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Far from Home

Started by PixelatedGlory, March 21, 2018, 09:05:22 PM

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PixelatedGlory

The slight, almost delicate looking man in rough woolen clothes seemed very out of place and a little terrified as he trudged his way slowly up the rocky path. Why did I come north into Connlaoth? And during a time of unrest over magic use, no less. The faster I get over these mountains the safer I'll be. He ran his fingers through his messy brown hair and then pulled his cloak tighter around himself.

Oren didn't necessarily travel alone by choice. In fact he would have preferred to be part of a group. Less likely to be taken by bandits that way. Unfortunately his gifts sometimes acted up while he was sleeping and, given the situation in Connlaoth, it was probably better to be captured by bandits than to reveal himself to someone who might turn him in. If he can make it over the mountains he can probably find a way back around to Serendipity.

Oren stumbled on an old, gnarled root sticking out of the ground as his thoughts wandered and promptly twisted his ankle. "Oh, good. That's exactly what I need right now," he exclaims in mild frustration. He sits on a nearby rock to take a look at his ankle and then casts his gaze carefully around to see if anyone was watching. Upon not seeing anyone he placed one hand on either side of his ankle and the tendrils of a soft purple glow wrapped around the injury.

DragonSong

Through the eyes of a crow she watched the mountain pass, hoping for some easy hunting. Or some less than easy hunting. Something for the Red Howlers to do.

In a thick murder, the bird she was using to watch the pass wheeled low, cawing, and she caught a glimmer of magic out of the corner of his eye. Hmmm... "Southwest down the pass," she murmured to the wolf at her shoulder.

Aeris huffed. "Target?"

She shook her head, blinking as she shut off her Sight. Back to the darkness. "Stranger, traveling alone. A healer, I think, from what I could make out. Could be useful."

Her foster brother huffed again and she felt his paw on her shoulder. "We don't need a healer, we've got you."

Shyla rolled her eyes. "You have a half-decent field medic. It's not the same thing. C'mon." Before he could react, she sprang to her feet and took off down the side of the mountain.

Aeris growled and barked, "Fall in!" and some half dozen lycanthropes were suddenly running behind her. Stones clattered beneath her feet as Shyla circled around to the stranger, pulling up short in front of him. She may not be able to see, but her memory of the layout of the land was next to perfect.

Two blades drawn and crossed in a defensive stance, she barked to the wolves behind her, "Hold, all of you!" No need to scare the man. Milky eyes fixed on the stranger and she quirked an eyebrow. "Now. Who exactly are you?"

PixelatedGlory

As stones clattered off the walls of the pass, combining with the footfalls of lycanthropes, one could almost be convinced an earth slide was nigh. Oren jumped at the sudden sound and very nearly fell backwards off the rock he had been perched on. In the movement his cloak opened to reveal more plain clothing and very little of interest except for a small knife and an unsatisfying coin purse on his belt.

As he steadied himself he had no time to even think of reaching for the knife. Not that it would have been much use to him if they chose to fight. He'd always been better at fixing wounds than causing them.

Oren first focused on the blades, and the way that they seemed to be held by someone well practiced in using them. He froze in place, replying quietly, "I, um, appreciate you not wanting to scare me but those blades look just as deadly as your...friends? I am Oren, though I don't think my name really matters in this case. I don't have much money, but you can have it, if that is what you are after."

He started to reach towards his coin purse and then stopped as he thought it best not to move unexpectedly. Instead he chose to look at the leader's face, hoping to see that she didn't mean to harm him. He made no comment about the eyes, though he recognized the telltale milky swirl of blindness present in them.

DragonSong

Shyla smirked, and she spun her dagger and short sword back into their sheaths at her hips. A bit of showing off, but that never hurt anyone.

She gave a sharp whistle and the six members of the pack who'd been with her on this scouting mission melted out of the scraggly trees and underbrush to flank her.

"We don't want money," the young woman said easily, leaning back on her heel. She sighed and shot a baleful glower at her foster family, though she couldn't really see them at the moment. "See? I told you to just let me handle things like this?"

Her sister Stella growled low in her throat, but Shyla waved her off and turned back to Oren. She stepped forward, the pack staying where they were, eyeing him warily. "You're in dangerous territory, stranger. We know these mountains, we could be helpful to you."

The implication was clear- if he stepped out of line, they could be the opposite of helpful.

PixelatedGlory

Oren let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding into a decidedly unmanly sound. Much like a quiet whimper. He relaxed a tiny bit as the weapons were stowed but the approach of the others made him decide to remain seated.

He gives a nervous laugh as he looks between the gathering of people more or less surrounding him, "If you aren't after money and you aren't going to eat me, and I really hope that you aren't, what is it that you do want?"

His eyes flit towards the source of the growling, but return to Shyla when no attack comes and she resumes speaking, "I can tell that not all of your companions are as willing to help as you claim to be. That offers me two choices, I think. Either I put myself at your mercy, and I think I already am, or I can try to make a run for it back the way I came."

