside of the cave's mouth, but he could see traces of a soft glow deep in its darkness. "Shall we make the trek to the other side?"
"Even if we do," she added, stepping beside him. "That cave is in a strange location. We'd have to figure out a way to climb down to it, or up to it. It is an entrance on a cliff's face." She sighed. "Of course it couldn't be easy." Then again, her entire journey never had been.
"Then, let's look further, and find the solution to our quandary," Theon said and started from around the mouth of the canyon. The dire wolf licked Ninn's face and started after him.
"It's hard to gage if we're going to find an easy way around it.The canyon seems wide and endless."
"We won't know unless we try," Theon said, pausing a moment to survey the edge of the canyon. From where they were it seemed it would take days to circumvent. Theon took a breath, closing his eyes eyes and feeling the edges of a vision. He knelt down into the snow, burying his hands in it, and within his mind he saw a singular snowflake.
It flowed as the wind gusted around them, and there it traveled in a flurry, falling from a lowered ridge where the section of a the canyon sloped down around them. Theon opened his eyes, taking in a deep breath and holding Ninn's leg for a moment. "There's a path down the canyon, a ways to the left," he murmured.
Ninn looked that way, then back down to Theon before pausing to observe the dire wolf as she began to step that way too. Her tail raised up, wagging a little before she turned to point her black nose west.
"I suppose we won't know until we try." And she began to move forward, following the wolf.
The trek saved them several days' journey, Theon imagined, but it was enough for them to get down to the ridge below. The path was narrow, and they all had to stay inline, the rock beneath them feeling unsteady at times. As long as their steps were even, there would be no foreseeable trouble. Theon could only hope, however, because beneath them was a long way down.
It had taken many hours to scale down the cliff side safely. In fact, there was a time the woman didn't think they'd make it at all. But it was precious time she knew they couldn't afford. Now well below the cavern, it was no longer in sight. She peered up at the cliff wall. It looked impregnable. But perhaps if they kept looking they'd find something.
"Half the day is gone. Come, let's make haste. We don't know what we'll find."
"The ledge is precarious," Theon said with a nod. "Watch your footing." As if it needed to be said. But the going went on never the less. Once down on the edge of the cliff there was little more they could do but keep going. It would take too long to turn back, and be twice as likely for them to fall off.
They soon reached a path cut in the ride that wound up to the lip of the cavern, one that was out of sight from where they were, and the ice was smooth along its footing.
Ninn bared her teeth, studying the small ravine of ice that cut through the rock. It was their only option, and looked nearly impossible to foot. But they had little choice. Drawing in a steady breath, she pushed herself inbetween the juts of rocks and pulled herself forward.
"Careful of the ice. Guard each footing and never trust each step."
He took out Lohengrin, and positioned the point of the blade on the the ice, sticking it where he found it was able to support his weight, and wandered upward, keeping in step with Ninn even as his footing betrayed him now and again. With the blade, he remained more steady, slowly working his way up.
Ninn would do the same, needing to use her blade, lest her feet be left to the fate of the ice.
It was a long haul, and her muscles were sore at the end, but eventually they found a small recess that lead to just a few more short climbs to the lip of the cave. ANd judging by the way the skies were, she knew they needed to hurry.
Once knowing the pair was safe, Ninn lead them onward, up the final climb and over the side, to where she pulled herself up with a grunt and remained, down on one knee, and catching her breath. But then she rose, ice colored eyes taking in the mammoth mouth before her-
and staring deep into the endless sea of black.
Theon approached from the side, resheating Lohengrin. He panted lightly, but the altitude did little to help him catch his breath. "What did the spirit lady say we'd find in there again?" he asked.
"She said we'd find that of which we seek in here." Her own blade was put away as her gaze remained hard and tense on the deep blackness before them. "We shouldn't waste much time. We can walk slow, to let our muscles heal from the climb, but I have a feeling we'll only be safe to venture here for so long."
Theon did not feel the same dread when staring into the darkness. As he stared deep within he found he could scarcely look away. And not because he felt anything ominous within it's confines, but because he seemed to sense an a strange calm, a stark difference out here in the harsh mountains and sharp cold.
However that seemed most to come from the blade at his side and he reached up to squeeze Ninn's shoulder, doing nothing more and stepping within.
[This was where the fire wolves' den was right? And they were gonna slay like the mother beast or something? Or find out why people were turning into wolves? I don't remember much of what we plotted.]
OOC: Yeah, I can't recall all of the detail anyway but it was more or less to check out this area where all of these beasts are congregating to get to the bottom of just what they are and what they might be doing.
The quiet was unnerving at best, but at least afforded her some proof the cavern was vacant. She took her time, ever cautious of where she stepped and how deep her eyes looked, for any crook or cranny might be a sign of certain death.
