The Promises We Keep (Open)

[Lion]

He had no clue how he got here, where he was, and why this place of all worlds.  But regardless of where he was, he was pretty sure it probably wasn't a good idea to be so...exposed to the elements as it were.  It was how he'd awakened, beside the sword that stuck out from the ground, and nothing else beside him, not even a boot.

Enzo took a breath, expecting putrid air, but instead it was crisp and clean, fresh with the scent of verdance of brush, grass and trees that all surrounded him.  Daylight was waning, shadows falling across the earth as he crawled up from the crater, fingers digger into the soft soil until he crested the top.  He peeked his head over the edge, the forest quiet and faint with distant sounds of life, birds and beasts.

Suddenly a shadow passed over his sight and he shrank back into the dirt, belly to soil and through the trees, he could faintly see what he swore was Matakopas standing before him.  The shade cackled and vanished behind a tree.  Enzo tried to scurry out of the crater only to be startled again as the shadow transformed into several versions of itself, completely surrounding the crater and causing him to roll back down into the center of it.

"Look at you, Enzo...or shall I say Enzo Azura?  Isn't that what you're calling yourself now?  How quaint.  And here you are now, naked as a newborn babe," all the visions of Matakopas laughed at him and all casually checked the sleeves of their robes, mimicking one another simultaneously.  "It seems you have survived the machine, though, how we've both yet to discover.  This could be fun.  The game after all, has just begun.  This is just one of many worlds, after all."

"I'll hunt you if it's the last thing I do, Matakopas.  We're not on Vallaris anymore!" Enzo spat at him.

"You're right.  This is Earth," Matakopas said, as the images began to cascade into each other until they vanished into but one form.  "Good luck."  He grinned and vanished as Enzo scrambled to the top once more, this time with the katana in hand.  But by then, the Magecrafter was nowhere to be found.

Enzo cursed and slammed a fist into the ground, and kneeling down on the soil as the sun faded now below the horizon.  Shadows elongated and he knew he couldn't stay here for long, but where to start?  Where was he on this realm of Earth?  As he peered around he saw a dancing light far between the trees, dangling in motion.  Though he wasn't sure, it had the appearance of a lantern.  Someone was approaching and Enzo felt the cold grip of panic hold him, but what more could he do?

He did the only thing he could think of and moved behind a tree, peeking out from the side, holding his breath and waiting as the lantern light was drawing closer.

[Onixx]

She had walked far too slow. That was what her problem was. She had walked too slow and now she was stuck in the middle of the forest, in the middle of two towns with the light fading, no money and no food. She had no idea how long it was going to take to get to the next town, and if she would even come anywhere close before nightfall.

Hollow. That's how she was feeling.  Hollow like a log long ago felled. So hollow she could feel the skittering of small woodland animals in her stomach. She paused a moment to free her lamp from her bag, the purchase that had cost the last of her money, which right now she was half celebrating, since it would light her way, and half regretting because,  well - the low grumble from her belly was answer to that one.

With a sigh she knelt to set the thing alight, before continuing on her way.
Boots scuffing across the stony ground the girl kept pushing herself along until another shuffling sound caught her attention. She hitched her bag up on her shoulder and stopped, green eyes peering into the dimness and breathing stilled.

A frown creased her brow - she couldn't see anything clearly. Was that a shadow behind that tree, or was she just imagining things now? She couldn't be certain.  It only took her a moment to make a decision. She quickly scuffed together a make shift fire from the debris on the forest floor, and knelt beside it, never once taking her eyes off the tree. Maybe, if she lit a small fire she'd see more? Taking a small twig she dipped it into the lantern until a little tongue of flame caught.

As she placed the fire starter with a shaking hand to the leaves and branches before her she continued to watch the tree. Was it? Was it ....?

[Lion]

Enzo was lying if he said he wasn't afraid and his heart was beating a thousand miles a minute as proof of that.  He had no idea what to expect in a place like this, if the glowing light was actually a lantern and not some creature.  Things were much darker here than he remembered on Vallaris and the little lantern seemed that much starker and sharper to his eyes.