Oren looks back the way he came and thinks for a moment before turning back and struggling to give a lackluster smile, "I think I would rather take you up on your offer." He slowly stands up and extends his right hand. "So, if its not too much, how did you come to be leading this pack of...wolves?" He gives a bit of a confused look at the pack members standing behind Shyla.

DragonSong

Her pack chuckled, low and rough, and Shyla smirked. Aeris leaned in close and murmured that the stranger was extending his hand to shake, and she stepped forward to take it.

"Well now, it's not very nice to judge someone by their looks," she said with a little grin, eyes staring blankly over his shoulder. "What makes you think my pack doesn't want to help?"

Stella hid a laugh into a cough, and one of her brothers elbowed her. Shyla rolled her eyes. "And I don't lead them, exactly. That's Aeris's job." She nodded to the massive, burgundy maned creature on her left, and her smile went crooked. "I'm just the public face, so to speak."

She drew her hand back and turned to move toward her family. "Come on, then. We made camp further up the mountainside, it's just this way."

PixelatedGlory

Oren shakes Shyla's hand and it is a reasonably firm grip, though a little clammy from nervous sweat. He raises up his other palm and attempts to step back, forgetting he is still shaking her hand, "No, no I'm not judging anyone by their looks. Just the growling. And the glares."

He awkwardly moves to use the free hand to dust himself off and straighten out his cloak, "And I did notice you didn't say what you wanted." He nods towards Aeris, "Nice to meet you too then. Please forgive me for assuming. " He seems much more hesitant to offer his hand to Aeris.

Turning back to Shyla he adds, "I suppose I could understand why you would do the talking, uhm... I'm sorry I didn't catch your name. What should I call you?" He seems a little confused why she was shaking his hand for so long but doesn't mention it.

Oren slowly follows her after she releases his hand, trying to make it clear that he is leaving enough space between them that he is not a threat. "Do you all live here?"

DragonSong

"Well, who really lives anywhere?" she tossed cryptically over her shoulder. Aeris rolled his eyes and nudged her.

"Stop that, Shy," he rumbled. "And you said we were gonna scare him."

His half-elven sister crinkled up her nose at him, then twisted to add to their guest, "Name's Shyla, by the way. Not Shy." A pointed glare in Aeris's direction.

The lycan chuckled and dropped forward onto all fours to move faster up the mountainside, his siblings falling in beside him.

"So, what exactly are your going rates?" Shyla asked pleasantly. "Mind yourself, the path gets really steep here," she added as she adjusted her step accordingly.

PixelatedGlory

Oren raises an eyebrow, "My family lives on their farm back in Serendipity. At least I hope so. They should have been ok after I left."

He looks between Shyla and Aeris as they talk to each other but says nothing.

He smiles when she says her name, "That's a nice name, though I would never call you Shy. I don't think you are." He stifles a chuckle at the wordplay.

He looks very nervous when she mentions rates, "I-I don't think I understand. What rates do you mean? Oh. OH," he stops walking entirely, "You must have seen me then. Not that I understand how given your...please don't report me. I'll help you as much as I can, free of charge." He looks even more scared of being "reported" than he did when he saw the pack.

Oren's right hand inches towards the handle of his knife out of reflex.

DragonSong

"Oh gods." Shyla rolled her eyes again and stopped to turn and face him. "First of all, no one's reporting you anywhere. You think *this* lot is friendly with the Connlaothian government?" She gestured to herself and her pack with an incredulously raised eyebrow, then continued, "Second- please don't get all weird about the blind thing. It gets so tiring, you wouldn't believe it. Trust that I can navigate well enough and just leave it at that, yeah? And third..."

She suddenly smirked again, cocking a hip and planting a hand at her waist. "We don't much believe in work for no pay, so I'll ask again: what're your rates? We've got a few small injuries back at camp, but it's the sickness I'm worried about. We need a proper healer, and it's hard to find one out here."

PixelatedGlory

Oren frowns but moves his hand back away from his knife. "Well I'm sorry if I'm a bit on edge. I've only spent months trying to hide my gift and running for my life when I get found out or decide I need to use it to help someone. I don't know much about Connlaoth, otherwise I would have never come north." He punctuates the last bit by kicking a rock towards the wall of the pass in frustration.

Oren takes a deep breath and a moment to calm himself and there is more of a hint of compassion in his voice as he resumes following Shyla, "I should not have mentioned your eyes. Clearly whatever sight you possess is beyond my understanding."

He puts up his hands as she begins lecturing him about not working for free. "Ok, ok I understand. I'm sure we can figure out a fair trade. First, I would require food and shelter while I stay with your people. Second, in return for the smaller injuries I would ask for supplies so that I might survive my trip north until I can reach the next bit of civilization. Third, if, and I can't promise anything, I can help with the "sickness" I would ask to be escorted safely through the mountains. I only ask for what I need to live. My gift is not for making money."

DragonSong

Aeris and Shyla exchanged a glance, then nodded. "Alright, that sounds fair enough."

