FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter two

Her eyes blinked open as a bright light filtered through, her sleep-addled mind quickly regretting the action as sunlight shone into her unadjusted vision. She snapped her eyes closed, turning head and cracking her lids open once more to instead stare at the dark, moss covered ground. She brought a four-fingered hand to her head and palmed her eyes, blinking them open as they focused more clearly. The action made her pause for a moment, studying both her arms. She stared at them blankly, how were they free? She flexed her jaws, finding those too to be free of restraint. She laid there perplexed, her mind trying to fit together the missing pieces of memory.

She made to sit up, only to be restricted by something caught around her body. She gave a growl of annoyance, glancing down at herself to find some heavy blanket half wrapped around her form. Rolling partway onto her side she grabbed an edge of the material and tugged, removing the unwanted covering. She pulled herself upright a second time, a twinge emanating from her chest as she stretched the muscles. She bent her chin to her collar and peered at the area. Layers of white cloth wrapped around her torso served to remind her of the slash she'd received and nearly forgotten, the panicked results of the man whose throat she had removed.

That was an old memory days past however, and helped little to fill in the blanks her mind was pulling. She brought the heavy cloth in her hand up to her nose and gave it a small sniff. The scent wasn't one she recognized, human, but not of the ones who had captured her. Her ears gave an irritated twitch at having yet another stranger to contend with. Her ears' twitch of irritation turned to one of recollection at that thought.

A stranger. She thought to herself, the fuzzy dream-like memories of the night before returning to her. She almost did write those images off as the remnants of a dream, but then why would the men who'd held her simply free her of her bonds and then leave her after all the trouble? She turned her head towards where those images had seemingly taken place, catching sight between the tents of unmoving forms on the ground. Not a dream then. She thought. Though that answered as many questions as it raised, key among them being why the human would seemingly aid her. She wasn't sure she liked the prospect of a human helping her anymore than being held captive by them. At least if they were trying to kill you their intentions were fairly obvious.

She gave a grunt and dropped, what she realized, was a cloak to the side. Another act of aid from the stranger it seemed. She was beginning to wonder where the human was to begin with, or if he had just tended to her wounds and went on his way. She couldn't smell him beyond the scent that clung to his cloak, nor had she seen any sign of his presence so far. She gave a snort as she climbed to her feet and gave a large stretch; arms spread and a satisfied growl emanating from her throat. Her muscles were still sore and she could feel the various parts of her body that were most likely bruised from the beatings she had received. But it was still satisfying to be free of any bonds and able to stand unhindered to her full height.

Although, there still remained one final nuisance to rid herself of. She reached her clawed hands down to the bandages around her chest, determined to just cut through them with her claws.

"I wouldn't take those off just yet." A voice abruptly said from behind her, making her whirl around in surprise with fur bristling and teeth bared. Her glaring eyes came to rest upon a man standing not far from her with arms casually crossed. He returned her glare with a calm stare of his own, waiting to see what her next action would be. She herself remained unmoving, the sides of her maw raised to bare the rows of sharp teeth. The man slowly lifted his hands in an open gesture of calm, as she stood with muscles tensed, ready to spring at any moment.

"I didn't mean to startle you, I thought it best to allow you time to collect your thoughts before presenting myself to you." He said. "I assure you I have no desire to cause you harm."

She slowly lowered her lips until they were a thin black line once more, hiding her fang-like teeth from view. She remained in her tense posture however, giving the man an appraising glance up and down. She easily stood a head above him at least; an advantage she quickly realized wouldn't gain her anything in her current state if it came to a fight. Especially after witnessing his display last night, and she didn't even have arms or armor. She gave a slow exhale of breath and righted herself from the aggressive, hunched over stance she had taken. She'd allow the human a small amount of her trust in light of his previous actions. She noted that the man seemed somewhat relieved as she eased from her posture, thought she couldn't figure why.

"My name is Falren, if you are inclined to know it." He said to her. "Are you hungry? I can't imagine your previous company were very accommodating in that regard."

