Moon Times - VK

"Why in the world your 'Master' send you out into the woods with me is a mystery." The air quotes to "Master" could almost be heard as the half-elf spoke, "Considering the fact that I have got to be one of the worst people to teach anyone anything about the woods except how to ... ack ..."

Sinjan tripped over some dead fall and twisted about, bumping into a tree then sighing as he rested against it sideways, "Trip over stuff. Are we sure that your Master hasn't lost his brain cells somewhere between birth and god hood here? As you have more than likely been able to see I suck at being a woodsman. Or he might be wanting you to learn what NOT to do."

He fell to the ground suddenly and sighed, "How about if we rest here for a few moments, Shade?"

Shade walked through the forest behind Sinjan watching him and stepped to the side and went around the root Sinjan tripped over. "You are suppose to teach me about the woods? I spent years in these places why do I need a tutor? I will teach you a few things first of all shadows let you know most of the terrain and at night let the wind be your guide. Echolocation is also a useful tool try tapping your blade or staff onto the ground you can tell what is in front of you."

Shade walked over and easily climbed into a tree laying against the trunk on a extending branch. "Ok it is obvious that I was not sent out here to learn foresting especially from you, Tatsoo or Kai would have been better teachers if I didn't know enough already. So what's the real game?"

"Beats me. Oh Mister Mysterioso Master of yours only said something about teaching you and hearing wolf howls." He snorted, "As if there wouldn't be any howling out here with there being a freaking wolf pack following on our heels."

He put his hands behind his head and smirked at the younger man, "I just hope he protects me from Calliara when she finds out I'm out here instead of doing the eyes and ears thing for her. Then again, I did that all day. I should be able to have some time to myself." He shrugged, "And I'm kind of glad to be out here with you. Congratulate you on being accepted in this rag tag mess of Nyg's."

Shade shrugged looking at the sky. "I was dragged into this when all I was hoping to do was spend the rest of the day with my Golden Bird instead I'm out here in the woods with a man who can't seem to stay on his feet. Sorry that was mean but I was hoping for some alone time with Tatsoo. Oh welll as for the Howls I have no idea and my sympathies you have. Cali Scares the hell out of me she looks like she is gonna snap any second and try and take everyone with her to Hells gates. She needs to lay down kick back and relax."

Shade looked down at Sinjan and chuckled. "So Sin where is the girl for you? I noticed most people here have someone and I was lucky enough to find my Golden Bird. What about you, Any interests I noticed a few cuties. What about that red head chick the battle ready looking one. (Draconis)"

"If I remember your Golden Bird disappeared a few hours ago." Sinjan pointed out, "She's probably back by now though. As for Calli, well she's not used to taking on Nygozy's duties but our boss is a bit out of it right now and it's good training for her to do this while it isn't a war zone."

He chuckled, "Women for me? Well, I can't say I have one. Lithawen and I had something but I don't know about that. You haven't met her but she's a lot more against humans than you are. She only accepted me because I'm half. She broke a kid's hand just because he was human. Then there is Leliana but she's more a flirt than anything. Fremelda? I don't think I've even talked to her let alone thought of her one way or the other. Hmm. She is pretty."

A smile.

She crept along in the tree tops above the walking duo, more surefooted than any creature of the branch or bush, the forest eating the sound of her movements so that she was as silent as a leaf falling to the ground. She'd been enjoying watching them, listening to them talk. Here were two more of her companions, like the hunter from the previous night, the one who wore the Fade around him like a cloak, who'd traded his song for a sharp-edged war-cry.

Her smile widened.

One of the men, a half-brother, was no mage, but the youth beside him, a full-brother, was. The song in him was strong, but most intriguing was that song touched to it. It was an old, old song, and even though the melody had been forgotten and re-written somewhere along the way, it was no less pleasing to listen to. It wasn't a Symphony, but rather, a subtle tune, weaving its was around the mage-youth's own chant.

Should she appear to them, she wondered, or should she continue to follow, unseen. Showing herself seemed, thus far, to be working well for her - the Symphony and Harp had accepted her, as had the War-Cry, but would the half-brother and Chant accept her as well?

