Sleeping Handsome

Lapis Lake Archive One







The sun was low in the sky, only just beginning to rise. It washed the valley that the lake sat within in a peachy orange and pink glow, making the trees look purple and blue and the water a beautiful shade of red. It glittered in the sunlight, the waves gentle with the breeze, and no animals in sight. Despite its lovely appearance... the lake was known to have secrets. Every once in a while... a fisherman would go missing from his boat. Some people in Layfette claim that it's the work of underwater peoples. Mers. That they are not friendly, nor beautiful, despite the myths of their alluring appearances. No... they're cruel and dark creatures that feed on raw meat at the bottom of the lake's deepest depths.

It didn't take Noctis too long to reach the lake in his winged form. Once he stood by the edge of the water he took the parchment tightly in his hand then dived into the water shifting into the form of a merman. He paused underwater to look around then swam further down into the depths of the water in search of the other mers.

The waters parted around Noctis smoothly, thin and light and clean... at least at the surface. As he started to dive lower, he would notice the water becoming more and more murkey... and cold. Underwater weeds stretched up from the bottoms of the lake to grab at the surface, creating a forest. There were hardly any fish in sight then... all of them having flitted away out of fright of the newcomer. But something else in the water wasn't so afraid... it lurked in those kelp forests, watching him.

Finally Noctis stopped in his swimming and looked around in frustration. Does this place even have any mers? he thought with a frown. "Anyone out there?" He called in the mer language before sighing out a long line of bubbles.

Very suddenly, three figures came swimming at him. In the water, they moved at lightning speeds, dragging a large net made of the underwater weeds in their hands. They were ugly creatures, with jagged teeth and sharp eyes, bald heads and scaley skin. Their clawed hands gripped the ropes as they moved to catch him with their net, hissing and growling as they went.

"Woah!" Noctis cried as he held up the scroll to show the other mers. "I bring a message for you and your people. Read it!" He said to them, waiting for the impact of the net around him. "Its from his highness from Layfette, Prince Reise."

The mers kept coming and eventually the net closed around Noctis, the mers laughing as they dragged it behind them. "The prince of Layfette, he says! Oh, that's rich!" they hissed as they laughed, dragging him through the waters at break-neck speeds to carry him off to their sub-surface castle.

Noctis rolled his eyes. "This is rather annoying i'll have you know." He said in a bored tone as he folded his arms and allowed himself to be carried off. I'm not sure how Reise will feel if I have to kill them all.. he thought but shrugged. If he would what he had to survive.

The mers dragged him through the waters towards their castle, which was nothing more than a termite hill-like structure within the rocks at the bottom of the lake. They pulled him inside, where a congregation of mers had already gathered, waiting to eat. Even the women mers were ugly as they gazed in at Noctis. Their king, who wore a wreath of seaweed and carried a large spear, swam forward and the three that had captured him moved aside. "He says he bears a note from the prince of Layfette, highness!" they laughed.

The king narrowed his black, oil-pool eyes at Noctis, then held up a hand to silence the laughing group of mers. He then held out his hand towards Noctis. "Let us... see this note." he hissed.

Noctis extended his arm through the side of the net and held the parchment out for the king. "Trust me, I wouldn't lie about who this was from, so just read it." He said then pulled his arm back inside the net.

The mer king took the note and eyed Noctis again before slowly opening the spell-protected note open, studying how it didn't get wet. He then looked at Noctis with a growl. "This is just a number. There is no note." The other mers began to laugh histerically again.

Noctis frowned slightly then suddenly remembered something. "The prince told me that the number is what he is willing to pay you in exchange for your assistance in a personal matter of his." He said then waited to see how the king would react.

The king held up his hand again and the mers instantly fell eerily silent. He looked down at the page in his hand, studying the large number and he scowled before looking at Noctis again. "What... personal matter does he need our assistance with?" he asked lowly.

Noctis couldn't help but allow a small smirk to spread across his face. "His highness needs your help in protecting something very dear to him that he has hidden away for safe keeping. A group of thieves are bent on taking the princes prized possession for themselves and all he asks is you do all in your power to help stop them in their tracks. One girl, three sprites and a dog. They look deceiving, kind and good hearted but trust me they are far from that. I barely escaped with my life during our last encounter. So will you aid the prince and accept his offer?"

