FSE

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Chapter Nineteen

The sun was hanging low in the sky, casting long shadows on the ground as it descended. Velanis crouched behind the cover, waiting. She'd been waiting longer than she could stand, the only time she'd moved being when Naleen had her slip away earlier to don her plate, but she kept her temper in check enough to heed Naleen's advice. She hadn't seen any further activity since that male had relieved himself, the ruined fort growing still and quiet beyond the odd rustle of branches or chirp of a bird. It most definitely wasn't empty though, of that much they were certain.

She gripped her sword tighter, the blade lying across her armored legs as she balanced on splayed feet. Evening was drawing close, and with it her urge to move into action rose. She glanced over at Naleen, the female unmoving as her emerald eyes peered across the darkening distance. It was yet more uncounted minutes of grating silence before Naleen finally moved, stepping up next to her and laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ready youngling?" She asked, the world having sunk into the twilight between night and day.

"Yes." She muttered in reply, amber eyes peering at the ruin through the half-light.

"Follow me then, Velanis, and be alert." Naleen stated, stalking forwards through the foliage that hid them.

She followed after her, brushing quietly past the leaves and branches until they came to the edge of the trees. There was a small distance between the tree line and the broken wall, the trees having not re-grown into the cleared area. They had a bit of luck though, the sky above obscured by clouds that reduced the shine of the moon. It shrouded them as they set about crossing the relatively open ground, staying crouched low and moving as fast as they could without rustling their armor or making a wrong step.

Nothing changed about the ruin as they progressed a few yards from the trees, the same silence still hanging over the stone construction. They walked briskly for slow seconds, her breath apprehensive as they slipped over the low-growing carpet of plant life. She didn't have any experience in matters such as this, but really, she supposed in the end it was no different than the hunting she had done through her life. The same rules applied, but the risks were arguably higher.

The risks weren't her greatest concern right now though, her desire to get Falren back outweighing them. And to that end she kept focused on the task ahead, eyes staring forwards as she followed Naleen towards a piece of the wall that still stood defiant. They reached it without any incident, she and Naleen pressing up against the cool, mossy stone as the female peeked around. They'd crossed one distance without fault, but there were still the grounds of the fort before them.

Velanis wasn't able to see around the wall from her position, for the moment forced to wait for Naleen to finish her assessment. When the female pulled her head away from the corner, Velanis gave her a questioning look.

"That male from earlier is camped in the courtyard." Naleen informed her, keeping her voice low and airy. "But I can see no others besides him."

"Why is he out here by himself?" She questioned, skeptical.

"I do not know, he only has a small shelter for himself." She murmured. "If he is on watch he is doing a poor job of it. But..." She added, bending down to snatch a small pebble from the ground. "Perhaps we can have a little talk with him, yes?"

At that she underhanded the stone lightly, letting it sail a small distance away to crack against another rock. She couldn't see anything, but Naleen quickly hunkered down low after she'd thrown the rock. Velanis followed suit, lowering herself against the wall and grass as she waited. Naleen's plan was soon apparent as the sound of rustling steps reached her, glimpsing the dark-furred male in the gloom as he walked over to the broken wall adjacent to them. He wasn't one she recognized from Amara, meaning Naleen's caution about there being more proved right.

With his back turned to them he looked around at the origin of the sound, giving a snort. "Damn ruin." He grumbled to himself, moving to turn and make back to where he was camped.

Naleen chose that moment to rise and slip out of her cover, darting across the small gap quietly. She had her spearhead resting against the male's neck before he realized what had happened, his body freezing on the spot.

"Yell and you die before the words leave your throat." She hissed quietly, relieving him of his sword and prodding him to go behind the section of wall. "Move."

He did so, dark eyes glaring at them both in a mixture of anger and fear as he was prodded behind the wall. Naleen shoved him, knocking him down onto his tail at the base of the wall, resting her spear at the hollow of his throat.

"Where is the Human?" Naleen demanded.

The male didn't answer immediately, eyes darting between her and Naleen.

"I won't ask again." She said, emphasizing it by pressing her spear point harder into his throat.

"He's in the cells." He said finally, a bit more fear creeping into his voice as he realized the severity of his situation.

"How many others are there?" Naleen continued. "Do any of them guard the cell?"

"Five." He spat out. "No guards, but Selk goes down to... ah..."

"To what?" Velanis hissed, making the male glance over to her as she broke the silence she'd been keeping.

"He just said he was going to repay him for Amara." The male said, swallowing.

Velanis started to growl, baring her teeth at the male before Naleen raised a hand to steady her.