Now that the subject was brought up she became aware that she was actually very hungry, the sensation having been overshadowed by the wealth of other unpleasant feelings. She gave a small dip of her head in answer to his question, watching him with cautious eyes. She still didn't know what this Falren wanted or why he would help her, and she wasn't about to let her guard down again.

With her nod the man strode over to a pitch-black horse that was standing outside the ring of tents, munching contentedly on the low-lying plants. He flipped open one of the bags attached to the saddle and began digging threw its contents. While the man retrieved... whatever it was he was looking for she walked the few steps to a nearby log and slowly sat herself down, curling her tail to the side. No sooner had she settled into a sitting position the man turned with a bundle in hand and walked over to her. Her eyes watched him intently as he came to a stop within arms reach from her and offered the bundle of cloth. She gingerly accepted the package, keeping her eyes on the man as he promptly returned to his horse and began fishing around again.

With the man engrossed in his own task she shifted her gaze to the wrapped up cloth in her lap. As she set about unwrapping the bundle she idly wondered what manner of "food" she had been given. She soon had her answer as she unfolded the last layer of cloth: strips of meat that had taken on a dry, dark appearance from whatever means they had been cooked with. She picked up a piece in her claws and gave the meat an inspecting sniff, smelling... rather nothing actually. She gave a slight grimace, but tore a chunk off it nonetheless. She was too hungry to be picky even if it wasn't quite to her liking.

While she tore at the chewy meat Falren walked back over, settling himself on one of the four logs situated around the low embers of the night priors fire. She cast a glance to his hands to observe him dropping oblong leaves into a pot at his feet. After adding few leaves to the pot, he filled it partway with water from a skin beside him and placed it on the edge of the coals to boil. She let her gaze linger on him a moment as he sat staring at the dimly glowing cinders. A dark crop of hair resting above silvery eyes that continued to bear the same calm visage, always holding that gauging look.

His uncaring demeanor to her presence, along with his willingness to help her, aroused her curiosity... and her suspicion. She grabbed another strip of the meat and tore into it, content to just sate her hunger for the time being. A few minutes of the silence was all she could take however, her impatience pushing her to finally speak.

"Why help me, human." She asked the inevitable question as the man reached for the slowly bubbling, tea she realized, and put it aside on the ground.

"Should I not have?" He replied calmly, picking up a pair of tin cups and dunking them into the pot.

She cast a hesitant glance towards the cup as he stood and offered it to her. "You had no reason to help me."

"You were being held captive by bandits, that was enough of a reason for me. Besides, I find it unlikely they had any just motivation for capturing you." He said, still holding the proffered cup. "You don't have to drink it if you don't want to." He added.

She gave him a glare, but took the cup and gave it the same cautious inspection she had given everything else. Her ears perked up as she recognized the drink as one that she'd back amongst her clan on rare occasions, a strange thing for him to be carrying around. She plucked the leaves from where they were floating on the surface and tipped some of the mildly bitter, herbal tasting liquid down her maw. The drink was good, its familiarity serving to calm her nerves. She'd always had a short temper, and an even shorter amount of patience, a trait that her mother said she inherited from her father's blood.

"So tell me," The man started, diverting her attention, "what brings a lone Sergal this close to Rindal?"

She favored him with another sharp glare as he simply sat watching her. "I grew restless." She said.

He gave a hum as he took a sip of his tea. "What clan are you from?"

That question surprised her somewhat. "You wouldn't know if I told you."

"Oh, you may be surprised. Was yours a large one?"

"No." She replied with a flick of her ears. "We're small, secluded in the mountains."

The man gave a thoughtful nod as he sipped at the tea, though he didn't ask her anything further. She wondered why he would be interested in that, or even what it would mean to him. It certainly didn't seem like a bit of information a Human would find relevant.

She poured the rest of her drink down her maw and swallowed it with an irritated gulp. Her body and mind were in a much better state now, and both were growing restless. She wanted to be on the move again and she didn't much care where she headed; she hadn't had a destination when she started and she certainly didn't have one now. Though there was a slight difference between then and now, namely being the fact that the men who captured her had striped her of arms and armor. She'd lost track of what they'd done with them, and she wasn't fond of venturing forth with nothing but tooth and claw. Dangerous as they were, their effectiveness was diminished when her potential foes would fight with steel and bolt.

