FSE

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Chapter Twelve

Falren ended up waking before the dawn, while the night still held its hold. A misty drizzle of rain fell against his face as he blinked his eyes open, but he doubted that's what had woken him. He'd gotten enough sleep he figured, and there wasn't that much time left to the night anyway. Eventually during his watch he'd swapped out for Velanis and she in turn must have swapped for Naleen, as he noticed the red-furred Sergal was awake at the low fire. Or she had just volunteered to take the watch herself, which probably wasn't unlikely. Either way he was awake now, and he had a bit of time to wait before they could set off under some light.

He sat up off his bedroll, rolling his neck a bit and stretching his muscles out from sleep. The air was cool, the drizzle of rain falling lightly against his face and making the fire sizzle occasionally. Vel slept soundly on one side of the fire, the cloak he'd given her pulled over her form. He looked over at Naleen, the Sergal staring at the dancing flames with spear in her lap, until she flicked her gaze up to his. He noted that she'd taken to tying a sheath around her spearhead during the night.

"Barely the second day and it starts to rain already." He quietly stated in a light manner.

"Yes..." Naleen said, point her head up into the light rain. "But I do not see that as a bad thing. Rain gives life, yes?"

He gave a thoughtful hum, thinking about that. Her outlook was sound, he supposed, not that he minded the rain either of course.

"What brings you awake now, hmm?" The female asked curiously. "There isn't much time left to the night, I think, so you needn't relieve me."

"Didn't feel like sleeping anymore." He replied with a shrug. "And like you say, there isn't much left to the night anyway."

"Ah." Naleen said quietly, poking at the embers with a stick. "It has been some time since I have done something with a goal in mind, or alongside others. It is refreshing, in a way."

"Have you just been living in Amara since you came here?" He asked her.

"Definitely not." She chuckled. "Spending such years in a place like that would grow tiring, I think. No, it was only recently I had started staying in that city, before that I mostly just wandered around various places. As I said, my clan is no more, so there hasn't been a purpose for me..." Naleen looked up with a grin. "Until you two came along anyway."

"Why do you want to come with us, anyway?" He questioned.

She continued to poke at the flames, the orange light reflecting in her green eyes as her ears twitched thoughtfully.

"Accompanying you feels like the right thing for me to do, after all this time." Naleen stated with a smile. "And it will be nice to see my home again, yes?"

"I suppose it will." He mumbled in reply.

The female gave a chuckle. "So, how long do you think it will be before we reach these mountains Velanis' clan calls home?"

"Depends, really." He replied with a shrug. "We'll make good progress for our time across most of Rindal, so long as we don't run into any delays. After that we need to get across Rain Wood, which can be varyingly difficult or slow."

"Rain Wood." Naleen repeated. "Is that what Humans refer to that forest as?"

"That's what they call it, yes." He agreed. "Whether or not it had another name I can't say."

"Quite a wild place." She said. "Perhaps as wild as Nel'Vrak, if not more, I think."

"Aye." He mumbled.

He glanced down at Velanis as she shifted in her sleep with a murmur, pulling the cloak tighter around herself. She looked almost the same as that first night, curled up as she was under the cloth. It wasn't the same though, and he supposed it was in a better way. He wouldn't have even thought in passing at the time that she would eventually want to become his, well, mate. As he looked at her peaceful expression in sleep it was still a bit hard to believe that, even now.

"It is good you accepted her feelings." Naleen stated while he was looking.

"Yes..." He replied, taking his gaze away. "I suppose it is."

"Are you still not certain?" She said with her form of a smirk, resting her head in her hands. "It doesn't seem to me that you have cause to be, no?"

"It's not that I'm unsure still." He responded with a frown. "It's just I wonder why she would want a human."

"Well, from what she says none of the males from her clan even showed her any thought." Naleen declared. "So it doesn't come as a surprise I think, that she would form a bond with you. And she is interested by you; whether or not you realize it, your life spent around us has left an impression on you that she no doubt notices."

He grunted, looking down at the wavering fire.

"No matter what though, you shouldn't second guess either of your feelings for each other." She continued, a bit more of a somber sound in her voice. "When I was with my clan still, I met a male whom I started to have feelings for, as more than just an outlet for my urges. But, I never showed my feelings towards him out of a sense of... respect, perhaps."

The Sergal took on an almost sad look as he glanced up at her, eyes distant in recollection.

