It did all look the same and Luna remained quiet while she gave a hesitant polite smile of apology.

"I..." Luna cleared her throat and nodded, "Yes. Getting lost did do those things, the dragons didn't seem to mind you." She wrung her hands while she kept count of the doors on one hand before coming to a larger door at the end of the hall. The flush clung to her cheeks and she rested her pale hand on the door before pulling it away. "This should be it," Luna stepped away and offered a little polite bow of her head to the star elf. "It seems rude to open the door but it's the right amount and the biggest door, so it must lead to the suites. It was lovely to meet you, Zhirai."

A hesitant smile and she reached, took one of his hands between hers and gave it a gentle shake before letting it fall and she tucked her hands back into her sleeves.

A pause and Hero looked down at his hands. Sure they weren't golden or blue or something but he still looked regular enough that he didn't look like an animal. All it got Rho was a look with a tweaked up eyebrow of confusion and a curiosity on who exactly this person was. Possibly blind? Either way, Hero kept his comments to himself and let himself be lead by Rho.

He'd been in the castle plenty of times, but never really inside. These were the rooms people lived in. He'd just been in the briefing areas. The war areas. As one of the less socially acceptable people to have, any events where he'd been invited were always on the outskirts looking in. Hero couldn't help how he chewed on his lip while he walked around just the littlest bit nervously. Would anyone ask where the dog had gone?

Probably not. Surely the guard would have changed by now and while 'watch out, the big orange one has a dog' was probably mentioned, the big orange one clearly did not have a dog now. "The squirrel stole my food," Hero shrugged, like that was obviously why he'd chase a squirrel. Did he count as a guest? Hero felt his heartbeat pick up and he had to control his breathing so he didn't just panic himself into oblivion. Even if they just stayed in the Star Striders suites, it still felt like he was in some sort of forbidden area.

Outside was home. The training grounds were familiar. The stables where Sunshine lived while he was back on the grounds were comfortable. Hero always felt odd inside the walls. No one ever gave him dirty looks, but they were never overtly friendly. Not that Hero had ever tried to endear himself to anyone to begin with.

Maybe it was because he wasn't in his armor. Sneaking into the kitchen was one though but being in the halls was something else entirely. He was thinking too much, "What's an Opo?" Hero finally asked, the word slipping into his head and out his mouth while it was trying to grasp at anything new to mull over.

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

She could do complicated.

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

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

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

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

If there were eyes to roll she would have rolled them so hard she'd have shaken the shack they were in. Ansgar wanted her to have the child. Yeah, okay.

Still Sunniva sighed and moved closer to Krah, sitting anew with the side of her leg pressed to his. She followed his arm to grab his hand and pressed it to her belly. For the most part Sunniva hadn't let Krah anywhere near her since the meadow, so it was a strange sort of comfort she took with him so close and her making him touch her.

"I never wanted children.  Turns out it's very easy to make them though." She moved Krahs hand to find the most active spot and held it there, growing quiet after a moment. "I know you don't believe that, neither of us wanted this and Ansgar could have giving this charge to someone in a better situation, this is a mistake and it will be fixed. The church loves mordecai and adhara, theres very little chance this child won't be one. They gain a mordecai, you and I continue like nothing happened."

Still Sunniva held his hand to her stomach and grew contemplative. Also his hand was really warm and it felt nicer than her small colder ones.

Sunniva sat down, legs spread because they wouldn't do anything else and leaned back on her hands before deciding that was too uncomfortable and sat back up. She tilted her head at his comment and frowned.

"Its uncomfortable and I hate it," she said softly, running her hand over the bulge again. It was hard to think in terms of it being a baby instead of a problem. This whole thing ruined her life. Well, Krah ruined her life. Well... She ruined her own life, but Krah helped a lot.

Sunniva grew quiet, "any week now," she whispered, "maybe even any day. Babies aren't always punctual." If she could glare and narrow her eyes into a piercing look she would have, instead she channeled that into her voice, "but, knowing who the father is, I imagine this one will do whatever it wants whenever it wants, hm?" A quiet hiss of pain, like the babe protested wildly with one good kick and Sunniva rubbed at her belly again with a quiet apologetic sorry directed at it.

The room was so dark and were those... Stars?