Shade laughed looking upwards. "I don't know half the time what is going on just one thing after another is all I can say, the whole world seems to be pushing down on me and everyone here there is so many problems. This is why I avoid large groups when i was alone here were no problems except what town was next and which chantry was first to burn. Here it's fights, arguments, different races different species different religions and rights and wrongs and just noise. You never see two bears fighting over which god was right they eat fish stuff grass corks up there ass and sleep for 6 months...My kind of animals."

Shade looked down at Sinjan and shook his head. "Too many women Sin I have had only two in my life one was....murdered a long time ago in another life and Tatsoo. I don't even bother to look at other women when my Golden Bird makes them look scrawny and unappealing. The thing is I'm not into marriage I don't believe in it but I want to be with her forever. I guess you can do that without getting married. But what if she wants too? I don't know her tribal ways last thing I need to learn is that the females ate the males the day they were married." Shade laughed realizing he hadn't really had anytime to be alone since he joined up with Nygozy and her crew.

"Now for Kraven that is a whole new world this elf is pulling me into one I don't understand yet for some reason i want it so badly. I don't know Sin I'm trapped between two lives one is with Tatsoo who I love and the other is with something I have always dreamed of. I want her to come with me but she is a Warden and I'm not. There will be places I must go where she can't follow and vice versa. I have made my choice to be Kraven's apprentice because I needed this. I made the right choice....I hope.

"The camp is much bigger this time because we are trying to recreate the Grey Wardens in Fereldan but it never used to be this confusing, or difficult. So many people and so many things that can and do go wrong." He sighed, "And you don't know who to say what to. It's abysmal. There is a reason I hang around the horses but then again, it is a lot easier for me out here. No noble women trying to tie me down to their apron strings. Bleh." He stuck out his tongue at the thought.

"You had a girlfriend before? I've had too many, Shade, I do have to admit but it has never been true love. I don't think so anyway. At least you and Tatsoo have something more. People can see it in your eyes."

Sinjan sat up, "Have you talked with Tatsoo about feeling like that yet? She seems pretty reasonable, I suppose. And I don't think ..."

The wind shifted and even Sinjan could tell something was different as the scent of blood drifted on the wind, "Is it just me or can you smell blood? I ... don't normally smell it so it has to be quite a bit if I'm not wrong."

Shade looked around and shrugged. "Tatsoo is very reasonable but these are waters I'm not ready to test yet. I can't tell you how I feel about Tatsoo I just know I can always rely on her. One day you will see her Sin and the world will glow for a brief moment and you will know your in love."

Shade looked over as the wind shifted and nodded. "I do smell Blood but it is faint maybe we should look into it...or not doesn't bother me this tree is comfy." he looked down at Sinjan letting him decide if they should go or not.

"I suppose it isn't unusual to smell blood on the breeze." Sinjan lay back again, hands behind his head as a long wolf call wailed into the air like a lost soul trying to find it's way, "Especially with wolves all over the place here."

He stood and dusted himself off then leaned against the tree, "I'm sure you're right. So that's how it was with you and Tatsoo? That must not have been long after Nygozy and I met you."

Kassina had been alerted by one of her pack to the smell of something odd in the forest. In wolf form she followed her pack sister to the area. Kassina sniffed around the area trying to figure out what the scent was. She had caught traces of it in the woods around the camp since they settled, but had yet to find the source.

She could smell others of the camp close by, but they were not the source. Frustrated Kassina continued to wander in circles following her nose.

Shade shrugged. "I met her on the same day Nygozy took me up to that castle we met there and I felt something like a flash of lightning s we talked and learned about each other and it kept getting more and more than we went flying into a great storm and afterwords well he rest was more personal. I hope you meet someone Sin." Shade looked over as a bird landed and chirped then flew off. "Seems we got company around here maybe we should go look."

Shade dropped from the high branch and landed with ease a flash of light and his staff appeared, The bottom half of the staff was missing and in it's place was a long double edged blade that ended in a tapered point the sides sharp enough to slice a leaf in the air. "Come on let's find the source of that blood." Shade walked forward holding his staff ready like a spear which was one way he had been trained to use the staff.