"It took me years to finally show him what I felt, and by then... I'd wasted so much time." Naleen blinked, pushing her memory aside to focus on him once more. "My only regret that I have, after everything, was that I never showed him sooner. Take this lesson from me, yes?"

He stared at her a moment, seeing the sad truth in her eyes before he looked back down at the fire. He didn't doubt her words, and he understood what she was telling him. Not that she needed to tell him though; he was past the point of being reluctant with Vel. And he'd never really thought about it, but her point about him having an "impression" was probably true as well. He always did feel more comfortable around Sergals then he did Humans, and he supposed his current company was proof of that.

"But, the past is the past yes?" Naleen concluded, smiling again. "Dwelling on it won't help any."

"I suppose it doesn't..." He agreed distantly.

Falren cast a glance up at the sky, the pitch-blackness having taken on a light grey as the night drew closer to morning. And with it, that meant their next day of the journey would soon begin.

"Looks about time we should get ready to set off soon." He stated to Naleen.

"Indeed it does." She replied, glancing up at the sky herself.

He climbed to his feet and stepped over to Velanis' prone form, crouching down to give her shoulder a nudge. She hummed as she blinked an amber eye open to look up, giving a smile as it focused on him.

"Time to get up." He told her.

"Alright." She mumbled in reply, pulling herself up and quickly nuzzling into his neck.

He returned the gesture by rubbing a hand into the thick mane of hair on the back of her neck. Velanis laughed quietly into his neck, snaking her tongue out to lick him affectionately. He let her continue a bit longer before he pulled his hand away, causing her to stop her ministrations.

"Come on." He stated to her, standing from his crouch. "Let's get packed up and eat something before we set off again."

Velanis climbed to her feet, giving a stretch that spread her jaws wide to display her teeth. She snapped them closed after a moment, giving him a smile before they set about gathering their bedrolls and securing them back to their packs. Velanis made sure to drape her cloak over her shoulders as well, looking to avoid the water no doubt. He'd put his on if the weather decided to get worse, but for now he'd keep it off. After that the three of them shared a meager breakfast around the low embers of the fire, eating quietly as the dawn's light slowly cast away enough of the darkness.

When they had finished their meal, he took the bundle of provisions and stowed them back in his saddlebags. The light drizzle still fell from the sky, the clouds above thick enough to keep the light from truly shining. But that was fine with him; there were worse conditions to travel by instead of a little rainfall. He took his horses reins from the branch they were tied to, giving the horse a pat on its long head as he brought it over to the fire.

"Ready to be off?" He asked his two companions, kicking some loose dirt over the coals.

"Yes." Naleen replied simply, standing and shouldering her pack.

Velanis gave her own silent answer by doing the same, coming to stand next to him. He gave a nod and started off through the trees towards the road, Vel walking beside him as he led the way. They soon emerged onto the lane of dirt, the ground a bit soft from the slow fall of rain as they began to follow its path. It was a quiet morning, the wildlife remaining silent in favor of the pattering water as it fell.

"It's quite different compared to when we came here on the boat." Velanis mused from next to him as they walked.

"Aye, it is." He replied.

"How much longer do you think it will take us now that we're on foot?" She asked him curiously.

"Not too much longer." He said in response. "Maybe an extra day or two, if we make good progress. After we leave Rindal I'm not sure, how long do you think it took you to come from your valley to Rain Wood?"

"Ah..." Velanis muttered, scratching at an ear. "A week, at least. More, I think. I didn't keep much track of the days after those bandits had caught me though."

"Seems about right..." He replied, casting a small grin at her. "All depends on if we find this valley on the first try or not, doesn't it?"

"Yes..." She mumbled, ears drooping. "I'm fairly certain I can backtrack my steps."

"I'm sure you can Vel, I'm not worried about it." He stated reassuringly. "Just need to get there first."

"Thanks..." She said to him.

"This road runs along side Mirror Lake, and we should be able to follow it a good deal of the way." He said to both her and Naleen. "We'll know we're getting near the end when we reach the garrison."

"The garrison?" Velanis questioned.

"Yes, it's a fort housing a detachment of soldiers." He informed her. "For all purposes it will signal that we're at the edge of Rindal, and then after that we'll be venturing into the more wild areas."

"Oh." She mumbled in understanding.

"We'll be crossing through a few towns before then though." He said as they walked. "There will be one soon as well; I'd like to reach it and put some distance between us before the days end at least."