And she wasn't about ready to die yet. Adjusting the weight of her things upon her back, she noticed the cave continued further, into a darker corner where she could vaguely make out a split path.
"We need a light," Theon said. "Can you make a torch? I realize the irony of fire. But...it's almost impossible to see anything."
Ninn frowned, but set her bag down, moving out a small flask of oil and a clothe before moving to snatch up a dry piece of wood off the ground. But upon examining, she saw it wasn't wood, but bone.
It mattered little, however, except to prompt her to check on their surroundings once more before wrapping the clothe around the end and dipping it in oil.
"Got a way to make a spark?" she could fetch her flint, and began to dig into her things for it while holding the soon to be torch to one side.
No other way but to strike it against a piece of metal. Otherwise there was no point in fashioning the torch. Theon knelt on the ice and took the piece of flint she had and rung it firmly against Lohengrin's edge. With a loud shree! the sparks flew off from the edge and onto the bone's head. He concentrated, doing it again and once the spark caught, he carefully blew on it until it took to flame.
Raising it above his head, he stood before Ninn, nodding to her in readiness.
Ninn stood there, the flame dancing between the pair of them. The flames seemed to accent the half of her face that hadn't been burned off, and she might have appeared even pretty.
"A lot of caves around here can go deep within the ground. We should be wary of the time." She glanced over her shoulder, towards the sky, then back to him. "We should not linger for more than a few hours." Although she had a feeling this would take much longer than that as she stepped into the darkness to where the light spilled and began to lead the way into the unknown.
Theon was right behind her, the torch igniting the dark and bringing to life the skills and bones imbedded onto the stone and ice. Animal remains were left on the floor and the smell in the air was dense with the odor of ash.
He wondered how many ages of men and animals had gone by and found themselves here, trapped by fate and ice eternal.
A strange thing to behold- where ice, stone and bone collected. It was a rare sight, and Ninn lingered against a particular wall where it seemed the most skulls were heaped and studied it as the torch light flickered. She reached a hand forward and drew her hand back, rubbing her fingers together as she said, "It's wet." She looked at the wall again before taking a step back.
"If it wasn't already obvious, I'd say this is not a natural layer of ice on the walls." She gestured to Theon. "Let's keep moving. These caves go deeper."
Going in further made the temperature raise just slightly, however Theon's breath still came out in small white puffs. He held the torch high, stalking further into the darkness and the cave soon opened up into a tall giant cavern, one where small fonts of steam and hot water emerged from geysers of sorts along the side.
"Those creatures," Theon found himself asking. "Where do they come from? How long have they been hunting in this area?"
"I couldn't know," she told him, eyes hard and studying the steaming room and how it made the icy walls wet and sticky, and the footing, hard to make concrete. "I do know they've been around long before you and I." But that's what they were here for, to figure this out-
and to stop these slaughtering beasts.
There was a sudden rumble, and Ninn lost her footing, slipping onto a nearby steppe of coarse rock and stone. Cursing, she tried to right herself, but it was difficult as debris came down in pinging pieces from above. Luckily, whatever shook the ground didn't last long.
"We should hurry... if the ground here is unsteady, our search won't be as productive."
Once she found more solid footing, she rose off the ground, and steadily, slowly, began to navigate through the hot springs room.
After the ground shook, Theon helped Ninn along, with some trepidation. However his care was unnecessary, he knew and he kept close. This was the quietest Jouzan had ever been, and the soft rustling of movement in his hood, and was sure the bird was still there.
Suddenly there was a scream somewhere deeper in the caves, of a man's voice in agony.
Ninn stiffened and gripped the hilt of her sword. Her eyes shot in the direction she had heard it and gestured forward.
"Quickly! That way!" And she rushed down the dark cave.
The scream they chased echoed again, and the steam grew hotter around them actually summoning sweat from Theon's skin. He panted lightly as they came to a rise of rocks that would carry them to the source of the noise above.
And what they would find made Ninn's blood turn cold, and nearly lose her lunch-a nd grip on her blade, for dark as the room was, there was a sort of chaotic order to this one with a million rows of recesses, appearing hive like in their distress. But it wasn't this strange pocked wall that made the woman pale, but the sight of a man wallowing in his own melting body, as he sat there, arms too big and awkward, bulging from his form; and teeth grinding together that they began to burst, all the while long fangs seemed to saw out from bleeding gums as the flattened lips swelled forward, forming into the gnarled form of a wolf like mouth.
The transformation was horrific and Theon gasped quietly at the sight if it. Other wolves roamed hungrily around him, and he watched as the pulled at his useless mortal flesh.
The flesh of his previous form was useless, and the few other fire-heart wolves that stalked around his form gobbled it up in a savage frenzy, all the while the poor soul in the center continued to change, it's form bubbling like lava, steam billowing out from all over before some semblance of a beast began to draw up from the ground.