The mers all whispered and hissed amongst themselves, growling and snapping in conversations about whether they should help or not. But the king couldn't refuse the large number on the paper in front of him. He finally nodded and growled. "Let him loose. We will help." The three mers that had originally captured Noctis were not all that happy about letting him go, but they untied the net and opened it, letting him out.

"Thank you. You won't regret your decision your highness." Noctis responded once he had swam free of the net. "Do you wish me to take any messages back to the prince or is there anything you would like my assistance with?" He asked now decided it was best to act nicely to the mers.

"We take our alliances very seriously, no matter how temporary they may be." the mer king said gruffly, before ripping one of his scales from his tail with a sickening crunch. He offered the shimmering scale to Noctis. "Take this back to the prince, as a sign of our allegiance on this matter. We will make sure the sprites, girl and dog do not get passed this lake."

Noctis took the scales from the king then bowed his head respectfully. "Will that be everything your highness?" He asked deciding it was best to wait to be dismissed formally instead of leaving himself.

The king nodded at Noctis, giving a small scowl. He then turned to the gathered mers behind him and started to speak to them about traps to set and patrols to run.

Noctis nodded then turned and swam from the castle and back up to the surface of the water. Once his head broke through the surface he shifted back to his normal form and swam to the edge and crawled from the lake. He grinned down at the scales in his hand then once again shifted his form and flew off back towards the castle in Layfette.

---

The walk from the woods to the lake had been a long one and Samiya couldn't help but give a small sigh of relief when she saw its glistening water. "I've always wanted to come to this lake but father never allowed it. We always just passed it on our way to Layfette." She said looking at the two sprites and Eon. "It looks so calm and peaceful." Sein frowned and shook her head lightly. "Don't relax too much.."

"I've heard tales of mermaids and sirens living in these waters..." Iswe panted as she trudged along, pulling the sled with the boar behind her. It had been a long walk with this thing, and it had attracted quite a few predators... birds mostly. But it was still in tact for the most part. She finally came up beside them on the shore and panted, dropping the sled branches and taking the time to rest, her hands on her knees. She took a large swig of her water canteen and then offered it to the other two girls. "We need to be careful here. The mermaids and sirens--from the stories--are supposedly very dangerous, carnivorous beings... They have laws we need to abide before we can enter, fish from, or drink from these waters."

Eon panted as he came up beside Samiya. He had stayed close to her side during the entire trek, save for a couple of instances where he had to run ahead and scout the path. He licked at her hand, then sniffed towards the waters. It seemed so peaceful here... The sun was high in the sky now that it was late morning, shimmering off of the waters and the sands like diamonds. The air was light and the trees around them rustled lightly with the breeze. Off in the distance, on the other side of the lake, were enormous mountains, some of them snowcapped. He wondered just how far away Reise had hidden his twin... How long and far they would have to travel to find him.

Samiya had taken the water canteen from Iswe and had taken a long drink as she moved to dip her boot into the lakes water but stopped when she heard that they had to be careful what they did round here. "Okay well what do we do now? Keep moving or take a break?" She asked passing the canteen to Sein who only took a small drink before giving it back to Iswe. "Is it safe for us to take a break here?"

Iswe took another sip before she tucked the canteen back against her belt, looking around slowly. "I guess it's safe, for now..." she nodded. "We just can't swim... not yet. I'll try and see if I can contact the merpeople through the water and ask their permission to use the waters... Perhaps they'd be kind enough to let us bathe if we give them the other half of the boar." She then paused, seeming to realize that perhaps this is what Eon had meant for the other boar half to be used for. She blinked at him and he tilted his head at her with his ears perked before she scowled. "You coulda just said so." she grumbled, folding her arms before moving to the water's edge and sitting down with a sigh. "You two set up camp. We can stay here another day and rest."

Sein nodded then busied herself by turning and wandering off in search of anything she could build and make into a fire. Samiya found a nice dry patch for them to camp on then sat down, calling Eon over to her before turning and watching Iswe curiously. She hoped she would catch a glimpse of some merfolk.

Iswe sighed as she got herself settled on the shore of the lake, concentrating deeply as she slid her hands into the water. She closed her eyes and thought deeply, the water rippling out from her hands in slow, small waves.

Eon instantly moved after Samiya. No matter how much he wanted the group to stay together, he knew his top priority was the princess. He ran to her when she called him and moved to sit beside her, panting lightly with his tongue hanging out, his icy blue eyes scanning the area around them as he stood watch over her, and at the same time, offered her the comfort of petting him.