"A fair enough goal." Naleen piped up from his other side, balancing her spear in a hand. "It will help to ease the tedium to deal with the journey in chunks, yes?"

"That's one way to look at it, yes." He agreed. "And it's something to aim for."

They remained quiet after that, conserving their breath for the road ahead of them. He guessed that they would reach that town he mentioned by midday, leaving them a decent time after to cover a bit more ground. As long as they didn't encounter issues along the way, he was confident they could make good time to their destination. He didn't foresee any obvious problems for their time through Rindal, but it was another matter entirely when you left the enforced order behind...

There was still a fair enough share of land to cover before that became relevant though, so for now he could push that to the back of his mind. And with that, he conceded himself to the road before him as they walked on through the gray morning.

***

Falren's goal, as it was, was half achieved just a small time after midday, the town he spoke of soon coming into view. It rested by the water, the road itself running between the two halves of the town; the buildings purposefully constructed to flank the route. To her it looked much like every other human typical human village, the wooden buildings clustered around some central point. The day remained cloudy and grey, but the rain had stopped not too long ago. They followed the trodden dirt into the town, past the set of guards standing watch at its perimeter.

As usual they didn't make a move to stop them, any more than they may have stopped any other persons passing through, but the lingering looks she and Naleen received were obvious. That was something she couldn't understand. Humans had been a new sight to her, yet she didn't insist on staring at them as they walked by. But it didn't matter; she simply ignored them as they made their way through the town center.

This area seemed little different as well, the open space serving as a spot for the people, both locally and travelling, to trade goods and items. It wasn't as crowded as the others she'd seen, but she imagined there would have been more people about if the weather were more promising. As it stood there were still some stalls set up and occupied, as well as people purveying the wares. But, their path was only leading them through the town, so it made little difference as to the state of the little market.

She was glad they weren't staying at an inn for the night, she found being out in the world to be more preferable. She'd spent so much time inside a building already that she didn't want to be confined anymore. That, and she honestly didn't much care for the inns, far too crowded and noisy for her tastes. Staying at Melan's and Aemon's home had been a far better experience. Not to say that she would shun the shelter of a sturdy roof if the weather turned sour, but it would have to be some bad weather indeed for that to be considered.

She'd grown up in her clan's valley, out in the elements with only simple shelters; she thought she could put up with some bad weather. And it wasn't as if her kind weren't equipped to be out in the wild, after all. No, as long as Falren could put up with it, so could she.

Soon they neared the opposite end of the town, the road departing the buildings to once more lead them through the trees. She sort of liked the forest here, the trees growing thickly, but nothing like the forest they referred to as Rain Wood. She hadn't been able to see much of it during their time on the boat, but it almost reminded her of the forests in her valley. The boat may have quickened their journey slightly, but she liked to be out moving on her own rather than stuck in some vessel.

None of them really talked much, and she for her part didn't try to spark up any conversation in the dull grey. She decided she'd save that for when they made camp at the end of the day, seeing as they all seemed to be thinking their own thoughts to pass the time.

She imagined that it wouldn't be too much longer before they stopped for the day, considering that Falren liked to save himself a bit of light and that the hour was already past midday. They were making good progress though, she thought, having long since put the sight of Amara behind them. The lake still stood ever present to their side, but considering the size of that body of water she didn't expect to overtake that in the two days they'd been travelling.

She took a breath and focused on the road ahead of her, ears twitching occasionally as she walked. She'd have time to talk when they stopped, she'd just have to wait. It wouldn't be much longer, after all...

Sure enough, as the day wore on and their feet left behind their own marks in the dirt, Falren called that it was time to stop for the day. The sun had clearly sunk down in the sky; still apparent through the layer of clouds, so it hadn't been unexpected when he declared that. As was usual he diverted off into the trees, leading them far enough away from the road that they wouldn't be obviously seen by a passerby.

When they'd reached their chosen spot Falren wrapped his horse's reins to a branch, though she suspected that was more a formality since the creature seemed inclined to do anything but wander off. They then set about the routine task of gathering the night's wood, the task made quick with each of them helping. She and Naleen both dumped their armfuls onto the ground with Falren's, brushing their arms off and letting him work on lighting the fire.

She watched him manipulate the pieces of wood and tinder for a moment as he started striking together those two tools he kept, before she looked away with a twitch of her ear. Her gaze was drawn over to Naleen, the female having wandered closer to Falren's horse. The creature was giving her a stare with its large eye as she stepped over, turning its head to regard her more clearly. Naleen stopped within an arms length, tilting her head curiously at the horse. It snorted at her, shoving its head into her chest and nudging her back a step. She chuckled, giving the horse a tooth-filled grin as she raised a hand to pat its head.