Floating in darkness with pinpricks of light. Suspended in nothing. Raizel kicked a leg out but didn't move, instead she kicked the little stars and they rippled like they were suspended in water. There was so many lights but so much of nothing.

A red length of fabric was around her injured ankle, the loose end billowing out like it was caught on wind. Raizel looked down at herself, red ribbons around her chest, billowing out at her back like two wings. One was wrapped around her arm. They were everywhere and a sense of dread filled her. A sense of betrayal. Who put her here? How did she get here?

One of the stars glowed so brightly until it drowned out the darkness and suddenly... Raizel grasped and clawed at the ground, fingers dirty and bloodied. Everything hurt but nothing really did, the blood was slippery and sticky and the new lightness of her shoulders made it feel like she was going to fall up. It took great effort to get to the body on the ground. A familiar unfamiliar face, she knew she recognized it, the same way you'd look at someone in a dream. 'It didn't look like you, but I knew it was you'.

Who are you?

Her mind screamed that she knew this person. Her hand went from the shoulder to the neck and held it down, and Raizel felt herself lean down to kiss this betrayer at the same time she pressed a stiletto dagger to the ribs and slowly pressed in. The gurgle was satisfying when it finally pierced the heart... Was this a memory? Just a dream of revenge? The red billowing fabric didn't go away and now it was pouring from where she'd stabbed the dagger. The only thing she knew was a set of piercing green eyes above that gurgling familiar unfamiliar mouth. Then there was a loud cry and all the fabric burst into flapping birds and a rain of black feathers.

-

Raizel slept fitfully for a few hours, the occasional twitch of her hand against Cadmus's on her chest was the only movement until her eyes snapped open and she sat up, the sunlight through the curtains giving her an almost angelic back glow. Though her eyes were open, they were an unseeing ocean of blue. Her hand moved over his chest and pushed Cadmus onto his back, her hands moving under the pillows to push them back and out of the way.

One of her legs swung to straddle his hips and she moved her hand from his shoulder to caress his cheek before she placed it on his throat. Still delicate and gentle, it was a caress. The sweet touch of a lover. Raizel leaned down to press a kiss to his lips at the same time she held a dagger to his chest, the metal cold and sharp. At an angle, one good thrust and it would pierce his heart.

And then she stopped, hovering above him like a statue. Her hand at his throat getting tighter and tighter but she remained unmoving and unblinking.

Sunniva couldn't see but she'd kept careful stock of rations. It wasn't the best fare and she all but gorged herself when they were around fresh food. Her condition made her endlessly hungry and it was just willpower that kept her from snacking.

"I'll check," she said softly, tracing her fingers back to the pack where she knelt and counted the wax cloth wrapped items with her fingers. It was what she was expecting, "Enough to last a few weeks. Just hope the snow doesn't last." Sunniva stood up with a grunt and effort, braced on the wall.

She hated it. Sunniva moved a hand under her belly and snapped it away when she felt movement, it wouldn't do to get attached. Have the baby. Pretend it was just from the wilderness. Drop it off at a church. That was her plan.

"Thank you for the help," she said, voice breathy before she took another deep one to grab the bag with the rustic bedding."I miss real beds," she complained softly, moving closer to the heat of the fire and holding out an empty hand to warm her chilled fingers.

Payment for trouble.

Luna pulled a face behind her hood, not wanting to force her company on the elf longer than she needed to. It wouldn't do to offend him further, so Luna kept her denial to herself. A little nod, a quiet 'okay' and she continued on.

She would guide him to their suite and that would be that. Luna walked through the door, making sure Zhirai was beside her still and once inside and away from direct light, she removed her hood and pulled her braid over her shoulder.  The guard was the first person she went up to, the conversation was quiet and the guard pointed off to the side before giving her a dismissive look and turning away. A small nod and Luna started to a door on the side, waving Zhirai over.

"Almost there, you're apparently just down the hallway. Guest suites." A small polite smile and she quickly turned away and began to walk again. "You should keep a journal. Or a map, so you don't get lost again," Luna gave another polite look to Zhirai? Her smile not reaching her eyes. Diseased. Walking past a mirror in the hallway, she caught site of her reflection, giving it a momentary distressed look before turning away again, head down. Ready to drop Zhirai off and then go home.