Iswe still had her eyes closed as she sat in the shallows of the water, the water rippling around her, and she shuddered as her brow furrowed. She gasped then, her eyes shooting open violently. "Oh boy..." she whined frustraitingly. She got up quickly and turned back to the others. "We need to run. Now." she called. When no one moved, she shouted again, "NOW!" She made a motion to run after them, but a net suddenly burst from the water just off shore and landed hard on top of Iswe, pinning her to the ground. She screamed and fought against it, then let out a yelp as she was suddenly and violently dragged into the water.

Eon jumped to his feet and growled deeply in his throat, baring his teeth to the water after the net had stolen Iswe from them, before he turned to Samiya and gave her a rather demanding bark that he hoped would translate into the order to run back into the woods. He had to keep Sein from the water too, for he was sure she would be useless if she got wet.

Samiya gasped and scrambled to her feet, instantly reaching for her bow and arrows. "We have to help her!" She told Eon with wide eyes as Sein appeared stopping just out of reach of the water. "I can swim! I have to go in there!" The princess continued. "I'm not prepared to lose any of you!"

Eon growled at Samiya in warning and his teeth wrapped carefully around her wrist, pulling back on it in firm tugs to pull her away from the water. She had to get away before the merpeople came back for her. She wouldn't be able to hold her breath for very long, it would only be a matter of moments before she drowned. And he wasn't sure Sein would live much past being taken to a certain depth. Iswe faired better, she was the water sprite. Even if she couldn't breathe underwater--which he was sure she possibly could--he knew she'd be able to hold her breath for an immaculate amount of time. For now, they had to run and he had to get the other half of the boar to the water.

"What are we meant to do?" Samiya cried as Eon tugged her away from the water. "We can't just leave her down there.." Sein moved forward and placed her arms on the princess's shoulders pulling her further back. "She's a water sprites your highness, if theres one place she'll be strong and know what to do, its down there." She said hoping this to be true.

Eon barked at them again with a low growl underlying, watching them and making sure they backed away from the water. He then moved to grab the sled's branches with the other boar half on it, dragging it between his jaws back towards the water. He made sure it was close enough to the water for the blood to start leaking into it, and he let out a long howl as he sat on the shore. Once he finished, a long moment of silence passed and the waters remained still...

Then, suddenly, a whirlpool began to form in the middle of the lake. It churned slowly at first, then gradually built up speed until the shore was sloshing with water in a high tide. A spout of water then erupted from the center of the whirlpool, several ugly, monstrous-looking mermen flying in all directions and landing back into the water. Iswe was atop the spout of water, fighting off several more with her daggers and other weapons made of the water around her. These creatures may have lived in the water, but she controlled it. The high tide of the water licked up around the half of the boar, then wrapped around it and pulled it into the water. The carcass floated out towards the whirlpool, then quickly disappeared beneath the surface. The mermen then seemed to stop attacking Iswe, as the water chopped and bubbled with activity as they, instead, fed off the boar. Iswe used the water to take herself back to shore and avoid the mess of mermen, and she panted as she landed on the dirt, the whirlpool slowly dying away and the waters calming once more. She panted hard on the sand, laying on her stomach and coughing a little. "H-holy... shit." she grunted.

Samiya rushed forward dropping to the ground beside Iswe. "What happened? Are you alright?" She asked in a concerned tone as her eyes darted between the sprite and the lakes water. Sein stayed back still not wanting to get to close to the waters edge.

Iswe panted hard, though her breaths were slowly calming the more she laid there and just breathed. "I-I've never... done that... much before..." she whispered tiredly, her eyes drooping. She'd never had to control so much water before at one time. It had tired her out. She took a breath and pulled herself up on shakey hands and knees. "We have to go." she grunted.

Eon barked in agreement. They shouldn't stick around here any longer. Once those merpeople finished the boar and remembered they were there, they would come after them again. He grabbed at Samiya's sleeve and tugged firmly, trying to lead her away from the water's edge as Iswe managed to get herself to her feet and stumble after them.

Samiya nodded then turned as Sein finally rushed forward grabbing Iswe's arm and wrapping it round her neck to give the water sprite support. "Lets get out of here!" She grunted as she made to follow after Eon but froze when she saw Noctis standing ahead of them, a nasty smirk on his face.