And though fully formed looking near like the others, the monster threw it's head back, throat broiling with colors before it howled out a blast of fire laden steam.
"We can't just run in there, they'll slaughter us. We should wait until they leave the cavern. Most of them anyway," Theon suggested. And as if he'd predicted it, so it was done. The wolves were sent out, and moved out toward the other tunnels to welcome their new brother.
To think that these things were human, or perhaps were at some point was unnerving. Theon had felt anxiety before, but this seemed to graduate into a determined fear. When he saw the room was mostly empty, he quietly crawled over the lip of rocks.
Ninn hesitated. Would it be wise to even go in the same room? However, they needed answers, and she wasted no more time and followed him up and over the rocks.
The room smelled putrid, even without the beasts within here. She flinched and held a gloved hand over her mouth and nose to stifle the smell.
She moved around, observing the room but nothing seemed too out of the ordinary here, so she moved towards the only other opening within the room aside from the path the beast had left from, and began to explore deeper into their nest.
The path grew narrower here, and she let Theon take the lead to light the way. At one point, a sharp bend forced them on their hands and knees until the path opened up into a larger pit- and before Theon could take a step inside, Ninn grabbed his shoulders and pulle dhim back against her, so her face was near to his and her front pressed to his back.
"Don't move," she whispered into his ear. And soon he'd see why- for there were moving shadows off int he distance. No doubt, more monsters. But it was hard to see.
The jerking motion knocked the bone torch from Theon's grip and he leaned back against her in the crevice that they had crawled from. He held his breath when he saw the shadows ahead. With the torch away from them, it hid them well, blending them in darkness.
And up ahead there were creatures that resembled the wolves, some of them walking up on their hind legs as if they had not yet fully transformed yet. Steam emerged from their snouts, and their teeth dripped with saliva. The crevice before them opened up to a single path, a section of cliff that overlooked the blackened pit on the right side.
The drop off was step and steam emerged from the darkness.
"What are those things?' he murmured in a soft whisper. He would get to see one up close when one noticed the torch burning softly on the ground.
Lapping flames glistened off crunching fangs, and before Ninn knew it, she was howling in pain as she shoved Theon out of the way and threw her arm up to shield him. The bite was savage, and the beast did not yield and began to drag Ninn from the corner, just as the other beasts began to race their way.
Shoving him out of the way only have advantage to the wolf creature that attacked Ninn. His bite was savage and he shoved her to the ground, claws digging deep into vulnerable flesh.
Theon's eyes widened and he was quick to climb to his feet, drawing his blade and hacking at the neck of the creature. Lohengrin struck clean and true, severing the head from the beast.
The impact left her stunned, long enough to choke on failed words of warnings as another set of beasts rushed at Theon, while she failed to notice a third racing up behind her as she clutched onto her wounds.
Theon felt outside of himself. The sword was firmly in hand and he twisted suddenly feeling the edge of Lohengrin digging deep into the fire wolf. His eyes were cool and he moved and flowed like water. Crashing into the oncoming pack with swiftness and ferocity. The edge of his sword was dripping with their blood.
And he saw the beast coming for Nin. He side-stepped and lunged, pinning the animal to the ground.
The beasts were slain, but not for long, for she only had a few seconds left to the ragged sounds of her deep breathing when snarls echoing in the caves alerted her there'd soon be more. Her lips curled back into a snarl.
"We need to move."
Before the bite got worse, and before there could be even more.
Theon gripped her arm and yanked her from the carnage. He kept Lohengrin firmly in hand just as more wolves were coming from back where they came.
They ventured further ahead. There was no place to hide and it was too late to turn back.
So deep in the dark, it was hard to tell what direction the beasts were coming for them. But the caves thinned out, and Ninn's grip tightened on her sword.
"If we're going to fight more, it might as well be here."
It was hard to tell save for the firelight burning out of their backs and flaring from their hungry maws. Theon never allowed himself to feel desperation or terror, even when it threatened to creep up on him most. Lohengrin kept him calm, in the face of these surmounting odds.
If they had to fight however, there was no way they would win. They would be slaughtered.
Theon knew there was nowhere else to turn, however, and pressed his back to Ninn's. "I'm ready," he murmured.
And wolves began to swarm them from all sides, fire light now burning bright.
The wolves were near blinding in their quest to kill them off. At first they came in pairs, a manageable amount that left limp courses across the floor. But soon one was howling, and the ground began to shake. Something bigger was coming and it was coming from behind. She peered over her shoulder at Theon and grabbed onto his arm roughly.
"Run."
One sharp cut cleared the path, leaving the fire breathing wolf beast yelping against the corpses. Blindly she charged forth, slashing beasts aside and simply running with all of her might. But it sounded like whatever beast was behind them was gaining grounds.