Her thoughts were disturbed as Falren stood and walked over to her, gesturing towards her now empty cup. She held the cup up to him, her tail giving a twitch as he relieved it from her grasp and stacked it in the pot along with his own. She watched him bring the utensils back to his horse and pack them away in the saddle before walking off towards one of the pitched tents and slip inside. Once he disappeared from view she shifted her gaze once more to the ground between her splayed feet, thinking of how she would continue onward. She could just use one of the bandit's weapons; as little as that prospect appealed to her it would at least be better than nothing.

She gave a startled jump as a large bundle was dropped in front of her, ears perking up as the sound of clanking metal accompanied it. She shot her eyes up to the human, giving him an angry, questioning stare.

"I found these while you were sleeping and could only imagine they were yours." He said, holding out a scabbard with one hand. "They certainly aren't made to fit a man."

Her mood lightened at the sight of the offered scabbard. She reached out her hand and wrapped it around the familiar hilt of her sword, taking it from the man's grasp as she did so. She laid it across her lap and pulled the blade free, looking it up and down for any damages that may have been caused to it. She was happy to see the blade hadn't been intentionally damaged in its absence, and slid it back into the sheath. Hopefully her armor would share the same condition.

Before setting about with her armor she lifted her gaze to the man. "Thank you... Falren." She said grudgingly, but genuine all the same.

He merely gave a tip of his head in response before returning to the log across from her and sitting down once more. She bent down and flipped open the blanket her armor was bundled in, picking up the first piece that her eyes fell upon. The armor was basic; sections much like greeves and vambraces protected her lower legs and arms, while different pieces covered the upper areas of both. Lastly was an angular breastplate, the front elongated upwards to form a sort of collar. There wasn't any mail or leather to be worn beneath; merely the plates had a layer of padding to cushion her from the blunt force of any blows.

It wasn't much, but it served well enough to protect the larger swaths of exposed flesh. Though, armor or no it didn't make much difference if you were careless. She gave a snort at that thought. What was done was done however. It could have turned out worse she supposed, how worse was a matter of opinion.

She laid out the last piece of armor, having inspected them all to find no signs of abuse beyond that caused by her use of it, and that from before it was given. Satisfied with that, she began to don the sections of armor, beginning with that on her legs before moving to those for her arms. The chest piece took a bit more fiddling, but after she had settled it and tightened the buckles sufficiently it was on too. It caused a bit of irritation as her movements made it rub against the wounded part of her chest, but it was nothing she couldn't deal with. The last remaining thing was her sword belt, which she wrapped around her waist just above the sash she wore.

With her arms and armor back her mind once more settled on the desire to be going somewhere. A desire she was all too happy to agree with, as she'd had quite enough of this forest and it's inhabitants. Exactly where she would go was still an unknown to her, she had never ventured far from her clan before now and her knowledge of the lands beyond was quite... limited. Falren seemed to pick up on her anxiousness, for he stood to his feet, drawing her eyes to peer at him.

"I'd imagine you are quite eager to be away from this place." He stated, crossing his arms casually again. "But before you set off there is something I'd like to ask you."

"And what is that." She said, narrowing her eyes at him as her lips twitched upwards a fraction. Her hands unconsciously clenched, claws threatening to dig into her palms. This is where he would no doubt try and wring something from her for his aid.

"Well, simply put I am curious as to where you intend to go now." He replied, unfazed by her subtle display.

She cocked her head slightly at the question, unclenching her hands when it didn't turn out to be what she expected.

"I do not know." She said. "Even if I did what is it to you?"

"It is of no matter to me, and I certainly will not stop you if you wish to go on alone." He began. "...But, if you truly don't have a destination in mind perhaps I can offer you some guidance."

"I do not need to be led along like a pup clutching at its mother's tail." She snapped at him, her impatience thinking for her.

"I meant no offense, merely offering a possible direction. As I said I won't stand in your way, but you may find it an easier time if you ventured forth with another rather than just yourself. It never hurts to have an extra blade at your back."