"Going somewhere?" Noctis called. "But you haven't even had time to enjoy the lovely welcoming party the merpeople have put together for you." He motioned to the water. "They won't be very happy with that." He smiled again before raising his voice. "These are the ones you want! Help me destroy them!" He shouted into the water. This will be to easy..a weak water sprite, a useless fire sprite, a little princess and a dog.

Eon growled lowly in his throat at the sight of Noctis in their way. "Move, shifter!" he demanded, hearing the sloshing of the water from the feeding frenzy starting to calm and die. "Or I will rip your throat out!" He glared back at Sein and Samiya, barking at them again. They had to try to get out of here. If they got a headstart, he could distract Noctis and the merpeople. His hackles raised and his tail stiffened straight up in the air like a wolf ready to pounce, his claws digging into the dirt for better traction.

"Do you really think I care about you dog? You're unimportant in this tale..you can leave for all I care. As long as the three ladies behind you are finished i'll be happy." Noctis replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Be gone animal and leave this to the creatures who can actually talk.."

Eon was grateful that Noctis hadn't seemed to notice the absence of one of the sprites. He hunkered low a little, baring his fangs more. "I will not let you hurt them!" He barked at him firmly. "Let us pass! This is your last warning!"

"Ugh... Fuck it!" Iswe suddenly grunted as she leaned heavily on Sein. She opened her canteen and flicked her wrist outwards. The water instantly bubbled out from the bottle and slowly swallowed around the group, creating a sloshing barrier, before it suddenly began to roll, carrying them away from Noctis with it, heading into the trees with enough force to knock them out of the way.

Noctis had laughed loudly at Eon but stopped suddenly when the water suddenly engulfed the group and took off rolling through the trees. "NO!" he shrieked angrily then took off running after then hurling rocks and other debris he found lying on the ground hoping to break the barrier.

"This is like a nightmare." Sein grumbled from within the water. "A big watery nightmare." Samiya smiled weakly. "At least we're safe."

"U-ugh... You're... welcome... leeches." Iswe groaned from where she was leaning heavily against Sein. The further the water barrier went and the more Noctis threw debris at it, the more weak she felt. She finally couldn't hold up anymore, now that she was sure they were far enough from the lake shore so the merpeople couldn't get to them, and she passed out cold, falling heavily to the ground where the barrier melted away and fell to the dirt and grass in a loud splash.

Eon landed easily, instantly turning around to face the oncoming Noctis with his teeth bared. "RUN!" he barked at Samiya and Sein. He knew they wouldn't understand him, but hopefully the force of the bark would be enough to help them understand the jist of it. He glared hard at Noctis, his fur ruffling as magic surged through him. "Thank gods... Mistress..." he thought, feeling Jollel's magic coursing through his veins. She had something up her sleeve for him.

Samiya and Sein quickly grabbed an arm each of Iswe then picked her up and took off running into the trees as Noctis skidded to a halt in front of Eon. "Would you just go away." He said with a roll of his eyes. "You really are becoming a nuisance.."

Eon snarled at Noctis, hearing the girls run off into the trees to hide. He then felt his bones beginning to shift and change, cracking and he let out a groan as his body shifted. He was getting... bigger. Far bigger. Soon, he wasn't just the size of a wolfdog--he was a wolfdog the size of a rhinocerous. He let out a thundering bark at Noctis, his nose just inches from him, and his large icy blue eyes glaring at him.

"Well well look whose learned some new tricks. What a good dog." Noctis mocked before shifting into the large werewolf form he had taken the day before. "Well come on then..lets get this over with." He growled. "I have a few other people I have to deal with today.."

Eon glared hard at Noctis, just standing there at first, seeming to mentally prepare himself against Noctis' snide comments, then suddenly leapt at him, letting out a snarling bark as he did. He threw his entire body weight into Noctis' lycan form, in an attempt to pin him to the ground, his massive jaws seeking out an arm or his head.

Noctis growled angrily as he was knocked to the ground then yelped slightly when Eon's jaws locked round his arm. He kicked at him with his legs trying to knock him off then suddenly moved to sink his teeth into the dogs neck hoping this would get him to move.

Eon let out a loud yelp. Luckily, his fur was thick and scruffy, and Noctis' teeth had only just barely broke his skin underneath, but not deep enough to break an artery. He leapt back and off of Noctis at the bite, releasing his arm in the process, but he didn't give Noctis much time to recover. He moved for him again, this time snapping his large, powerful jaws at Noctis' legs. He couldn't follow them anymore if he couldn't walk.