He held his breath, waiting behind the tree and hoping to the gods that it wasn't just another of Matakopas's tricks.  That he would succeed in fooling the old bodyguard would shame Enzo to no end.  He chided himself for his fear, why should he be stuck here beind this ragged tree?  This wasn't what his father taught him, what he'd been trained to do.  He was a trained to look at death squarely in the face and welcome it's embrace, to die so that his Prince to live to see another day.  But that was fated never to be.  Enzo had failed him, his duty and his oaths.  if he had any courage he would kill himself now while he still had some honor left, but the only thing that still his hand was the fact that Matakopas was still out there somewhere.  Enzo heard the spark of something and smelled the smoke of fire nearby...a fire.  So it was a lantern.  That gave some small measure of relief, to know that it was indeed a person.  But was it an enemy?  To know, Enzo slowly poked his head out from behind the tree and saw a figure sitting by the fire.  Quickly he ducked his face back from the tree.  Well he couldn't stay here forever and began to move in a crouch through the brush, staying as far away from the fire light as he could.

[Onixx]

It was. She saw the flash of eyes clearly. For a moment her heart leapt into her throat,  pulse racing in her ears. She frowned a little,  peering at the figure that started to retreat. Surely someone meaning mischief would confront her?

"Hey," she called gently,  voice harsh and rasping in the cool air, "there's fire here if you're cold. I mean no harm."

There - ball in the shadow's  court, so to speak. Or so she thought.  The fire hadn't only given her warmth, it had also attracted a hungry pair of predators. Behind her back four yellowed eyes drew closer,  a soft snarling coming from between bared fangs.

Dorah thought it was her stomach rumbling.

[Lion]

Enzo kept to the darkness, fearful, quiet and said nothing in response.  The voice was strange, almost feminine but had a tinge to it he couldn't quiet place.  He only eyed her in the darkness, his eyes still adjusting.

Maybe if he went around her, he could avoid her.  Or better yet, skirt around her quietly enough, he could see what was in her pack and take what supplies he could get.  Yes, it would not be a proud moment, but he had little alternative.

That was until he saw two eyes behind her that made him still in the darkness, hiding between two gnarled shrubs with thorns that poked and scraped at his skin and made him wince.  But his mind at once ignored the pain as he focused on the two eyes that were gradually closing in behind the figure.

Enzo crouched low, holding the katana upside down and before suddenly rushing forth, springing just at the edge of the camp and surprised at the force of the jump, vaulting over the figure by the fire and meeting the maw of the beast as it sprung forth as well.  The katana sunk into it's skull from the nose diagonally down, cutting through it's throat as Enzo landed with it, beside the girl and her fire.  By then the second beast launched itself at him, snarling and tearing into Enzo's arm before he could wrench his sword free.

[I wrote them assuming they were wolves xD  I was gonna ask, but figured it didn't matter that much.]

[Onixx]

Redorah watched still, waiting to see if she'd made a mistake in offering a spot beside her fire. Pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders, the girl started to train her eyes away from the darkness and back to her fire, when the growling came again.

And all of a sudden he was there, sailing over her. Dorah's eyes popped open for a moment startled both by the motion and the fact that this man was - well, naked. Without a stitch. Nothing. Nada. Not only that, but the magnificent weapon he held, felled that one animal she hadn't even known was there in a swoop.

As he and the wolf landed down beside her, appropriate reaction swooped in, and Dorah rolled away with a squeak, scooting with hands and feet clawing at the dirt beneath her. The second beast came flying towards the would-be hero, attaching itself to his arm, before Dorah could find her voice.

Flight, crossed her mind. She could just run. It wasn't her problem. He didn't have to come charging out - he could have just let her be two big doggies midnight snack. But he didn't, and by her own little code of honour, Dorah knew that to run away now would be complete and utter cowardice. Pulling herself up, she racked her brains for something to use, not realising in her haste to concoct a plan that his own katana was still stuck in the other animal.

"Hey, wolf," she rasped, drawing her eyebrows together, and curling her lips into a snarl, like she used to with the dogs back home, "go home." She pulled her fist back, and let a solid punch fly, that landed squarely on the wolf's nose. Startled for a moment, the creature disengaged it's teeth, and then leapt at Dorah.

It probably wasn't the smartest plan, after all.

[Lion]

As soon as he was freed from the animal's teeth, Enzo rolled away and wrenched the katana from the other wolf's head as soon as the beast was making itself occupied with the girl foolish enough to strike it in the nose.  But it was a minor comfort as it gave him a chance to recoup himself and turn to stab the blade into the last remaining animal before slumping beside it, twisting the blade a little in it's back until it stopped struggling.

He knelt behind it and looked at her, bleeding just a little and narrowing his eyes in a glare.  "What's the matter with you?  What kind of madperson just wanders around the wilderness at night?" he snapped.  "There are dangers lurking all about!"