When they didn't press him for more information, the male decided to speak for himself. "I answered your questions... Let me go and I won't stand in your way."

Naleen's emerald eyes glanced over at her for a moment, evident what her thoughts were on that. "No." Was all she said before she drew her spear back and stabbed it upwards under the male's jaw.

She watched him fall to the side when Naleen removed her spear, the Sergal giving a choking gurgle and a jerk before he slowly fell still. Her ear twitched as she looked back to Naleen, quirking a questioning brow.

"I have dealt enough in these matters to know not to leave a sword at my back." The female stated simply. "They clearly intended to do the same to us in any case."

She gave a grunt. It didn't bother her that she'd killed him; they were the ones who'd sought to not only try and harm her, but harm her mate as well.

"And he was lying about there being five of them." Naleen added.

"He was?" She asked, frowning.

"Yes." The female confirmed with a nod. "There is more than that, but not too many I think. Come, let us get closer."

Naleen slipped low around the wall at that and she followed after her, finally getting a good look at the grounds of the fort. It was dark, but her keen eyes were able to see a decent amount of it now that they were inside what remained of the walls. A piece of the courtyard was before them, though the place they'd chose to enter was more to the side of the complex rather than the front. The ground closer to the keep was also littered with debris, remnants of where this corner of the structure had collapsed. She had to wonder if this ruin had been weathered by time, or by some other means entirely. What ever had happened to it was not something she could answer now though, and she turned her gaze to look at the rest of the grounds.

If any other buildings had once stood inside the walls, they did no longer. She glimpsed what she thought may have been the foundation for one of the more temporary buildings she had seen in Green Watch, though it could just as well have been more debris. As it stood the only thing standing beyond the keep was the tent pitched amongst the rubble, now able to see the camp Naleen had mentioned and the fire the male had lit for himself. Why he had been out here by himself she couldn't fathom, but she supposed it had worked out decently enough for them in the end.

She and Naleen soon reached the base of the keep, skirting around the moss-covered, chiseled stone until they crouched down in the tall grass and vines that clung to the wall.

"How do we get in?" She questioned quietly from next to Naleen.

"There is the main entrance, though I would rather avoid that in this particular building if we can." The female answered, shadowed eyes glancing down the wall in one direction. "No other entries will be at ground level, but..." She paused for a moment. "Come, let us see if there is any way to gain entry through the breach."

Naleen crept along the wall towards the broken section, leaving her to tail behind and hope for an easy way in. The front entrance of a structure built for the means of defense was something even she knew would be a dangerous endeavor, and one they should avoid unless absolutely necessary. Even then though, she had to wonder where to draw the line between necessity and foolishness. Regardless of how much she wanted Falren back, it wouldn't matter if she got herself killed in the process.

Velanis tensed her jaws, shadowing the wall towards the crumbled segment. She'd get Falren back; that was all that mattered. Anything else she dwelled on at this point was an unneeded distraction for that goal.

***

Falren grit his teeth as he crept along, the throbbing in his arm being accompanied by one in his back. The Sergal's blade had managed to evidently cut into his shoulders, enough so that he could feel the slow trickle of blood down his back. All the time spent having nothing but Humans as opponents had dulled his reflexes it seemed, though not by that much considering he was still breathing. He would have plenty of practice at this rate though, if he had to guess.

Besides the male in the hall he hadn't encountered any others yet, but he also hadn't found a way out. Every second he spent wandering meant it was more and more likely his captors would find him missing, or he run into them in turn. The streams of light he'd had before had disappeared as he progress, leaving him in a nearly sightless black gloom. That either meant it had grown dark outside, or his path had taken him away from whatever gap had been letting light in. Both seemed likely. Either way it left him mostly blind, keeping a hand trailing the wall beside him as he felt every footfall over the stone floor.

After dark, quiet seconds passed with only the sound of his breathing his hand passed into emptiness, making him turn his head to the right. He expected the inky blackness of another room to greet him, but instead he found himself looking down a different hall, a soft light glowing at the end. Falren grit his teeth more at that, knowing full well that more of his captors would be down there. It could also be a way out though, or at least the means to find one.

Tensing his jaw he decided to turn the corner and pad down the second corridor, each step bringing him closer to the light. It may not have been ideal, but it was at least somewhat better than wandering the halls blindly until something happened. He soon drew near to the end of the hall, finding the light to be coming through an archway there. Falren stopped near the door, keeping tucked back in the shadows so the light didn't illuminate him.