The words echoed in her head and she looked down at her hands. Moving to quickly hide them before a look of pure hurt crossed her features and she looked up at at Zhirai for a moment before ducking her head back down. Luna tried to get smaller, shoulders hunching and hands held in front of her.

"I..." a small sigh, "No, I'm not." Luna chewed on her lip and continued to walk I silence. She'd given herself a duty and she'd see it though, even if she just wanted to crawl into a hole now. Surely Zhirai didn't mean the way it came out but Luna couldn't help how much the question hurt.

She scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, careful to keep the hood up and kept moving. Surely the guards in the castle knew where the elves were staying. "We can find where you're staying and then I'll leave you alone. I'd feel terribly guilty if I just left you lost and alone," Luna's voice was soft and a little quiet, very much missing the enthusiasm from before

Luna ducked her head lower, pulling the hood farther over her face because it was only getting redder. Leave it to her to just embarass herself at the end instead of enthusiastically be friendly.

Maybe the enthusiasm is what killed it. "I'm sorry," she said again, lifting her head up and looking at her companion, trying to smile but grimacing instead. "You know where you're staying in the castle, right?" Total topic change. That would be fine and not at all odd. Still, her cheeks and neck were red from blushing and every passing moment just made the urge to bury herself higher. Spoke too much. Too fast. Embarassing.

Hero's breath felt like rocks in his chest and he hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath until Rho just... Asked him if he was hungry.

A little confused, Hero gave a numb little nod and blinked away the weird water in his eyes while he let out the air to take a small breath back in. He hadn't even known how anxious he was, until it was brushed away like just another little thing. Like having a grey hair or something that just... Was.

Hero gave a little smile and offered his elbow to Rho to guide the golden elf out of the room. "I'd love breakfast. I'm absolutely famished," and then Hero cleared his throat, "and for the record I'm pretty sure I've chased more squirrels as a man than I ever have on four legs." He paused again, "and I'd have certainly noticed a tiny wolf chasing a squirrel being chased by a giant golden elf."

A deep breath, and he fixed his hair over his shoulders and turned his head to look at Rho "Do I look handsome? I wouldn't want your kin to mistake me for an animal."

Luna blinked owlishly, slowly and wide-eyed  and then opened her mouth to speak before slowly closing her mouth again.

"What hear me, indeed," that was a difficult question and now that it was turned on her she understood confusion. Looking around, she just frowned again, not even able to identify anything decently far away. "Erm... Nevermind. Silly question,"  dismissive handwave and she looked up and away, knowing her face was bright red with her embarrassed blush.

Then she sped up, the castle growing closer. She'd be able to leave him at the castle, go home and then smother herself with her pillow. Be dragon food because the babies would no doubt get hungry and find her. Trying to be nice but all she did was embarrass herself by being ignorant.

"Well, I hope you have an okay day once you're back at the castle, I'm sorry for the apple. And the ears. And bumping into you. And just..." Luna sighed, "I've made a terrible impression of Adelans but I promise you it was all well intended."

A little smirk pulled at his lips and Hero put his hands on his hips, contemplating for a moment of just sneaking away. Leave Rho with his kin and having to explain that the wolf did turn back into a person, they just left early. No, really. Hero sobered up at the question.

"The full moon," it was a simple answer, there was more to it, there always was more to it and he shuffled his feet and cleared his throat. "Nothing stops it," a little shrug, "but if I'm not in direct moon light it's less of a... violent transformation. Kind of like this morning." He wiggled his fingers, his once sharp nails now much more normal looking. Hero rubbed his wrists and looked away, chin down. Kin slayer. Dragon tracker. Werewolf.

"I... I'm not sorry I didn't tell you. But I apologize for making you witness that. That was definitely a third or fourth picnic kind of topic. I was careless and not paying attention." Hero was happy though, to a degree, that it came out so soon. If he wasn't attached too much it would be easier to deal with rejection and throw himself into projects.

Though there was something to consider of a bit more serious nature, "I... I don't know if it... will pass on." He stated as delicately as he could, giving a lingering look to Rhos abdomen clearing his throat and wringing his hands. "It's a curse. I think, but it's been so long our family history on paper doesn't go back far enough, passed from mother to daughter.  Except when..." Hero lifted his hands and dropped them back to his side, "Except when there are no daughters, apparently."