Sinjan grinned as he listened to Shade, amused and pleased that the young man found someone who could be a solid base for him. It was nice to have someone who would always be there for you, back you and be your companion in almost all things. He wondered if he would ever find that but then shrugged. There was no sense in squandering a good time to wallow over something you don't have.

As Shade came down from the tree Sinjan stood straight up, "You have the lead since you know much more of the woods than I do." He was armed as well with his shield and sword but he did not move to use them yet. They were a bit cumbersome when moving through woods.

Kassina's hunt was interrupted as the wind shifted and brought her the smell of blood. She left her pack sister to continue the hunt for the unidentified scent and went to investigate the blood.

Following her nose brought her first to the two she had smelled ealier. One was another elven mage like her, the other a half elf like Dartmoor. Obviously they had picked up the scent of the blood as well. The half elf was close with the small alpha and Kassina wondered if he would understand wolf like many of the others seemed to.

As she approached the two she barked a few times experimentally to say she was a friend and ask if they were following the blood trail. She really hated to hunt with a weak elf nose and didn't want to shift if she didn't have to.

Shade nodded and like smoke he vanished amongst the leaves floating in and out of sight as he ducked, bobbed, weaved, and slithered through the woods barley touching the soil, He left marks for Sinjan to follow so he wouldn't get lost. Shade reached up grabbing a branch and pulled himself up into a tree watching the area and smirked as he saw Sinjan and like a ghost he was gone again down the tree like a squirrel and moving with the grace of a hunting Panther.

Shade stopped as the scent grew stronger and in a blink he was gone and a large donkey sized wolf was in his place. he slid back into the bushes and waited for Sinjan to catch up and when he did he would reach out sink his teeth into the man's shirt and yank him into the bushes.

Sinjan looked at Kassina and blinked then grinned, "I hope you are one of Nygozy's friends or one of the shape shifters because I certainly don't want my butt bit."

He noticed Shade run off and went after the young man, following the tracks by moonlight, "Dammit kid you're fast. You'd think you were trained by Drake." He kept going, following until the tracks disappeared and confused him.

When Shade wolf yanked him into the bushes he had his sword out and was ready to attack but when he looked into the red wolf's eyes he realized who it had to be. He whispered in the wolf's ear, "You twerp. What did you find?"

Kassina barked happily when Sinjan at least understood enough to know she was a friend. When the mage dashed off Kassina dashed after him, easily following his trail. Then he shfited, making her happy she could communiate with one of them now, though she was shocked by his size.

Kassina had always needed to blend in and had always take on the exact characteristics of the animals around her. It had never occured to her that she could be larger than normal beasts.

She watched as the giant wolf ambushed Sinjan and let out the wolf equivilant of a laugh. She barked a hello to the other wolf and then headed down the trail once more, guided by her nose through the darkness.

She watched, sitting among the highest of the treetops as easily as a nightingale, and smiled at the tender, quiet scene. She'd been absently rocking to some invisible melody of her own invention for some time, swaying herself into a lull as she observed. But then - a quick movement, a sharp turn down below, and she was back to her senses, peering down through the leaves to see the scene unfolding. A child-elf, so small, so young, her music a chirping birdsong to match her wolf exterior. She barked, and then the Chant disappeared into the forest, flitting here and there among her brothers with a grace that was refreshing to see after so long.

But there. Farther. Farther than even where the Chant had stopped, she could feel it. The loss of life, the stain of blood upon the forest ground. The trees there saw it for her, whispered to her the scene. Oh, by the evil of the Fade, if she had been paying a little more attention to the voices of the trees, she would not have missed the act itself.

Leaving the man and Birdsong below, she too made her way through the forest treetops, and instead of conquering the obstacles, as the Chant did, they moved themselves for her, making her way so that she could have proceeded just as securely with her eyes closed and hands bound.

Passing where the Chant lay in wait for his human companion, she spared only a moment to feel his presence before continuing on, further and further into the wood. And then, there it was. Pitiable creature! The moon shone her light down upon the autumn-colored fur, singing a silent eulogy to the torn and bleeding thing. The light shone down upon the culprit, as well, for the slayer had not yet departed. With its maw stuck into the flesh and bone of the dead thing, she could only assume that it was feeding. From high up in her tree, she looked down at it, her head tilting this way and that as she watched the bloody feast and waited for the cavalry to arrive.