She took a breath and exhaled it slowly before speaking. "Why go through the trouble? Why trust the blade of a stranger, let alone one who isn't your kind?"

He quirked a brow slightly at her question. "Trouble? It's no trouble. If you are interested in going the same direction as me I certainly see no reason to not offer. As for trusting you at my back, well, I rather doubt you'll try and put a sword in it. Call it instinct."

"And if I do go along with you? What then." She asked.

He gave a small shrug. "That's entirely up to you. You're free to travel with me for as far as you wish. Though, sometimes the paths I tread are not always safe ones."

"If I were worried about being safe I'd have stayed at my mother's heels." She responded dryly.

"Yes, I suppose you would have." He replied with a small grin.

She gave a dismissive flick of her ears at that. It was an offer worth considering though; she'd left to see the world first hand in a sense, rather than only knowing what she was told and shown. Still, a human wouldn't have been her first choice in company. Although he did seem a deal different than the rest, and that had sparked her curiosity.

She brought a hand to her head and rubbed the spot between her eyes. To hells with it.

"Very well, human." She said, climbing to her feet as she did so. "I'll accompany you. For now."

"Well then, I do believe it's time we set off." He said, casting a silvery gaze into the sky. "We should be able to cover a decent amount of ground with the light we have, hopefully we may even get clear of this forest by tomorrow."

"And then what?" She asked, following a few steps behind him as he walked over to his horse.

"Well," He started while briefly running through his saddlebags, "after that my original destination had been Rindal's capital. I need to check on some things."

As he finished saying that he buckled the bag in front of him closed and cast a glance at her. "Since we shall be traveling together, is there a name I can call you as?"

She gave an annoyed twitch of her tail, but reasoned that it wouldn't cause any harm for him to know her name at this point.

"Velanis." She offered simply.

"In that case Velanis," He said with a small incline of his head, "let us be on our way."

She gave a snort, but fell into step behind him regardless as he made his way into the forest with his horse's reins in hand. She had a feeling that this trek would be a rather boring one. Though she couldn't necessarily say that was a bad thing, considering the last break to the boredom had ended with her being bound and beaten on. When she thought about it that way maybe traveling with this Falren wouldn't be as bad as she made it out to be...

***

Just as she predicted the next hours were indeed tedious, spent in relative silence as they made their way through the forest. Some time around midday they had come upon a "small" river, as Falren put it, cutting its way through the trees. It was certainly a welcome discovery, as it both meant they had a source of water and an easier means of navigating the forest. The water was crisp and crystal clear, flowing its way from the snowy mountains down through Rain Wood, and eventually into Rindal. As a result Falren had quickly opted to follow the river along its mossy banks, rather than fight their way amongst the trees and brush.

By the time the day had aged into early evening they had covered a good distance from the morning, or she thought as much anyway. She wasn't familiar with the area nor the direction Falren was leading her in, but they had been following the river for a good few hours at least, in a consistent direction. She spent most of the time simply lost in her own mind, trying to pass the time as they walked along. She didn't know how Falren could keep trudging on in silence as he did, but then, he had been by himself until coming across her.

As a result of her withdrawn state of mind she barely noticed Falren coming to a stop in front of her until she heard him say her name. She jerked her head up and gave him a questioning look. He pointed up to the sky with his thumb in answer, her gaze following it to look at the mixed hues of color that signified the sun was passing towards night.

"It's getting late. This spot looks about as good as any, so we may as well make camp while there's some light." He informed her.

She gave a grunt in acknowledgement and cast her gaze around the area he would have them spending the night in. It was basically just the bank of the river that had advanced a little farther into the trees, leaving a larger swath of moss and dirt than usual. She understood what he meant by "good as any" however, as if they kept going they were likely to find even less accommodating spaces. She also doubted he wanted to waste time looking for another spot for what would only be a nights rest. Not that she'd complain; she was quite looking forward to taking a moment to properly wash out her fur. Falren had done a well enough job getting the bulk of the grime cleaned out, but she still wasn't entirely free of it.

"Would you mind helping me gather wood for a fire?" He asked her as he brought his horse to the trees edge and wrapped its reins around a branch.