The half-elf paused a moment, waiting for him to catch up with her. She held a hand out in his direction, not even pretending to look toward him. "Here, take my hand and follow my footsteps exactly. Path is tricky here."

She refrained from mentioning that the path was treacherous because the Red Howlers had spent a good amount of time trapping it. Never hurt to be extra cautious.

PixelatedGlory

"Great," Oren smiled with relief that the terms had been accepted so easily. Well at least I won't go hungry tonight. I really hope this sickness is something I can actually help with.

He extended his hand out to lightly grasp hers. It was less clammy now but the man was definitely still a little nervous, hiding it only a little as he was distracted by carefully watching her steps. He made a few missteps here and there but for the most part he followed her direction.

"Yeah, that was a hell of a root that tripped me before you showed up," he grimaces remembering the pain that had shot through his ankle. He brushed his hair out of his face with his free hand, "Have you lived here long? You seem to know your way around."

DragonSong

"Right, roots." With luck that would be the only thing tripping him up.

"Practically all my life," Shyla answered his question as they continued the climb. Subtly, she reached out with her Sight and slipped herself in behind Oren's eyes. His gifts were healing, not telepathy, so hopefully he wouldn't notice.

Her step paused for a moment as she adjusted to seeing through his eyes, seeing herself as she led him along. It was only a moment's hesitation though, she was used to such adjustments, and she continued leading him up the path.

"Exactly where I step, remember," she coached as she sidestepped a hidden snare.

PixelatedGlory

Oren was puzzled at the comment about roots. It almost seemed like he was missing something, but there was no reason to ask about it. Regardless, just focusing on not falling was a good enough reason to drop the matter.

As Oren continued to climb he tightened his grip just a little bit Shyla's hand without realizing it. He could heal any minor injuries he incurred if he did fall but it was best not to use any more of his power before seeing who needed to be tended to and how badly they were hurt.

With a grin he replies, "Well then I guess I stumbled upon the best possible mountain guide I could ask for." And with that he continued watching Shyla's steps. There was no resistance to the reaching out of Shyla's Sight.

Oren's vision wavered for just a second and he blinked a few extra times. He was grateful for the brief pause as he waited to make sure nothing was wrong with his eyes. For the shortest second the perspective Shyla was getting from Oren's eyes took on a very faint purple hue and then returned to normal. When nothing further happened he shrugged and continued on. I don't sense anything wrong, maybe I just got a little sweat in my eye.

To anyone else it probably just looked like Shyla had paused for whatever reason and Oren just blinked a few more times than usual. The purple tinge would have only been visible to Oren, and by extension Shyla.

Oren's focus was mostly on where they were putting their feet, though he did occasionally glance up to see where the rest of the pack was and to get a better idea of just who Shyla was. She's dressed for the climate and well armed, but traveling light. Iron? He takes a closer look to see if she is carrying tools of iron or not.

"I'm not a child, I can follow your directions just fine," he says quietly as he just barely avoids stepping into the snare

DragonSong

"Mmm..." Shyla was preoccupied with the odd haze of violet over his vision. But it had passed quickly enough, so she didn't dwell on it too long.

"I'm sure you can," she murmured, though she didn't let go of his hand. Almost like she was humoring a child. "Aeris! Run ahead and tell the pack we're coming, yeah?"

"Already on it!" That was Stella calling back to her, the female lycan pausing a little further up the path as she waited for her sister. "So. You got much experience with mountain trekking, outsider?" Stella asked as they got closer.

PixelatedGlory

As Shyla spoke Oren jerked his gaze back to the ground, realizing that he had been too distracted by examining how she was dressed and what she was carrying.

With his focus back on where he was going it was a lot less likely for Oren to step in the wrong place or trip on something. A small amount of pink embarrassment crept its way to Oren's face as he realized by the tone that she was humoring him. Still he didn't let go either and continued letting her lead him up the trail.

Oren turned towards Stella, trusting that he wouldn't make a mistake in the brief moments it took to respond, "No, the only mountains I've been in were those between Serendipity and Connlaoth. And I was with a trade caravan at the time. I wouldn't be here if I had a choice, no offense. I'm no adventurer." He pauses for a moment before adding, "I can't really tell you all apart yet but I don't think we've been introduced. May I know your name please?"

DragonSong

She snorted and replied shortly, "Stella."

Lowering her voice, Shyla murmured, "She's got more gray in her fur than most of the others." She knew her family were sensitive about how outsiders saw them.

PixelatedGlory

"Nice to meet you then Stella, I'd offer to shake your hand but it is kind of occupied at the moment," he smiled in an attempt to ward off the awkwardness. Don't think she liked me being unable to tell them apart

Oren returned his focus to following Shyla, "Not that I'm bothered by it. I appreciate someone trying to keep me safe."

DragonSong

That made Stella smile, for lack of a better term, wolfishly. Shyla snorted and rolled her eyes as she tugged Oren further up the path. "Yeah, well don't get used to it. They don't pay me to babysit."

Stella snorted. "We don't pay you at all, pup," she rumbled, ruffling Shyla's hair.

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