He was still able to peer through it, and what he saw was a large, tall room. To either side of the doorway the wall ran in opposite directions, forming the borders for what he judged was the dining hall of the keep. Which was good, because in most cases this hall served as the lobby before the main entrance as well.

Rows of pillars occupied the space a few strides out from the wall, old stone reaching up to support the roof above. He hadn't peeked out of the doorway far enough to be able to see each end of the room, but he was clearly able to see the fire that had been made off to the right. A group of Sergals sat around it, some kind of animal roasting on a spit over the flames as the five talked. What they were talking about wasn't the most of his concerns, but they were acting casually, meaning they hadn't quite started to wonder where their friends were yet.

He crept a bit closer to the doorway, looking out at the rest of the room. The firelight dimmed a short distance from the actual flame, and the pillars did a nice job of casting shadows against the wall. With none of the Sergals actually paying attention to his general direction, he decided it was worth the risk and slipped out of the archway, hugging against the shadowed wall. There was very likely a door of some kind at the end of this room, and even if there wasn't it was still betting than fumbling in the dark.

His risky decision worked partially, none of the Sergals moving or noticing him as he ducked from pillar to pillar. He was able to see the end of the room now, but what he saw made him grit his teeth. There was indeed a way out, but the cause of his frustration was the fact that said exit was blocked by a closed door. It was not entirely unexpected, but considering the condition of the rest of the fort he'd hoped that perhaps whatever door had been here would have been absent as well.

That was clearly not the case though, the large, heavy looking reinforced door barring his path. Once upon a time that door would have been maintained, namely being its hinges, but that time was long passed. As it was a door being opened would be much more noticeable than him slipping through an archway, never mind that door also creaking on hinges he was certain weren't oiled any longer. That left him in a bad position, with no clear route he could take.

Even if he did open that door without alerting the group, he had no idea if there were others beyond it. Then again he wasn't sure how fruitful it would be to try and find another exit; a keep such as this would only have one true way in and out, with any others being a long dead secret. Either way, the choice was soon made for him as the sound of running feet reached him. He peeked out from behind one of the pillars, seeing another Sergal come running out of the corridor opposite the one he had entered from.

There goes that. He thought dryly.

He couldn't quite hear what the Sergal was saying to the others, but by the way they all jumped to their feet it was obvious what news he had brought. His chances of quietly escaping were gone then, and with them distracted by the runner he darted over to the door before they could start searching for him. With luck, it wouldn't make any noise...

***

She hoisted Velanis up to the ledge above them, tossing her spear up to the female before she scrabbled up the mossy, vine-covered stone. It had turned out that the collapsed corner had indeed offered them a way in, the damage to the structure having only been skin deep as it were. Naleen crawled forwards with Vel, peering down into the darkness on the other side of the thick wall. It looked to have been some sort of stairwell perhaps, but any stairs had collapsed with the outer wall. She swung her legs over the side, hopping down a short distance as her feet splashed into water. Velanis followed her down, handing her spear back.

"Is there a way inside from here?" The female asked, looking around in the dark. "It all looks blocked to me."

Naleen gave a hum, stepping over loose rock and debris as she moved over to the inside wall. Beyond the outer wall the rest of it wasn't damaged that much, and if this was a stairwell that meant there was a door somewhere. She moved along the stone until she found what she was looking for, though a portion of the doorway was blocked by a chunk of stone.

"Help me move this." She stated to Velanis, leaning her spear against the wall.

Velanis stepped up next to her, both of them bracing their hands against it and giving a growl as she shoved. It was heavy, but they got it to slowly tip until it eventually toppled to the side with a low thump. The door wasn't completely unblocked, but it was opened enough that they would be able to squeeze through. And after she grabbed her spear she did just that, sliding feet first over the block to land in a crouch on the other side, spear posed as she looked around in the gloom. Nothing confronted her immediately, Velanis soon squeezing her way through to crouch besides her.

They were in some kind of joining room, another doorway ahead of them though this one thankfully unobstructed. The musty scent of mold and decay hung in the air, but besides that she couldn't smell anything unusual. Falren's captors likely chose to dwell in more intact areas of the keep, leaving this wing abandoned.

"We're inside." Velanis murmured. "Now where do we go?"

"The only way we can for now." She replied, pointing to the door. "Come, and be weary."

She crept over to the door, peeking her head out before ducking into the empty hall. They started to make their way down the passage, the air still and silent as they breathed. The cells where they kept Falren would be towards the back of the building she imagined, locked away from the rest of the keep. Just a little longer and they would hopefully find him, and then they just had to get out of this mess...