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

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

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

Afraid the guards would shoot him.

Hero paused, a sort of far away look in his eyes while he processed that. A wild wolf in the middle of the barracks would raise eyebrows and the method of dealing with it would depend on who... Dealt with it. If he was skinned as wolf, would it stay as a wolf or would they wake up to having the skin of a man? Something he decided he'd rather not find out. Maybe add chains to the next batch on the off chance he tried to escape his room.

Usually the closed door kept him in there, by virtue of doorknob but no thumbs, but who knew how determined a wolf who didn't want to be in a room could be?

Golden eyes flicked to Rhosiris' when he started to explain shapeshifting. Powerful magicians. Curses. He frowned slightly at the word cursed and then the dismissal that he wasn't dangerous. Was that safe? Was he not dangerous? Hero looked at his hands, flexing his fingers before he moved to sit up and think. Like he couldn't quite get the thoughts out while laying down.

"What if I hurt you?" Hero shook his head and looked over his shoulder, "Please. I don't..." He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair, "I've never tried to control it. I'm never... Conscious like that. Me being myself could have been a total fluke, when we got here and met your kin it felt like I was rising out of water and coming to myself but I was still not fully me." Hero moved a hand like he was reaching out to touch Rho and then pulled it back, "I don't know what I'd do with myself if I hurt you, even by accident."

Standing again he rolled his shoulders and a memory from the night before flicked his through his mind, and he turned around a small playful smirk on his face, a lame attempt to alleviate the tension he'd created, "Am I being snuck out to keep the mystery of who your Wolf Lover is or should I waltz through the room?"

"Am I well?" Hero repeated, going introspective for a time. He lifted his hands up to examine his nails,feel his palms and bring his hands to his mouth to poke at his teeth. It was a natural thing for him, the transformation. He didn't fully understand how it worked, never had a mind to learn. He'd drugged himself up and slept through them regularly.

"I suppose," he whispered, drawing his finger tips together and resting his hands on his stomach again. "I... Usually I'm more careful. I try to sleep through it, so I'm not... fuzzy. Infact the ingredients are waiting on my desk in my room." Hero cleared his throat, "The full moon transforms me, but it's less aggressive when I'm sleeping and tucked away from view. A blessing I guess." He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm sorry you had to deal with that," His voice was a little raw sounding, heartbeat making his pulse near visible, "I appreciate you taking me inside. I'm myself but... not quite myself when I'm like that." Except when they got here, and words were spoken and attention was honed. Hero didn't mention it, didn't mention that he'd never even tried to control his bestial wolf form. An untapped resource to some, likely.

"Thank you," he whispered and then paused, "Why did your kin seem so offended by shapechangers?"

Hero froze when Rho spoke, like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Slowly he looked over his shoulder and then looked towards the chest, before he went and helped himself. As much as he didn't mind being naked in the presence of Rho, he minded being naked in a very unfamiliar place.

"Never in my life has anything been 'too long' for me," he commented softly, mostly to himself, adjusting the clothing and pulling his hair from beneath the collar. He pulled the leggings up as far as he could manage and still, they were so long. The tunic was too long. Rho really wasn't kidding, how could anyone be so tall.

Hero gently chewed on his lip, his teeth still a little sharp from his wolf night. And then looked at the door, then back at Rho before Hero threw propriety and good manners to the wind and just went to the bed again, climbing onto it gently and moving to lay down on his back.

"I suspect you'll have questions when you wake up fully," Hero whispered, hands resting on his belly. Why was he so anxious? Why was his heart pounding so hard he could feel it in his ears. Probably because it isn't every day you find out someone can turn into a fuzzy-brain wolf.

The birds were beginning their chirping. In addition to that his nose was itchy. Hero brought a hand to his face to gently rub the itch away before he wrapped his arm around the deliciously warm body pillow and moved himself closer to it. He nuzzled into Rhos belly and sighed before his eyes snapped open. Human once again. Hero closed his eyes and found he had tangled himself with the elf.