"I guess he likes you." Falren stated while he tended the newborn flames, glancing at the scene.

"Quite the friendly creature, yes?" Naleen said, rubbing the side of its long head. "He learned better than to trust everyone though, no?"

"Well..." Falren aired, frowning at her question. "He usually won't let strangers near him. He'd either have had to know you, or for one of his odd reasons decided he likes you."

"Ah." She mumbled, chuckling again. "I doubt he knows me."

Velanis walked over to the two as Falren returned to tending his fire, stopping near the horse's saddle. She reached a hand towards a familiar bundle, sliding the objects free from where they'd been secured. Naleen watched her curiously, the horse having received its wanted attentions and gone back to biting at some clumps of grass. She brought the bundle to Falren, standing over him until he finally looked up at her with a questioning brow. She indicated the objects in her hand, giving a grin down at him.

"Ah..." Falren hummed, realizing both what she wanted and what was in her hand. "I suppose it has been awhile, hasn't it?"

He added a bit more substantial wood to the flames, climbing to his feet and brushing his hands off.

"Well alright." He said, holding out a hand. "Not a bad idea to get some practice in anyway."

She unwrapped the two training swords, placing one of them in his grip and taking her own with a predatory grin. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Naleen leaning back against a tree with an interested expression, giving them some space as they stepped apart and took their respective stances. She eyed Falren intently, holding her patience and waiting to see if he'd make the first move.

After a moment with nothing but the fire crackling he finally lunged at her, aiming a stab at her chest. She batted the thrust aside with her sword, returning it with a diagonal slash aimed at the crook of his neck. He pushed himself backwards, dodging away from the swing so that it swiped the air uselessly in front of him. She gave a growl, stepping after him cautiously as he maneuvered around the small area.

She made a halfhearted jab at him, keeping as much of a gap as possible between them. He simply back-stepped away from her attempt, keeping his guard up in case she tried to lay into him. She knew full well that he was testing her patience, trying to make her attack him aggressively out of frustration. She kept her temper in check though, remaining calm in an effort to deny him. They held the stare with each other, barely even breaking the contact to blink lest they give the other an opening.

In a split second she darted forwards, releasing a series of blows at him. Falren parried aside her first, ducking below the second as it barely grazed his mail, before he dodged backwards again. She growled again as he circled away from her, moving to place the fire between her and him. She narrowed her eyes at him as she stepped around the flames to pursue him, taking a swipe at him that he easily avoided. Despite her best efforts she was growing annoyed at this game of his, the constant circling wearing on her patience regardless.

Deciding that she'd had enough of the evading, she quickly closed the gap around the fire and lunged at him with her strong legs. She used her momentum to put some power behind her swings, keeping close to him so he couldn't just dodge away. He turned aside her initial swing, but before he could get in a hit of his own she brought her sword around with all the speed she could muster. Falren saw the swing, and with the position he was in he brought his own sword up to catch the blow.

They connected with the loud crack of wood-on-wood, the blow jolting her arm a bit as it hit. Falren didn't fair quite as well as she though, for a length of wood went skittering across the ground. She gave a triumphant grin as she unarmed him, circling around as he flexed his sword hand and stepped away from her. He didn't seem keen on giving up though, so she continued to hold her stare and stance with him. She couldn't help but feel a sense of giddiness though, what with the fact that he had just his hands now against her training sword.

That giddiness fueled her next move partially, as she jumped forwards and aimed a fast blow at him. She swung it at his shoulder, not intent on trying to hurt him but wishing to prove her victory nonetheless. In the second her swing was about to connect though, she received a bit of a surprise from the unarmed human. Falren ducked under the sword, grabbing her sword arm's wrist while simultaneously hooking a leg behind her own. In the blink of an eye he toppled her to the ground, making her give a grunt as he pinned down her arms, and her legs by pressing his knees into her thighs.

She blinked up at him with a wordless snarl while she processed what happened, breathing heavily from their round of sparring. His silver eyes stared down at her as her snarl slowly turned to a grin, her tail creeping up to wrap around his leg. He frowned at her when she craned her head up, nuzzling and licking at his neck.

"You win..." she stated through her grin.

Falren stared at her blankly as she pulled her head back and rested it on the ground, chuckling up at him.