The layout of the keep seemed fairly straightforward to Naleen, and she quickly led Velanis through the passages. There was always a confusing amount of doors and hallways in Human buildings, but she'd learned over the years that there was always a quick way around. It was perhaps easier to find when there was light, but she did the best she could in the darkness. Her eyes weren't completely blind to the dark at least, and they had their other senses as well.

They'd still yet to encounter any of the Sergals that had captured Falren, but as they progressed she caught remnants of their scent through the halls. There was one in particular she recognized, the lingering scent of the male Vel had run in to. She used it to help guide her to Falren, making a guess that the leader from Amara was this "Selk" the Sergal had spoke of. It made sense that he would be the one to- she snarled quietly- visit him, and if she managed to catch him there she would make sure to repay him in kind.

It took longer still for her to navigate the interior before she finally came to their destination, finding what she judged to be the guard room that usually accompanied the cells. She could still smell the male as she stepped into the room, spear poised. Velanis followed behind her as she crossed the space, finding the stairs that led down to the cells. Falren's scent lingered here, and she quickly descended the stairs, searching the short hall of doors that greeted her. There were multiple cells, but only one was both closed and barred.

Velanis eagerly stepped over to the door, thumping her hand on the surface a couple times with no response. She grew a bit concerned at that, moving to help lift the bar and set it aside against the wall. The female pulled the door open with a protest from its old hinges, and she expected to see Falren on the other side. What she saw most definitely wasn't Falren though, Velanis giving a growl when she saw it as well. Naleen stepped into the cell, poking her spear point into the form that lay there. It didn't respond, the Sergal having been dead already; though not for long she imagined.

"Falren's doing, I think." She stated to Vel, his scent hanging within the cell.

"He escaped..." Velanis muttered with an exasperated growl.

"So it appears, but not very long ago..." She mused, leaving the cell. "Come, he couldn't have gotten very far."

Naleen had picked up his scent outside of the cells prior, but now that they knew he had escaped she realized now that it was him leaving. She followed the scent as it hugged the wall, Velanis trailing behind. There was a hint of blood mixed in with it, and that had her slightly worried as they walked back up the short stairs. It wasn't a lot, but it still meant that he was injured in some way.

The trail turned left when they departed the guardroom, heading in the opposite direction down the hall they had come from. She made to follow it, but just as she turned the sound of scrapping claws caused her to jerk her head around. A flash of white vanishing down the dark hall they had come from was all she saw, its owner clearly having spotted them and fled. Velanis started to go after the Sergal with a growl, but she caught her arm before she could run off.

"No youngling, forget about him." She told her with a shake of her head, pointing in the direction Falren had taken. "We need to catch up with Falren before they discover him as well."

Velanis looked ready to argue, but at the notion of catching Falren she settled down.

"This way." She stated, waving for Vel to follow. "He will have gone to warn the rest of his group, so we don't have much time."

They both set off at a near run after Falren's trail, abandoning stealth now in favor of speed. It was more important to find him now than sneaking, since he was in these halls somewhere with an uncertain amount of potential foes. She kept her senses and mind cautious of course, as those foes would be theirs as well, but she was more focused on finding him now than maintaining secrecy.

Falren's path led them through the dark halls, the still silence of the old stone surrounding them. She didn't know where he was going, but he would obviously be looking for a way out. If her sense of direction was sound it seemed like they were heading towards front of the keep, but she wasn't sure if Falren knew that or not. It would be the quickest way out, but she anticipated it to not be unguarded...

A still form on the ground up ahead made her slow, keeping her spear ready. It was another of the Sergals, this one clearly dead as evident from the small, dark puddle that pooled around the wound in his throat. He has not been idle. She thought to herself. Neither she nor Velanis lingered though, quickly setting off after Falren. The Sergal had been killed recently; meaning Falren wasn't very far ahead of them. It was just a matter of catching up before someone else did.

The trail led them through the corridors, heading in mostly the same direction until it turned a corner. She slowed as she saw light coming from a doorway at the end, casting a glance back at Velanis. The female quirked her head slightly, but followed next to her with sword in hand as they progressed a little more slowly. Naleen felt she could safely say that whomever was in the room ahead wouldn't be friendly, and she had to wonder what gamble Falren was taking.

They came to the doorway, peering through it at the sight that greeted them. A group of Sergals stood off-center in a large room, what she recognized as the "dining hall" amongst most human buildings. Talking with them was another Sergal however, the one that had ran from them outside the cells. She hissed quietly, the male evidently having beat them here and warned his group of their presence. Naleen was about to slip out and continue to go after Falren, but something made her stop, the group of Sergals all turning their heads to peer down the hall.