She swore and took a sharp left, this hallway empty of light, save for the glow from Theon's blade, and the reflection it made in her own pale eyes as she pressed forward, fast, even as the path grew narrower and the pair soon had to drop to their knees to clear themselves to the other side.
Once she rolled to a broader opening, she reached a hand back and urged Theon.
"Take my hand!" They needed to move.
The caverns were wildly confusing as the threat of death became ever present, closing in on their heels, Theon's own mind meandered in a vague sense of panic. He tried not to let it get to him, but any other thought other than survival was far beyond now. There was no possible way they could slay all the beasts that were hounding them, not without sacrificing their own lives in the process.
Theon ran along with Ninn following left, then through the stone aperture in a crawl, and he yanked himself out through the other side. He kept one hand firmly around Lohengrin, then another in Ninn's hand and followed her into the dark.
The open chamber reeked of sulfur, and plumes of hot gasses seeped up from seams in the ground. The footing felt odd here, despite the strained muscles of her legs as she moved forward, dragging Theon behind her in her blind run. She was nearly tripping over her feet by now, but then something gave way, the ground wasn't there and before she knew it- down they fell into an unseen abyss; their bodies weightless in the moment before reality smashed their bodies into the black ravine below.
A black ravine of freezing water.
Theon hadn't realized what was happening beyond the few seconds of plunging deep into the depths there. From his hand, Lohengrin nearly slipped, and his fingers tightened firmly around it, grasping onto that lifeline as his body instinctively kicked, pushing upward toward the surface and breaking it. A sharp inhalation, and he was holding treading water, or thought he was.
He looked around, seeking Ninn's form. He forgot his phobia, forgot that water was to be avoided at all costs, and abruptly ducked beneath, free hand feeling blindly out for Ninn.
And that's when something touched his hand, then touched it again before it secured a hold and Ninn used the momentum to pull herself forward, breaking the surface as she gasped for precious air.
When his hand felt hers, Theon gripped it and used it to pull himself up with her. He gasped for air, feeling needles in his lungs already. And just when he thought he couldn't be more grateful that she was alive, Theon stared at her for a long second then lunged forward and mashed his lips against hers.
He pulled away with a loud, echoing pop and floundered backwards. "We need to find an exit," he panted, trying to keep afloat.
She hadn't seen that coming, nor could surmise a reason why. But instincts kicked in when he did, and before she could think,s he slugged him hard across his face.
"You kissed me!" she hissed.
Theon whirled around at the punch and almost lost his balance. Even in water - which didn't quite sink in yet - Theon splashed away from her. "We'll talk about that later. Let's find a way out of this cavern," he panted.
He must've lost his mind, and she would have demanded it out of him were they not in such a sticky situation. She looked around, the room so dark it was hard to tell if one crevice from another was just that- a crevice, or maybe a cave. But even if they found some sort of outlet in the water- where would it lead? For now, it looked as if they were stuck in one large pool with no escape but from where they fell, but Ninn moved to swim closer to the craggy walls. It would do no good to try to inspect them in the dark from the middle of the thing. The pool was a lot larger than she had wanted, but she hoped that meant at least one means to escape. But if there turne dout to be more...
They'd have to be careful in selecting just whcih path.
So far she couldn't see a thing outside of the water, but as she began to grope around beneath it, she noticed something down below. Her legs gave a kick.
"There might be an underwater cave here."
Definitely something of note. But who knew how long the cave went underwater, and if it even lead anywhere promising at all. She'd hate to die down here of all places. Although being in water was a nice change of pace from the fire breathing creatures from up above.
Theon did not think of the dark and deep. As soon as she pointed out the exit that seemed to be nearby, and he too could feel the current flowing further out and away from them, he nodded to her and ducked underneath swimming as hard as he could and holding his breath.
And as if she somehow predicted it, Theon saw the edges of the cavern in the darkness and while his hand gripped Lohengrin's hilt, he felt the energy puslating within from the blade, feeling it keep him calm while his legs kicked outward and he felt his hand grazing against stone wall.
He kept going even as his lungs were staring to burn. Only when he saw daylight from the far end of the cavern did he push himself onward, forcing panic away. Theon kept swimming, kicking hard until the light piercing the water became brighter and he broke the surface with a grasping breath.
There was barely a shred of light, than none at all. And she kept swimming, kept kicking along until her lungs felt like they might burst from need of air. But she saw the light, kept kicking, pumping her legs, until she jerked at the last minute and took in some water just as she crested for air.
She was coughing now, making an awful fit untils he vomited out the water and was gasping ragged and sharp for air. Her entire body trembled and was slick from the water as she clung to the gnarled shoreline- wherever that was and slowly opened her eyes to look around at the black rock valley they now found themselves in.