Sinjan looked out at the scene of an animal, or what seemed to be an animal, delving into the flesh of a deer. The body was sleek and it's fur shimmered in the moonlight, a sheen of golden honey hair that covered it in a silken cloak. Two wolf like ears moved, listening to the woods then it moved, a paw lifting onto the ribcage of the kill but it did not look like a paw. It seemed like a hand.

He felt his heart stop at the thought of what this must be and gasped as the head rose, two eyes almost the tone of the fur stared towards them then turned to look at the red wolf. It froze, tilting it's canine head then took off at speed, flitting through the woods and away from the men.

Shade barked and shot off like a bolt of red lightning his long powerful legs serving him well as he chased the beast the powerful muscles under his flame red and yellow coat working like machines as they powered his massive body forward. Buckler size paws slammed into the ground with a thud leaving deep indention's his jaws parted and the flash of sharp white teeth large enough to crush a mans arm through even Plate mail armor.

His eyes of yellow and red center stared at the beast making every turn sharper and faster than his prey and he was soon on it's tail inches apart and with one leap he jumped forward his jaws aiming to close right on the Achilles Heel and hamstring the creature like he had done so many fleeing horses and Templar's. The flash of pearl white teeth screamed to paint them red in blood.

Kassina ran into small clearing and came to a halt. She had never seen a creature like the one in the clearing. But now that she was close she could smell it over the scent of blood. Somewhere in this creature's scent was something human, something vaugly familiar. Then the other wolf-mage was off chasing the strange creature, intent on hurting it. She had to stop him.

Kassina took off barking at him to stop and not to hurt her. A howl brought two members of the pack from near by, trying to flank the mage and slow him down. Despite his larger size Kassina had considerably more experiance as a wolf in the forest and she manged to catch up to him, and leapt at him in an attempt to stop him from sinking his teeth into the strange creature.

The form flitted around trees at great speed but Shade was faster and stronger than she. Her tail flicked under his nose as he got closer and the bite to her leg made her scream in pain, a howl of pure hurt both emotional and physical as she fell to the ground. The werewolf pulled her leg from his mouth, yelping in pain again as flesh tore and skin stayed in his teeth.

She swirled and her smaller jaws came down over his, on top of his muzzle as she stared into his eyes shaking, her golden honey eyes asking him to please stop as her scent, the blood told him exactly what she was as he would know this scent as well as he would know his own. Her hands grappled him around the neck and she held onto the scruff waiting for his next move.

There was no way that Sinjan could keep up with the canines but he did run as fast as he could and watched the take down as well as Kassina trying to stop the large red wolf from making his attack. It didn't work and the female werewolf seemed to have the edge on Shade, her jaws on top of his but it didn't seem right somehow.

The female was not trying to hurt him. Just stop him. Sinjan waited, his sword and shield ready in case but he was completely confused as to what was going on.

Shade froze as her scent wafted around him and he pressed his muzzled against hers just as something hit him and he staggered and looked back at the much smaller wolves his eyes burning as he transformed back to his elven form and ignored the others. He ran to the Honey Werewolf placing his hands on her leg he muttered the words of healing the muscles and tendons knitting back together as skin closed up.

Shade looked up at the wolf and into those honey eyes as he held her close. "Why didn't you tell me? There may be something I can do and if not then I could have helped you and protected you. Oh Tatsoo." He ignored the powerful Jaws inches from his throat and the claws that could tear his flesh from the bone with a single swipe he trusted her completely even if she attacked him now.

Shade was knocked away from her by a smaller wolf and she pulled back to a tree, pressing her back against it and waiting to see if the inevitable attack would come. He changed and came back, healing the wound he had made then pulling her into an embrace. She embraced him back and changed to her normal form.

"Ahm sorry ahm sorry. Ah was scared ta say dat ma genes carry de wolf. Mah tribe carry de gene, na changed but born of de wolf." She choked, "Most would kill me if dey knew an ah thought you'd unnerstand but ... ahm sorry."