She couldn't see what had suddenly got their attention from her angle, but she heard the sound of a door creaking open from the end of the hall. When three of the Sergals parted from the group and started running down the hall, she didn't have to guess whom they were after.

She turned to Velanis, pointing after the running trio as they disappeared from sight. "Go help Falren." She said quickly. "I will hold the others here."

Velanis heeded her command without pause, sprinting off between the pillars towards the door to help her mate. As the female went in that direction she stepped out from behind the pillars, crossing the rough and broken stone floor to stand a distance away from the remaining Sergals before they could notice Vel and persue her. She stood, watching the three intently as she blocked them from her companions. None had ranged weapons, leaving them to confront her with their light mix of armor and swords.

After a short pause at her unexpected arrival they evidently decided to waste little time in confronting her, drawing their swords. She recognized one of the Sergals from Amara, the male giving her a strong glare of recognition as she waited for them to advance. They started to move forwards, the firelight flickering off their swords as she slowly stepped to the side, keeping them in front of her as they tried to surround her. One made a halfhearted attempt at a lunge, which she was easily able to deter with the length of her spear, keeping an intent eye on each of them in turn.

She avoided another lunge, rewarding the male with a blow on his muzzle with the blunt end of her spear, before dancing away from his companions sword swing and jabbing her spearhead at his leg. The sharp point pierced through the leather protecting his thigh, biting into the flesh beneath before she retreated back out of range. The male gave a growl of pain, staggering on his wounded leg but still managing to keep his footing.

Perhaps she could have killed one outright, but with three opponents she didn't want to allow too much of an opening. She had the speed and the reach on these Sergals, as well as the experience she imagined, so for now she would take the quick strikes. If an opportunity arose where she could end one of them quickly, she would, but for now they were staying a bit too close together for her to keep her weapon engaged too long. One of them was already wounded in any case, the effect of her spear stabbing into his thigh muscles visible on the male.

Another of them tried circle around her flank and get a swing in, but she knocked the sword aside with her spear, whirling around his side and using the momentum to crack the haft over the back of his head. He went sprawling forwards, stunned momentarily, but she wasn't quite able to follow up with another thrust before his companions stepped in. These Sergals weren't very experienced, but they did outnumber her and could land a potentially fatal blow if she wasn't careful. It was not herself she was worried about though, more conscious of how Falren and Velanis faired...

***

She sprinted after the three Sergals, bounding to the end of the room where they'd disappeared out of the large door there. Velanis had a snarl on her face as she reached the partially closed door, throwing it wide and ducking out into the night with sword in hand. What greeted her was a wide flight of steps leading down to a moderately sized area of broken stone flags, weeds and moss covering what was once a flat surface. The area was walled in, a gate built into the wall standing in the distance across from her.

Moonlight was shining down from the cloudless sky as her amber gaze searched around the inner gate yard, looking for Falren and the Sergals. She found them quickly, the three males residing near the base of a staircase that protruded from one of the walls, and starting his way up those stairs she saw Falren. Velanis growled again as she saw the Sergals beginning ascending those stairs her mate was on, bounding down the steps to ground level.

None of the three noticed her as she ran across the distance behind them, focused on Falren as they climbed the stairs after him. Her mate looked to have already been fighting, blood running from a wound on his arm. Falren saw her from his position, slightly looking to her as she approached, silver eyes looking both relieved to see her and worried before he focused again on the Sergals before him. The leading one stepped up the stairs and swung at him, Falren easily parrying the blow from his position and delivering a counter swing, making the male back down lest he get a sword to the head.

It made her angry to see them attacking him, closing the distance on the rearmost Sergal who hadn't begun to climb yet. Her mind noted the way Falren's tactic forced them up one at a time after him, but right then she was more focused on the male before her. He didn't notice her as she crossed the distance, so intent was he on Falren and the sword blows his companions traded. The male only just started to turn his head as she closed up behind him, hearing her running feet and clinking mail. Her eyes met his, recognizing him with a snarl as the male who'd pinned her down in Amara.

He tried to whirl around and bring his sword up when he saw her, but he was far too late. She leapt into him with a growl, his ill placed blade only skirting off her breastplate as she slammed him back into the stone steps with all her weight. He attempted to fight back and bite at her, but she ended his fight quickly when she darted her head in and closed her jaws around his throat. His startled cries turned into a gurgle when she ripped her head back, spitting aside what was once part of his throat as blood ran down his neck.