She didn't give a verbal response, simply stepped into the trees and began digging around for dry wood as Falren did the same. When she had gathered an armful she brought it back to the relative center of their camp and deposited it on a pile. Falren soon returned with his own, and after digging out his flint and steel set about creating his fire. She stepped back and allowed him to tend to it, instead walking over to the animal that he kept with him. The black haired creature lifted its head to stare at her with large brown eyes as she approached it.

She expected the animal to shy away from her, like most animals did when confronted with her kinds predatory nature. Instead, it simply held its blank stare at her as she came to a stop by its head, even going so far as to try and nudge its nose against her. She gave the horse a growl, displaying a flash of her teeth at its uncaring attitude. That didn't affect it in the slightest either, as if it somehow knew her show was just an empty display. The creature continued to look at her, until she finally brought her clawed hand up with a huff and rubbed its head in return for its stubbornness.

She heard Falren give a laugh from behind her at the little display as she lowered her hand. "You won't put much of a scare into that old beast. He's been around enough Sergals to know when they truly mean to harm him." He called to her.

She gave a squint at that. Been around others of my kind? She thought to herself, questions popping into her mind. She pushed the thoughts aside for now however, and returned to where the man had gotten a spark to catch on the tinder. For all his willingness to help her he certainly didn't seem inclined to divulge his past or his reasons, and that made her even more curious. She eyed him as he slowly built up the flame, adding more fuel until he was able to let it burn unattended. He stood, brushing off his hands before walking over to the horse and flipping open a saddlebag. He quickly passed her a bundle of cloth that she'd come to recognize as the less then savory meat.

"Come morning I'm going to go out and see if I can't find something to replenish out supply before we get moving again." He stated, taking a pull from his water skin.

She certainly held no complaints with that plan as she chewed on a piece of the jerky. She didn't know how anyone could stomach the dry excuse of meat for any long period of time. As a matter of fact... Her ears perked up as an idea crossed her mind.

"I'll go instead." She half offered, half told the man.

He replaced his water skin and turned to her with a shrug. "If you want to I won't argue. Just don't take too long trying to track something down.

She cracked a tooth-filled grin at him. "There won't be any 'trying', I'll find something. I'm not like you humans stomping around, scaring away half the prey before you even find it."

"Yes, yes." He replied with a laugh, unbuckling his bedroll and carrying it over to the fireside. She thought she heard him chuckling something to himself along the lines of "always the same thing", but she didn't pay it much heed. The prospect of such a simple activity had brightened her mood.

She turned to watch him spread the roll out on one side of the fire. Though instead of laying on it as she expected, he instead moved to the opposite side and laid himself there with his cloak as a pillow of sorts. She found it strange that he insisted on showing her the same... courtesy. She turned her head to peer out over the river, its surface shining slightly in the darkness as the moons light became dominant. She may as well get the sleep while she could, for she knew she'd be up early before the dawn.

She stepped over to the padding and sat herself down upon it, looking across the fire at Falren whom already had his eyes closed, chest slowly rising and falling. After staring into the flickering fire a moment she lowered herself into a half curled position on the mat, her head resting on her forearm. She slowly let her eyes close, calming her mind so she could fall asleep.

"Sleep easy." She heard Falren say across from her. She frowned slightly; she could have sworn he was asleep already. She gave a small huff and focused back on getting to sleep herself.

***

"Get up, boy." The gruff voice of his Master said from above him.

He tilted his head up from the dirt under his knees to peer into the dark-red eyes of his Master, the afternoon sun shinning behind him. "It hurts." He said.

"So?" He said, kicking the boy's fallen training sword across the ground to rest in front of him. "Your opponent doesn't care how much pain you feel, or how sore your arm is. That pain you feel, boy, is the price of failing. What do you think the price would be in a real battle? Now get up."

The boy did as his master bade, slowly grasping the wooden hilt in his scuffed and bruised hand. He climbed to his tired feet and faced the tall figure of his master once more, assuming the stance he'd been shown. As soon as he had settled into position his master lunged forward with a succession of attacks; fast strikes that strained his muscles with the effort to block them all. His master had started this form of training with him a few days past to, as he said, "increase his endurance and hone his reflexes". So far the only thing that had "increased" to him was the amount of bruises he had at the end of the day.