"Shall I give you some privacy now?" Naleen called, her presence having been forgotten with how focused they'd been on each other.

Falren gave a grimace, releasing her and climbing to his feet just as quickly as he'd dragged her there. He held a hand down to her, which she accepted and used to pull herself up with a bit of a disappointed huff. He then went to retrieve the wooden sword from where it had fallen, walking back over and gesturing for hers. She passed it to him, and he then promptly returned them to where they'd been before she took them. While he did that she sat down in beside the fire, the flames crackling away merrily now in the dusk.

Naleen joined her, sitting across from her and stretching her legs out. Eventually Falren came and sat next to her as well, passing her a skin of water. She gratefully took a long swallow from it, thirsty as she was, before passing it back to him. That was one of the nice things about travelling near a body of water; you could always get more if needed.

"So, Velanis." Naleen prompted across the dancing flames.

"Yes?" She replied, looking up at the female.

"Your mother taught you, no?" She asked.

"Ah, yes, she did." Velanis confirmed, ear twitching. "When I was younger growing up, and... when I was around for her to do it. I liked learning from her though."

"Well, she did an admirable job teaching you I think." Naleen stated. "To be able to stand up to one who was..." She looked to Falren. "Apprenticed by such a person. Even if it was just a mock fight, yes?"

She turned to him as he gave a hum, looking across the fire at the female.

"Falren?" She started. "Could you tell me more about the clan you came from now? Or, even just a little."

He went a bit tight-mouthed at her question. "Ask." He uttered, regardless of his expression.

"Well..." She started, thinking it over. "What were they like?"

"What were they like?" He repeated, looking at the fire. "They probably weren't the friendliest of people, unless you were part of the clan. Or in my case, there were only a select few who acknowledged my presence."

"What made them unfriendly?" She questioned.

"They were very aggressive, very... based around strength. Fighting and shows of strength or dominance were a normal thing to them, and you had to prove yourself in those respects." He told her, eyes thoughtful. "As I said, some were kind enough. My master for instance, and his... servant? I'm not entirely sure what to properly call that Sergal."

"Ah..." She muttered, tail twitching as she listened. "And... what happened to your master?"

Falren gave an exhale, drumming his fingers against his knee.

"My master led the clan, more or less." He said. "He commanded respect amongst them, and loyalty in those under him. I still don't know or understand everything there is to about him, but I know that his position was based on much the same thing: Strength and force of will. In the end... it was hard to say where loyalties lied, or whose 'strength' was truly greater."

"I... see." She mumbled, at least thinking she understood the deeper meaning behind his words. If she had paid attention she'd have noticed that Naleen was watching the conversation intently, the female listening on curiously.

"This led to your clan... falling apart?" She pondered.

"Yes." He replied quietly.

"And this made you decide to leave?" She asked.

"Well, it's hard to stay when the ones you considered in some form to be friends are dead, and the rest probably wouldn't care if you joined them." Falren replied bluntly, a barely noticeable twitch in their red-furred companion's ear at the statement. "But... I wasn't sure of things anymore. There wasn't anything left there, and I couldn't see a reason to stay; nor did it seem healthy at the time either."

"Oh..." She uttered, ears drooping. "Sorry."

"It's not your doing, Vel." He dismissed, letting out a breath.

She kept quiet at that, knowing when she'd asked enough questions. With a small grin she brought her tail around, draping it over Falren's lap as he sat. He turned his head to her with a quirked brow, to which she simply gave a meek smile. After a moment though he did stroke a hand down her tail, the lithe appendage twitching at his touch. She became aware that Naleen hadn't said a word the entire time, looking up to see the female's green eyes looking off distantly as she rested her head in her hands.

"Naleen?" She queried to the female.

She blinked her eyes, bringing them to focus on her own.

"Yes?" Naleen asked.

"You were quiet, that's all." Velanis stated.

"Ah." She replied with a chuckle. "Just thinking, yes?"

She hummed as Falren continued to stroke her tail. Naleen watched them for a moment, a thoughtful look on her features.

"Ah, but it is time to get some sleep yes?" She declared to them. "I can take the first watch if you wish, and you two can sleep."

"Aye, I suppose we will." Falren replied, climbing to his feet.

She let her tail slide free of his lap as he stood, reaching over to her pack for her bedroll as he went to retrieve his. When he returned and began spreading his out, she went to position her own next to his. He didn't contest it in any way, and she rather doubted he had any reason to at this point. She laid herself out on the padding, waiting for Falren to join her as he just added a couple more sections of wood to the fire.