Noctis let out a howling scream as Eon's teeth pierced his right leg and it felt like he was going to crush the bone. He kicked furiously with his other leg and lashed out with his hands trying to fight Eon off. He was struggling to keep up the wolf form and was slowing shifting back into a human.

Eon growled lowly in his throat as his jaws wrapped around Noctis' leg. He could taste his blood, feeling his muscle and fat rip around his large teeth. But Noctis' kicks and slashing hands were so frantic and wild... Eon howled in pain and instantly let Noctis go when his claws collided with one of Eon's eyes. He shook his head, blood filling his vision, and he wiped at his eye with a paw, trying to get it out. He whined and whimpered, but kept his good eye on Noctis, snarling at him as he backed away from him. Surely he did enough damage to Noctis to drive him away? At least for now?

Noctis lay now fully in his human form panting with exhaustion. He winced as he tried to stand before collapsing back to the ground in defeat. He glanced down at his leg and frowned at the deep wound. "Be gone!" He shouted angrily at Eon. "Just leave me be!" He turned his attention back to the wound and began working to stop the bleeding.

Eon panted heavily through the pain in his right eye, blood running down his muzzle from where he had it shut tightly. He glared at Noctis with his one good eye though, as his form slowly shrunk back to normal size. "My pleasure... vermin." he panted in a growl. "Shift yourself into a rat and scurry off with your tail between your legs." He moved towards the way the three women had disappeared to, giving a glance over his shoulder as he moved to make sure Noctis wasn't going to jump up and stab him in the back.

Sein and Samiya had stopped a short distance away in a well hidden clearing. They had set Iswe down to rest and Sein had stepped up to keep a watch out for attacks. Samiya sat looking worried as she waited for Eon to rejoin them. "I do hope he's okay." She whispered.

There was silence for a while, then there was suddenly a rustling in the bushes, another silence, and the smell of blood on the air. Eon appeared through the brush, blood staining his muzzle and his shoulder from where it leaked from his scruff where Noctis had bitten him. He panted and winced as he moved into the clearing. It had been difficult to try tracking them through the blood on his nose, but he had managed it. He moved to the princess, sitting beside her heavily. He wished she could understand him... He needed to tell them what had happened, keep them informed on Noctis and his position.

"You're hurt!" Samiya gasped as she turned to Eon. "You have to let me treat them." She stood up and hurried to her bag then returned to the dog and knelt down beside him. Sein stood up from Iswe after retrieving her water canteen then gave it to the princess. "This might hurt a little.." She said before beginning to clean out Eon's wounds.

Eon gave the occasional whine or twitch from her cleaning his wounds, but otherwise he managed to stay patiently still. He looked towards Iswe's motionless body and huffed through his nose. She was still alive, he knew... Just resting from her exertions. He still couldn't open the eye that Noctis had scratched. He was afraid to... Afraid he wouldn't be able to see out of it. He would have to give it time to heal, but also try to avoid it healing shut. He looked at Samiya and Sein and whined a little. They would have to keep moving.

Samiya shook her head with a frown. "No..we're going nowhere. You and Iswe need to rest. I'm taking control okay.." She told him softly before stroking his neck gently and standing up. "Alright..its too dangerous to light a fire incase the shifter tracks us so we'll just have to do without. We should have some food left over from yesterday so we'll eat that..Sein and I will take turns keeping a lookout." She said and Sein gave a small nod.

Eon gave another thick whine at Samiya and tugged at her sleeve with his teeth gently, looking up at her with his ears back. He didn't like the idea of just the two of them being responsible for the whole camp. He huffed out of his nose, giving a wince at how much pain it caused his eye, and he stood up, limping towards Iswe. He sniffed at her, looked her over, and then looked towards Samiya. She should look after Iswe, and Sein--being the stronger of the two--could keep first watch. Samiya was only human afterall, and she didn't have too many of those enchanted arrows to waste.

Sein sighed then stood up. "I'll tak care of the lookout business, you should sit here with Eon and Iswe. Make sure they are taken care of Princess." She stretched lightly then moved to Samiya and nudged her gently in the direction of the other two before moving to the edge of the clearing and watching out. Samiya smiled gently then sat down next to Eon. "I'll watch later.."