That pain though, as his master had said, was the price of failing. And he would succeed.

He grit his teeth and focused on his master's movement and stance, trying to predict where the next swing would come from. That was the only chance he had to block the blows, as his master was fast as a snake lunge with his swings, leaving little room to think. Even predicting the blows wasn't a sure thing, his master unpredictably twisting a blow or faking a swing to slip past his guard.

The entire lesson was focused around him simply trying to block the swings, not to try and trade blows. To that extent he could hold his own for stretches of time so long as he kept his full attention on the movements in front of him. He was no fool to believe he was able to withstand his master's attacks of course, as he knew his master was only applying a fraction of his ability. A fact that was proven true by the bruises and welts on his form; caused by his master when he would do something completely unexpected.

His face twisted into a grimace as he felt the burn in his arms from parrying the blows, a sheen of sweat forming on his brow from the exertion and afternoon sun. A bead of the perspiration rolled across his forehead, catching on his eyelashes, before it seeped into the eye itself. The faint stinging made him close his eye to try and clear it, a brief opening that his master quickly exploited by darting forward and knocking his legs out from under him with his sword. He fell onto his back in the loose dirt, the breath being partly knocked from his lungs by the fall.

His master was over him in an instant, resting the rounded tip of his sword against the boy's collar, the mock fight ended in, quite literally, the blink of an eye. "Endure the pain, boy. However large or small." He said down to him, withdrawing his sword.

He reached an open, four-fingered hand down and beckoned him to take it. The boy reached his own hand up and grasped his master's, who easily hauled the smaller figure to his feet.

"That is enough for today." He said, resting a large hand on the boy's shoulder. "We shall continue tomorrow."

His master made a pointing gesture at a figure standing nearby, motioning for the person to come over with a flick of his fingers.

"Tend to his injuries and fetch him some food." He said to the figure in a tone that begged little questioning, before turning away and beginning to stride towards a large tent that was pitched a distance away.

His master stopped a few yards away and looked over his shoulder. "You are improving. I may just make a warrior out of you yet... Falren." He called and continued walking.

Falren felt a large smile tug the corners of his mouth at hearing his master's praise. Small though it may have been, it meant an immense amount having his master say those words to him. The smile couldn't be removed from his face even when the robed figure next to him laid a hand against his back and urged him towards a smaller tent pitched on the edge of the training grounds.

Falren's eyes eased open as the dream ended, peering up into a sky just being touched by the first pale-grey light of dawn. He simply gazed upwards, remembering those moments that seemed like a lifetime and a world away. Well, one of those held true anyway. He sighed and pulled his upper body into a sitting position, noting the empty space where the sergal had been. He turned his head around the area, eyes quickly falling upon the person in question.

She'd taken her armor off, resting upon her legs in a sort of crouch with a hand splayed out on the ground between, in the other hand she held a rather fresh looking clump of red. He quickly figured out that it was the organ of something, heart seemed likely, and that something became clear as his eyes noticed the gutted carcass of a deer nearby.

"Your hunt went well then." He stated, not really begging a response.

Velanis just gave him a small nod, staring at him with slit amber eyes as she chewed down the last bloody chunk. "I said I'd find something." She stated, working on cleaning the bloodstains from her hands.

"I didn't doubt you would." He said back while climbing to his feet, stretching out his arms and back.

When the sergal continued to hold her steady stare at him he quirked a questioning brow. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

She cocked her head slightly at him as he walked over to the deer carcass. "No, you were talking in your sleep." She said. "Are you going to cook that?" She asked.

"I can't make a habit of eating it raw." He told her with slight amusement.

He heard her let out a huff, but she didn't speak against it as he pulled his knife from its place in his boot and set about skinning the animal. He cast a glance over to the sergal as he methodically prepared the carcass, spotting faint scars where her fur shifted that looked like bite marks. He also saw the beginnings of more that started at her shoulders, though those were soon hidden from view by the cloth she wore. He hadn't noticed them before when he tended to her injuries, not could he have seen them with her armor on.