"Sleep well." Naleen stated to them as Falren lowered himself onto his bedroll. "I will wake you when it is time to switch, yes?"

"Aye..." He replied, as she pressed up against his back. The female smiled at them, before she looked off into the night and began rolling her spear in her hands.

She wrapped her arms around Falren, tail draping over both their legs as they prepared to go to sleep. She rested her head above his, closing her eyes contentedly. He'd told her a little more about where he came from at least, vague as it may have been. She understood that his clan may not have been the... nicest of people, but she wasn't sure why he was reluctant to talk about it. Painful memories perhaps... Or something he just didn't like to discuss. Sort of like how her mother never talked about where she'd come from, or her father, she supposed.

Whatever the case, she knew it wasn't something she'd get out of him in one sitting. But, it had taken him time to finally admit he liked her, so she this was no different. That did make her mind wander to something else though. She knew he liked her, he'd said and shown her so, but he hadn't quite shown her that he did. They'd mated together, yes, and she was sure he had no desire to... leave her, but she wanted something to show that she was his. It was probably different for humans, and just some silly meandering or instinct on her part, but still...

She nestled into Falren tighter as the fire flickered away. It was time for her to put her thoughts away for now and get some sleep, as she'd have to be awake to take a watch sooner or later. It had been another uneventful day in their journey, leaving her with just the tiredness from walking and their little sparring at the end. She gave a contented sigh, letting herself drift off into sleep with the warmth against her and the sounds of night around her.

***

By the time morning came again, she had already been awake keeping her part of the watch. She didn't think they were in a necessarily dangerous part of Rindal, but she understood his sense of caution. Being careless was what had gotten her caught by those bandits in the first place. Although when she thought about it now, she was... glad she'd been caught. It had certainly been an unpleasant experience, but she had gotten her retribution in a way and it had led her to meeting Falren. It was, however, something she doubted would have such a good outcome were it to happen again.

So, she'd attended her watch with neither word nor thought of complaint. It hadn't been a long wait anyway, as the sun had dutifully started to rise once more and lighten the dark.

They'd fallen into a routine now, of breaking down their basic camp in the morning and having a small meal. Afterwards they promptly set off once more, following the well trodden path with their brisk step. She didn't understand why Falren seemed to not always ride his horse, but for whatever the reason may be he was still able to keep a fast enough pace. No doubt he'd gotten used to matching the paces of her kind, considering they did have a small advantage with their longer stride, and their natural adeptness at covering ground. She also didn't doubt that if they'd truly wanted to they could have covered the distance faster, but for now all that would have served was to drain them out.

At least the weather had decided to not sway towards heavier rain, the clouds above having discarded their grey appearance. The sky was still obscured by them, but they looked more promising now and the air wasn't heavy with the chance of a storm. All in all, it looked to be another simple day for them.

"Another day or two and we'll pass the lake." Falren declared as they walked below the mottled shade from the trees.

"Alright." She replied to his spontaneous statement.

"Just thought I'd let you know..." He added, glancing at her. "From there this road eventually curves and meets that garrison I mentioned. After that we can use the lesser lanes that branch out to the smaller villages, and towards the outer reaches."

Velanis nodded, her claws digging into the dirt as she walked.

"I have a place in mind where we can enter Rain Wood." Falren informed them. "I've used it before, and it usually presents the least difficulty. That stretch of forest has a habit of changing though, so it's luck really if you find an easy way through."

"Why don't Humans ever try this?" She asked, waving a hand at the clear path around them. "Make a path through."

"Time and effort I'd imagine." He replied, watching a wagon and its team as they drew down the other side of the road towards them. "And they haven't tried to settle beyond Rain Wood, so there's no reason to carve a path through."

"Why haven't they?" She mused. "It certainly seems that they like to build..."

"They're established here, behind their walls and settlements. That, and they have natural barriers here, Rain Wood being one of them." He said. "The wilds beyond are large and untouched, and I suppose that so far they just haven't seen a reason to brave them."

"Ah." She muttered. It made her wonder...

That if Humans didn't venture beyond Rindal, then how did Falren himself end up in a far place like Nel'Vrak? She imagined most humans didn't even know what or where that place was. He'd told her that his master had found him as a youngling, but in truth that served as a poor answer to her question. It only made her wonder more, actually, since if he had been a hatchling then he'd have had to been brought there. Questions and more questions, yet she was sure that particular one even he didn't have the whole answer to.