She climbed to her feet, leaving him to flail to the side as she faced the next Sergal with a bloodstained snarl. The male engaged with Falren wasn't able to look back at the noise, but the second bore a spiteful glare at her as his companion slowly fell still, starved of both air and blood. She stepped up the stairs slowly, looking up at him with sword raised defensively. Falren was trading blows more aggressively with his own opponent, holding his ground as she advanced on her own foe from below.

He tried to throw a blow at her, one she blocked before swinging quickly at his legs, the blow not piercing his armor but serving to stagger him slightly and put him on the defensive. It was harder to land a fatal blow from this angle, Falren's tactic in turn working for the male above her. If anything she was simply taking the pressure off of Falren though; she knew he could handle his own fight. She'd already killed one of the Sergals, and when either of them finished their opponent off the fight of the other would be moot.

The male continued to throw blows at her, forcing her to parry them with how little mobility she had on the stairs. She blocked another blow that would have slashed her across the snout with a clang, stabbing upwards at his torso but finding no purchase against the thick leather there due to her angle. She was beginning to grow frustrated, matching every swing she parried with one of her own before she realized something. As adequately as his armor protected his front with her at such a disadvantage, there was one small flaw.

When he swung at her again she decided to exploit that flaw, blocking the blade before slashing downwards with her sword. He saw where her blade was traveling in that moment, but he was too slow to pull his foot back. The edge bit into the unprotected section above his splayed foot, cutting deep into the flesh there. He gave a howl of pain as blood seeped down his foot, balance teetering on the leg that was no longer able to take his weight properly.

She helped his balance degrade further by slashing his other ankle, stepping to the side and flattening herself against the wall as he toppled, wildly trying to swing at her. He went toppling head over tail down the steps, before eventually crashing to the bottom with a dull thud. She turned to the remaining male, climbing the steps to where he and Falren fought. The Sergal didn't turn to look at her, but from the way he was aggressively swinging at Falren he must have known the howl signaled the end of his companion.

As it was he attacked too aggressively, or desperately, and while it did earn him a shallow slash to Falren's abdomen- much to her anger- it did cost him dearly. Through the undisciplined swings Falren was able to land a blow of his own, his burrowed sword slashing into where neck met shoulder, laying the flesh open. The male staggered, lifting his sword slowly to try and swing again in those few moments left to him. Falren was quick to follow up with another blow however, swinging down again in a slash that caught the other side of his neck, below the jaw.

That ended the last of the Sergal's fight, a splatter of dark blood arcing in the moonlight before he toppled to the side with a final breath, falling from the stairs to thud into the ground a few seconds later. She took a breath, looking up to Falren as he held a hand over the fresh cut on his abdomen.

"Vel. Good timing." He greeted, giving a small smile. "Where's Naleen?"

"She's inside, fighting the others." She replied, quickly turning and descending the stairs, for now saving her relief until Naleen was safe as well.

He followed after her as they bounded back to ground level, Falren only pausing momentarily to ensure there wasn't a chance of the Sergal she'd crippled getting back up. She ran to the steps leading up to the door with bloodied sword in hand, the distance seeming much shorter on the return as she came to the door and pushed it open. Falren was behind her as she stepped back into the keep, expecting to see Naleen fighting where she'd left her. That expectation was wrong though.

Instead, as they entered the room with swords in hand, what they saw was Naleen just disarming one of the Sergals, knocking him to the ground. His two companions lay dead and bleeding, a snarl and crazed look in Naleen's eye as they approached. She held her spear at the male's throat, the Sergal looking to be pleading with her from his position on the ground.

"Mercy?" Velanis heard her hiss as she drew near enough, Naleen not having looked to regard them yet. "You wish to use my family, capture and abuse them out of spite, and then when your companions lie dead you ask for mercy?"

Velanis came to a stop a distance from her, giving a frown at the anger she'd never seen in Naleen before, but one she thought was justified.

"No. I think not." Naleen declared finally, before lifting her spear up and thrusting it down into the male's chest.

He gave a gasp as she twisted and yanked it free, head slowly falling to the ground and body going lax. It was then that Naleen finally regarded them, emerald eyes filling with relief as she saw them both. A sudden grunt from Falren made her turn her gaze to him however, finding him leaning on the short sword.

"Falren?" She questioned with concern, putting an arm around him to give him support.

"Just fatigue." He muttered, giving a tight-mouthed expression.

"Tend to his wounds and get him some water." Naleen directed suddenly, beginning to stride past them towards the door. "I will go get his horse. Just be weary of any stragglers."