"Where did you get those scars?" He asked.

She gave him a puzzled look until he gestured around his own neck and shoulders. "Ah..." She started, ears twitching. "When I was young I came across a cub of one of the predators that lived near my home and tried to..." She quirked her head, "fight with it?" She gave a grimace. "It cried for help after I pounced on it, and its parent quickly showed up, biting and clawing at me."

He watched her pause as she recalled the memory.

"My mother came running when she heard my cries of pain. I had a... habit of sneaking away, so she had been coming after me to begin with. She chased the creatures off and carried me back to the clan. Said I was lucky be alive after I healed."

He gave a small nod. He was sure he'd encountered those predators she was talking about on some of his travels, large, deadly hunters that stalked the higher regions. "Now you get to say you fought one and survived, hmm?"

She gave a snort. "I'd have died if she hadn't come when she did." She said bluntly.

He turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. "You did survive though, and without permanent damage it seems. Either way that's saying something." He stated pointedly.

She just gave a shrug with her shoulder and stood to her feet, walking off towards the river. With her back turned he was able to see the twin rows of raking scars peeking through the midnight-blue fur, running from her shoulders to halfway down her back. He only let his eyes linger a moment before turning back to the task at hand, butchering the meat into chunks and strips to be cooked. With a healthy portion of the meat removed he wiped his knife on the grass. Standing, he walked into the trees, using his knife to cut through some of the green sapling branches.

When he'd collected a few of them he brought them to the fire, digging a pair of Y-shaped sticks into the ground and wedging them with a few stones to serve as a makeshift spit. With the length that would run across he sharpened one end to a point before running his knife down the haft, whittling it down until it was smooth. He then began skewering the chunks of meat onto the stick, propping it over the fire and adding a couple more pieces of wood, leaving it to cook.

With that all done he returned the knife to his boot and began walking over towards the river as well. He crouched down on the rocky bank and dipped his hands into the clear water, washing the blood from them before promptly setting about removing his assortment of armor. After his fight with the bandits and the time spent traveling, a quick birdbath was in order while the morning was still early. Laying his armor and shirt aside he knelt over the water and started scrubbing the water across his upper body, the cool water a change after wearing his armor. He moved on to washing his feet, cleaning those as well now that they were free from the confines of his boots.

He noticed Velanis glancing at him occasionally from where she stood halfway out into the river, the water reaching to just below her chest. He paid it little mind however, and went about concluding his quick wash, shaking as much of the water free when he was done. He walked back to the fire, maintaining just his mailed pants while the water dried from his form, and turned the skewered meat. The sound of water splashing made him turn his head, seeing Velanis wading onto the bank and performing the same action as he to shed the excess water.

She strode over and stood on the opposite side of the fire from him, fur weighted down by water and still dripping slowly. He peered at the now soaked bandages around her chest with a frown.

"Those may as well come off." He said. "They aren't going to do much now."

She didn't respond, simply began cutting through the cloth with her claws without hesitation. When the wrappings fell free he got a look at the wound now that it had been healing since the night before, a long line that had begun to scab over.

"It seems you heal well then. I'll be putting more of the salve on it, but you can keep the bandages off." He said, to her apparent relief. "Just be careful not to open it up again."

He stepped over to his pile of clothing and began donning it with well-practiced motions, most of the water having dried from him. Now fully dressed, he returned to the side of the fire and rotated the spit once more. He noticed Velanis eyeing the slowly cooking meat, and with a small chuckle bent down to pull the knife from his boot. He held out the knife hilt first, and after a moment the Sergal reached out and grasped it, taking the blade and slicing a strip of meat from the rest as she held it in her claws. She brought the piece to her jaws and started chewing on it, handing his knife back.

"What did you do to get all those scars?" She asked as he bent down to replace his knife.

"So that's what you were looking at." He said, bending back upright.

"I just wasn't expecting to see that many after watching how you fought."

He gave a dry laugh at that. "I wasn't always proficient with a blade, I can promise you that. It was a hard won skill, and each scar was..." He smiled a bit. "The price of failing. Come, let's tend to your chest, we'll be setting off soon."