She glanced over at Falren as he walked beside her. He was surrounded by questions, but that was fine; he was her mate now, and she could hold her curiosity until he was ready to tell her. And it made the journey easier when she wasn't just concerned with trying to pry answers from him, only to have it end with her patience annoyed. She cast a look up at the white puffs of clouds in the sky, a flight of birds passing above the treetops. She supposed for this journey, she'd want it to be as easy as possible.

***

Inevitably another day had drawn near its end, bringing their methodic pace to a close. And with it, that meant once more making their camp for the night. It was a task he was well familiar with, so it took neither much time nor aggravation before they had all settled around their small fire. Afterwards they supped on some of the provisions he'd brought, taking bites from the cured meat. Despite the fact that she didn't complain, he could tell Velanis wasn't quite content with the fare.

He didn't exactly hold it in high esteem either, but now that he wasn't particularly in a rush to arrive he would be taking some time to hunt soon. That and the fact that his party had grown by two. He was planning on catching their own game eventually, the provisions were just so they could see good time out of Rindal; or at least to its borders. He swallowed down his last mouthful. They'd come a fair enough way, but there was still more to go.

Reaching the mountains would be interesting, but so long as they treaded carefully in the flat lands beyond Rain Wood it shouldn't present too much trouble. That's where Velanis _had_been caught by those bandits, after all. Time would tell though whether or not they were to run into issue. Naleen standing to her feet distracted him from his thoughts, drawing his eyes from the fire to look at her. She had her spear propped up, in the process of tying her leather sheath over the head of the weapon.

"So, Falren." She began, closing the knot with a tug and looking at him with amusement. "Would you care to spar? Just for practice, and curiosities, sake yes?"

Velanis' ears perked up at the request, as she turned her head to look at him. He gave a hum as he considered it, looking up at the female.

"Alright." He agreed without much reluctance, climbing to his feet.

Naleen gave him a grin as he walked over to retrieve one of the mock swords. He was actually quite interested in partaking this little activity, as he'd been curious to see how she handled herself. She didn't seem to lack confidence, though it was a calm confidence rather than one born from arrogance. He turned back to the center of their small camp with the wooden sword in hand, Velanis stepping back to give them room. Naleen watched him curiously as he stopped across from her, the sword in his grip. She wielded her weapon more as a staff than a spear for this purpose, but it still posed the same advantages.

No doubt her strategy would be to out distance him with her spear, keep him out of sword range with jabs from the haft of wood. If she was careless that could work to her disadvantage though, as a misplaced swing could leave her very open to an attack of his own. Her green eyes watched him intensely, legs posed and her feet planted as he stood at range from her. He wanted to see what she'd do first, before engaging himself.

With barely a sign from her, her planted feet dug into the ground as she propelled her spear forwards in a thrust. He turned the haft away, sidestepping to her exposed side as he closed in to the opening. She twisted around lithely before he could get a swing in, bringing the opposite end of her spear around in a diagonal swipe that stopped him from closing the gap. He circled around her as she gripped the wood double-handed, still watching him intensely.

He lunged at her, aiming a slash at her upper body. Naleen whipped one half of the spear around, knocking his blow aside before subsequently jabbing the end at his face. He jerked his head to the side lest it smash into his nose, bringing his sword up to catch the haft as she tried to chase the blow into his neck. No sooner had he blocked that she'd already begun bringing the other end around, aiming another blow at his head that he had to avoid. She was fast, and she knew how to use her weapon, he'd give her that. It brought back memories of training with his master actually, when they'd begun using staffs.

But he didn't have time to let his mind wander, not with a very hard length of wood being swung at him. He withstood her assault, dodging or turning aside her fast jabs as he tried to counter in turn. The evening turned to low twilight as they sparred, the firelight becoming the dominating light source as it flickered and turned their display into a flashing dance. She was aggressive with her weapon, and the effort of it had him working up a sweat. The speed and agility she wielded it with, though, meant he didn't have much room to try and land a hit on her. It triggered familiar reactions, in a way...

He turned aside another of her swings with the scrape of wood, bringing his sword down to block an uppercut from her as she rotated it around. He counted with a downward slash at her, which she caught on the center haft before pushing him away. They both backed up a step, taking panting breaths but lacking none of the intensity of before. He could only imagine at this point it was a matter of who would tire out first and slip. With a grin Naleen lunged at him again, continuing the attack once more as he riposted in kind.