Naleen went out the door at that, leaving her to bring him over to the fire the Sergals had been using and sit him down. She nuzzled into his neck finally, hugging him close as he lifted a hand to stroke her snout for a long moment. She soon pulled her head back though, parting from him so she could inspect his wounds. He had a long cut across his back just below the shoulder blades that seeped blood down his back, stretching almost from side to side. On top of that was what looked like a bite on his forearm and the cut he'd gotten across his abdomen. There were also claw marks and abrasions from what looked like a struggle, likely with that Sergal in the cell she imagined.

She gave a huff, looking around the Sergal's camp to find some supplies to use until Naleen got back. There was an assortment of bedrolls and packs lying around, and she went to the latter to start rummaging through. She found some water skins and what looked like they could serve as bandages, but beyond that there wasn't anything immediately useful. She uncapped one of the water skins, giving it an inspecting sniff before she deemed it drinkable and passed it to Falren.

He had a small pot in hand, the results of his own search, which he traded for the water skin, taking a long swallow. She quickly dumped the contents of one skin into the pot, sticking it into the coals to boil before she resumed her searching. The packs all just held simple supplies, though a few did have small purses of coins that she had to wonder how they'd been obtained. That wasn't really of any relevance to her now however, nor the coins themselves of particular value at the time. She stopped her search of their packs, tossing the one she was looking through to the side for now.

Velanis turned back to Falren ready to help him tend his wounds, but a rolled up bundle caught her curiosity, making her stop and step over to it. She picked it up, feeling a bit of weight to it as she unrolled the fabric. What greeted her curiosity were three blades, two of them short, but the other she easily recognized by the gem resting below the wire bound hilt. She brought the bundle over to Falren as he pressed a cloth to the bite on his arm, placing it down beside him.

"Ah, you found them." He stated, reaching a hand down momentarily to grasp the sword and return his knife to his boot. "I was beginning to think I wouldn't be seeing this blade again, thank you."

She gave a hum, dipping a piece of the cloth she'd found into the heating water and beginning to wipe at the cut across his back. It wasn't too deep, but deep enough that it warranted being cleaned and bandaged.

"Glad to see you and Naleen are alright." Falren said, glancing back at her. "I was worried they'd gone after you as well."

She snorted. "I was more worried when you didn't come back."

"I'm sure." He murmured in reply. "Sorry, Vel."

"You couldn't have known they'd follow us." She stated, trading out the cloth for a new one. "I should have gone with you, then they probably wouldn't have snuck up on you like that."

"I'm not sure that would have had a better outcome." He replied. "They seemed to be only after me at first, I don't know what they'd have done with you there. Still... it was a foolish mistake on my part."

"I have you back, and you're safe." She said. "That's all that matters to me now."

"Aye, but I can't let myself slip like that again. Not where we're going." He muttered, tossing the stained cloth into the fire and poking at the punctures on his arm. "I may have to give these a stitch or two..." He added to himself.

It was then that the door behind them opened, making her grab her sword on reflex and turn around. She relaxed though when she saw it was only Naleen, leading Falren's horse behind her into the hall. Falren turned to glance back as well, his horse clopping over the stone floor to him as Naleen closed the door. It bent its head down and nudged into him, flaring its nostrils and giving a snort, seemingly as glad to see him as they were.

"Aye, hello to you too." He uttered, patting its large nose.

She stood and stepped to the horses' saddlebags, grabbing Falren's pack from where they'd slung it and bringing it back to him. Naleen crossed the hall to sit opposite from them, appearing as her usual happy self now that Falren was safe with them. She still kept her spear in hand across her lap and bore a tense look, but her demeanor wasn't at all like the wrathful one she had seen earlier. She had felt the same knowing they'd tried to harm someone close to her though, so she certainly didn't fault Naleen for that. Naleen didn't say anything right then, leaving her to tend to her mate's wounds.

Falren pulling bandages and the salve out of his pack brought her back to that task, taking the jar and some of the rolled up cloth as she finished cleaning the wound on his back. He also pulled out a small box whose purpose she wasn't sure of, but for now she was more intent on taking care of the cut before her. When she'd wiped it clean with the hot cloth and mostly stopped the bleeding, she uncapped the jar and began spreading the paste across the length of the wound. Velanis couldn't help but chuckled quietly to herself, imagining that he must have done something similar to this those months ago when he'd helped her.