Half curled around, Hero had positioned himself to have one arm wrapped around Rhos back, his head resting on the elfs torso with his other arm draped over lower belly and hips. He looked at his arm, giving himself as much a once over as he could without moving. Hero usually drugged himself and slept through it and the symptoms.

Dawn was here, but he never went back with as much violence as he transformed. His fingernails were still harder and more sharp, his heating was sensitive. No doubt his eyes looked more wold-gold than Hero-gold at the moment. He drew his tongue over his teeth and found those a little too sharp as well.  Maybe by midday he'd be back to normal.

Hero hadn't moved much at all, wanting to let Rho rest as best he could. Still, he placed a hand on Rho's hip and drew little circles gently. It was nice to be human again. Hero moved his head, the braid from the night before had come loose and it was just a curtain of inky black hair. More of the night before returned and he just pressed his face into Rhosiris stomach and groaned like one would lament into a pillow.

What an absolutely tragic situation to be in. Maybe he should try to sneak out? Good idea. Gently and with caution, Rho removed his arm from under Rhosiris and did his best to roll off the bed.

To find he was completely nude. "Ah. Yes. Of course. Wolves don't wear pants" He whispered to himself before he started to tip toe around the room, looking for some article of clothing to save some dignity.

Patiently, Hero waited for the examination to be done. Though at first he assumed it was simply to pet his neck and touch his face. He held still and remained that way since it seemed polite and Rho was just there anyway. No witchcraft. Hero gave a tilt of his head and his ear perked up while he pondered those words in his fuzzy head. No. No witchcraft. He moved to rest his chin on Rho's leg while he was seated, could sense how tired and unhappy he was. A little wuff from Hero and he remained as close as ever, pressed against leg, walking in step.

The door slamming closed made him jump and look over his shoulder with wide eyes before he blinked at Rho moving to fall face first into the bed. While he was walking around the room, his long nails clicking on the floor, he sat down in front of a window and shoved his head up past any curtains to look out at the sky. Dawn was still a decent ways away and he poked his head back down from the curtain when he'd heard Rho moving.

The question got as much as an affirmative 'wuff' as was possible and Hero gave his tail a tick-tock before he moved back to the bed, making sure to drag his feet over any carpet available to remove whatever grass was maybe left behind.

Then he jumped up on the bed, laying down and putting his head on his paws and giving Rho a look that could only be apologetic. He gave another little wuff and closed his eyes briefly before pressing to Rho's side and sighing. It didn't take much, Hero was exhausted, but he pressed his nose to Rho's side and watched the large sunshine bright elf. An expectant look, like he was expecting this elf to sleep.

How did a wolf indicate someone should sleep? In an attempt to suggest it, Hero lifted his head up, then put his head down on his paws, eyes closed and feigned sleeping, then looked at Rho. He did this two more times, before he placed his head on his paws with his eyes open, with the expecting look persisting.

The simple words 'Your Highness' had Heros ears perk up and he could feel his senses sharpen, his mind hone in on those words. His tongue went back into his mouth and he was, momentarily, no longer Herostratus-Puppy-Time but mentally an in between of himself and his wolf form. Like a splash of cold water to bring him back to himself, to some degree.

It was probably a little odd to watch a wolf's gaze change and harden, the golden eyes change from cute but mostly vacant to sharp and intelligent. Rho was a 'your highness'? Hero ruffed and looked towards the newest elf, gave something as close to laughter as possible when they spat out their drink. In actuality it was just a singular loud bark, and Hero pressed the side of his head to Rho again, though he made a little growling noise at how Ana said the word 'shapechanger' but didn't look over.

This was Rhos family, which meant that he was safe. His gaze turned to Ana, eyes sharp again and he removed himself from his seat at Rhos feet and took a few careful steps towards the outstretched hands. A few impulsive sniffs and Hero reached out his own large paw and put it into Ana's hand with a low ruff of greeting and something like a nod. The attempt to shake hands was there, but without thumbs it was just pressure and a bark to reciprocate the greeting as best he could. A helpless look as possible over his shoulder towards Rho and another low whiff... What he wouldn't give to have a voice right now. And hands.

And to not be a wolf. Hero looked around the room for a window, staring at it intently as if willing the moon to just show up in the room and for the sun to rise.