He had to change his method, he could tell that much. As it stood there would be no definite victor until either he or she was tired out, and she didn't seem to be close to that...

As she aimed another blow at him, he decided he would try something different. He raised his sword as if to turn it aside as usual, but as it neared he didn't let them connect. Instead he let the haft of her spear hit its target, the blow landing on his upper arm and still stinging even through the mail and leather. Naleen saw what he intended, as he expected she would, but not quite fast enough to avoid it entirely. In the small gap from her attack, he swung his sword at her in a slashing blow. She leapt back fast enough for it to miss its initial target, but he still managed to swipe the blunt wood across her forearm.

She danced away from him, putting some distance between them. After a span of time he hadn't kept track of, they'd finally managed to hit the other. A trade perhaps, a small one at that, but still something. That had actually been a move he had tried once with his master, though admittedly that had ended differently at the time...

He positioned himself to meet her attack once more, but instead she simply stood there and gave a laugh. Naleen propped her spear up in the ground, raising a hand up to him as she chuckled.

"That is enough, I think." She stated with a smile. "Best we stop before we run each other down, yes?"

He relaxed from his stance, lowering his sword.

"Aye." He replied, taking a breath. "You... fight well."

"And you." She mirrored with a chuckle. "It has been some time since I've had a chance to spar like that, so I thank you."

He gave a hum as he brought the training sword back to his horse, slipping it back in with its twin. While he was there he retrieved his bedroll and waterskin, taking a pull to sate the thirst he had built up. When he returned to the fireside Velanis was sitting there once more, Naleen across from them with her spear across her lap. She had a smile on her face still, looking to be quite happy after their little spar. It was now officially night, the stars above visible through breaks in the clouds if he looked long enough.

"Where did you learn to fight?" Velanis asked curiously.

"Oh, some with my clan, and some on my own." The female replied, taking a drink from her own skin of water. "I have been around, yes?"

"Ah." She breathed in response.

"What was your role in your clan, Naleen?" He asked, looking across at her as he sat. "You seem fairly adept, so I'm just curious."

She gave a hum, resting her head in her hands.

"Well, I was not a warrior exactly, if that's what you wish to know. Although I did see my share of fighting." Naleen stated. "I mostly..." She quirked her head and gave a smile. "Served as an aid, you could say, yes?"

"I see." He muttered. There was a bit more to it no doubt, but he'd let her keep her details for now.

"That was a long time ago though." She said dismissively, ears twitching before she looked up with a grin. "But the past is the past, no?"

"Aye, I suppose." He replied.

"Ah, but I am tired now and the night grows late." Naleen declared with a chuckle.

"I can take watch first this time." Velanis spoke up.

"If you wish, youngling." Naleen nodded. "I will be here if you need."

With that the red-furred female spread out her bedroll, before laying herself down and settling in for sleep. Velanis shifted up next to him, draping her tail across his lap and nuzzling into his neck a moment later.

"You should get to sleep too." She murmured. "I can keep watch while you rest."

"Alright." He replied in agreement, stroking the appendage in his lap.

She pulled back her tail as he reached over for his own rolled up bedding, unrolling it onto the ground beside the fire. He too laid himself down, placing his sword and scabbard beside him.

"Sleep well." She said, bending down to nuzzle him once more. "Mate."

"I'll, ah... try." He responded. "Wake me when you're ready to sleep yourself."

"I will." She stated, settling back down by the fire.

He glanced at her, before resting his head down and closing his eyes. Her referring to him as "mate" would take a bit of getting used to, but he supposed it was true enough.

Sparring with Naleen had been... interesting, but not surprising. He'd been right about her confidence, and decided it was well grounded. That kind of speed and agility was something he hadn't encountered in a long while. Velanis was fast, yes, but that was a natural trait that she was still honing. Naleen's came from time and practice, something he didn't doubt she'd had a lot of in her prior life. What exactly that may have been... he wasn't sure, but he had his guesses as to what it might have involved.

Regardless, he trusted her enough, oddly, to let her keep her secrets. She'd been nothing but kind, in her own way, since they met her, so he'd leave it to time to learn more about her. For now, he was going to sleep, and after their day on the road and the spar, he didn't doubt he would sleep easily. He let out a breath, relaxing himself to do just that. There was yet more ahead of them, and they'd all need their rest...