She kept that thought to herself for now though, taking the roll of the bandages and starting to wrap it snugly around his upper chest to bind the wound closed. She peered over his shoulder at what he was doing as she passed the cloth around, seeing him take a curved needle and some kind of thick thread from the box as he kept his arms lifted enough to not hinder her. As she finished with that she moved down to the cut across his stomach, repeating the same process for that one as well.

When he was able to lower his arms again, he took some of that thread and placed it into the simmering water, dipping the needle in as well. She scooted around to his front, taking another wetted patch of cloth and wiping at the bite to clean it for what she imagined were those stitches he mentioned. The punctures were jagged, far from the kind of bite she'd given him, and consistently seeped blood from the holes. She held out a hand for the needle as Falren slipped the thread through it, but he shook his head.

"I'll do this part myself." He stated, silver eyes looking up to her with a small smile as she let her hand fall. "May need a hand tying them off though."

She sat back and simply watched as he brought the needle down to one of the multiple holes, curving the needle into the skin around it with a slight wince before drawing the thread through. He pulled on the thread lightly until it drew the parted flesh together in an uneven line, asking her to tie the loose thread off in a knot as he'd mentioned. Falren cut the thread with his newly reclaimed knife when she did, moving on to stitch the next.

They repeated that process a few more times, until all the jagged holes had been drawn back together and the bleeding had mostly slowed. As she cleaned the area one last time before applying the paste over each of the closed wounds, she got the feeling he'd done this sort of thing before. Velanis didn't doubt he had though, given the amount of other scars he had and the amount of fighting he'd seen. She wrapped his forearm in the bandages, covering the area where the bite lay before he cut the rest of the cloth free with his knife.

"We should leave this place." He stated as he stowed his supplies away in his pack.

She was about to argue that statement, but Naleen beat her to it. "Take a moment to rest and eat something, yes?" She proposed. "I think it unlikely there will be more to their party now."

Falren let out a breath, but ultimately agreed with her. "Very well..." He uttered, waving a hand at the medium sized carcass roasting over the flames. "May as well take advantage of that if we're staying then."

He picked up his knife and moved to cut into the carcass, but she stopped him, insistent this time as she held a hand out for the knife. He gave a frown but didn't argue, passing the knife hilt first and allowing her to start slicing from the side of the carcass. It was some kind of boar she guessed, the meat a lighter tone like the ones she'd hunted on occasion in her valley. It also looked a bit overcooked, meaning the Sergals has likely been ready for their own meal when they'd been interrupted.

Unfortunate for them, but good for us. She thought to herself, taking the first piece in her claws and passing it to Falren. He took it by the edge, letting it cool first so not to burn himself.

She passed the next piece to Naleen, before finally taking her own portion and sitting back to eat. The meat wasn't bad at least and she ate without complaint, keeping her ears and eyes open. Falren ate his share eagerly as well, evidently in need of the sustenance after his captivity and fighting his way free. They didn't speak much, but that was fine with her; they could save their talking for later. For now she was content to have Falren with her again, keeping pressed up against him as they ate.

When they had finished- and she'd given Falren another portion- she simply sat with him, her head lying protectively on his shoulder. She would have stayed like that too, if Naleen hadn't climbed to her feet then.

"I will go move the bodies outside." She declared, walking around the fire to the still forms. "Get some sleep you two, you need it I think."

Velanis reluctantly parted from her mate as she went to do that, standing and stepping over to Falren's horse to get their bedrolls. While she was there she remembered something else that had to be returned to him, flipping open one of the saddlebags and pulling it free. She returned to his side, dropping their bedrolls down and handing the other items down to him.

"Here, we made sure to save these." She stated, dropping both his linen and mail jacket down.

"Thank you Vel, again." He said to her, picking the cloth shirt up and pulling it back on slowly.

"Of course." She nodded, spreading out their bedding. "I didn't feel it was something to leave behind."

"Aye..." He uttered, choosing to keep the armor off for the time being. "It would be a bit unfortunate to have to go on without any protection."

"Yes, it would be." She said with a hum, sitting down on the padding beside him and starting to remove her pieces of plate so sleep would be more comfortable.

"I... think it's time I get some sleep." Falren muttered tiredly, lowering himself down onto his side.

When she had all her plate removed and stacked beside her she followed him onto the bedding, draping an arm over him and pulling him close. Her nerves were at ease now that the ones responsible for trying to harm both her and Falren were gone, the happy feeling returning now that he was safe.

"Sleep easy." She murmured to him with a small smile, relaxing for sleep herself. She would eventually wake to let Naleen rest, but for now she would enjoy having Falren back. Right then, that was the most important thing to her.