He noticed her give an annoyed flick of her tail as he moved to his horse, but she followed after him as he dug out the small jar of salve. He pulled the cover off while waiting for her to come to a stop in front of him, idly licking her claws clean. He dipped a finger into the jar to collect some of the paste, the sergal eyeing the greenish substance with a cautious gaze.

"It's just a mix of herbs that help the healing along." He told her reassuringly. "Besides, I've already used this on you once before and you're still mending well enough."

She didn't respond to him, but she did at least stop eyeing the jar with suspicion and step closer to allow him to apply it. He started spreading the ointment down along the cut when she stepped forward, feeling her muscles twitch and tense at his touch. He wasted little time and quickly had a thin layer of the paste across the healing wound, recapping the jar and returning it to the bags. He made a mental note to visit an herbalist for more when they came to the capital.

"May want to give the breastplate a rest so that it doesn't rub the wound though." He said to the sergal as he sorted through the bag. "That is, unless you'd prefer to wear it with the bandages instead."

He heard an annoyed growl from behind him. "I'll keep it off. Today." She replied.

Having found what he had been looking for he turned and walked back to the fire, as Velanis went to where she'd placed her armor and began to don it as well. He glimpsed her giving the balm on her chest an inspecting sniff and gave his head a little shake as he removed the meat from the fire to cool. He wouldn't criticize her sense of caution; it was only natural to distrust that which you didn't know. He'd have liked to dispel that unease, since it looked as though the sergal would be accompanying him. That, however, was not something that would come to pass without some time; if indeed it ever did.

There was no sense in lingering on that though. For now he had the present day to think about, and with that in mind he began wrapping up the meat that would help sustain them for the next day or so. With the parcel in hand he returned to his horse and stowed it away, turning towards Velanis. She had her breastplate tucked in one arm, the rest of her armor having been strapped back in place.

"I can stash that in the saddle if you want, rather than carrying it around." He offered.

She cast a glance down at the piece of armor, looking at it with an unsure set to her features. After a moment she seemed to make up her mind, stepping towards him and holding the piece out. He took it from her lightly, casting a quick look over it as he tucked it into one of the bags. It appeared quite old, perhaps older than him, though well maintained regardless. The entire time he handled it he was aware of two amber eyes watching every move he made. When it was all secured away he turned back to the sergal, her eyes darting from where he had just placed the item and up to his face.

"Are you ready to be going?" He asked her.

She merely favored him with a rough "yes" in answer, hands fidgeting with the cloth wrapped around her neck as he started leading his horse down the bank of the river.

"If we're able to continue following this river we should reach the edge of the forest by tomorrow at the latest. From there it's a simple matter of finding a road and following that to one of the towns." He said to her as she fell into step to his left.

She gave a grunt, head turning to observe the surroundings. "And what happens after we eventually reach this 'capital'?"

"Like I said, there's some things I need to check in on." He replied. "Beyond that I'll mostly play it by ear."

Out of the corner of his eye he caught her turning her head to look at him with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"I'll figure it out as I go." He clarified.

"Ah..." she muttered. "Is it very far to this place?"

"Depends." He said. "On foot it can take a bit of time but I'm hoping on a different means of travel. Amara is situated around a large lake and serves as much as the capital as it does a trade hub. A number of rivers feed into and out of the lake, so it's common for boats and ferries to carry goods downstream. Catching one of those vessels on its way to Amara is my first plan."

"And if we can't?" The sergal asked him.

"Then we walk." He said, slowing and turning in place to face her. "Are you sure this is the path you want to take? There won't be an easier way of turning back."

"No." She said; head tilted slightly down to stare at him. "But I've come this far and I won't run home now."

He kept his eyes on her amber ones, holding the stare for a few moments, Velanis looking back unwaveringly. He turned, breaking the stare and continued on walking down the moss-covered bank. "Who knows, you may even learn a thing or two."

He didn't get a response from that as he walked along with the river gurgling, but he heard Velanis' steps keeping pace behind him all the same. He laughed quietly to himself. It seemed he always had a way of falling into company with Sergals.

Though, hopefully this time turns out better than the last. He thought to himself grimly.