Eon huffed at her again, then looked towards the moon. He sighed and his ears twitched. At least they now had food and water... enough to last them a couple of days. But they wouldn't be able to move until Iswe woke up. He moved to lay down, resting his head on Samiya's lap heavily and giving a soft whine. Now that his adrenaline was gone, the pain of his fight with Noctis was setting in. He was getting old... He'd been at Jollel's side for over twenty-five years, before the prince twins had been born. He wasn't an ordinary wolfdog, to have lived this long and still look and act so young...

Iswe, still on the ground, blinked her eyes rapidly as she began to come too. Once her vision cleared and she was able to realize that she was on the ground, she held her hand to her head and groaned. "Nng... What happened? Why am I on the ground?" Her eyes traveled around noticing Sein, Eon, and Samiya.

Samiya rested her hand on Eon's head and sighed lightly as she leaned against a tree. Her head snapped over towards Iswe when she heard her speak and she couldn't help but smile with relief. "You passed out. You overdid using your powers to protect us from the shapeshifter. But you'll be okay, you just need to get some rest thats all. Seins on lookout."

Eon lifted his head to look at Iswe as well, wagging his tail and giving a gruff little bark at her. His eye was still shut painfully, but the pain was becoming more and more tolerable the longer he laid down. That and he believed Jollel was helping him a little. He was just glad to see Iswe was alright.

"Oh..." Iswe glanced around before rolling over onto her side and closing her eyes. Sighing heavily she willed her headache to go away. "What did the shapeshifter want, again?" She must have taken a tole on herself if she couldn't remember what had happened or why.

"I think he basically wants to get rid of us now." Samiya replied with a frown. "He really doesn't want us completing what we set out to do. I wish he would just leave us alone." She sighed lightly then looked at Iswe. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, a bit disoriented." Iswe shook her head, gently, thinking over what Samiya had said. "I'm sure he'll leave us alone eventually." A slight smile spread across her face. He will leave us alone one way or another. Although, she'd hurt herself once already using too much of her strength, maybe she should tone it down for a while.

Eon gave a gruff bark at Iswe and nodded his head. He agreed. At this rate, Noctis had to back down at some point... Unless he had more dark characters on his side... There wasn't any way Eon could fight them all on his own. The sprites would need to be trained... He frowned down at the ground with an irritated whine, then stood up and limped a few feet away. He had to think...

"I hope so. Its not going to help us if we have him constantly stopping us." Samiya replied as she watched Eon limp away. "How do you think things are back in Layfette? I wonder how my father is.." She bit her lip when she remembered how she had run off with the sprites with no word to her father. He was surely worried sick.

"Probably chaotic." Sighing, Iswe finally sat up and looked around. Things were still blurry but at least she could sit up without feeling like she was going to vomit. "I'm glad you all are okay. Why is Eon limping?" The poor pup looked so sad she wanted to pick him up and cuddle him close.

Eon looked back at Iswe over his shoulder and his tail flicked limply. Because I got my ass kicked by a certain shifter. he thought to himself begrudgingly. He huffed through his nose, wincing again at the pain it caused his eye, then plopped himself to sit on the grass, closing his good eye as well and concentrating on connecting with Jollel. He had to make sure Idre was alright... She had a long way to travel on her own.

"He fought with the shifter. I hope he'll be alright." Samiya replied as she glanced over at Eon. She stood up and moved to their packs and unearthed a few of their blankets then moved to Eon and draped one over him and stroked his ear before taking one blanket to Iswe. "Try and get some rest, you need to regain your strength." She said with a smile before moving away and spreading her own blanket out on the ground. She lay down then looked in the direction of where Sein was standing. "Don't forget to wake me when its my turn to watch.." She called softly then looked back at Iswe. "Thank you for protecting us from the shifter and the merpeople..now get some rest." She said gratefully then closed her eyes and curled up, allowing herself to fall asleep gradually.

Eon sniffed at the blanket that Samiya had draped over him, and then watched as Iswe and Samiya settled to sleep. He checked on Sein, then looked around slowly. Jollel was speaking to him... Thistle. He needed to find a thistle flower. He stood up, the blanket falling off of him before he disappeared into the trees. He came back a few minutes later with the bright purple thistle flower in his teeth, and he gently laid it on Samiya's forehead, making sure it was in the right place before he moved to lay back down on his blanket, just watching her closely.

The thistle tickled her forehead, then gradually, she would feel herself dreaming. She would be in a different place... in the clouds, high above the realm of Cuole and the kingdom of Layfette. She would probably be able to see the land below her feet, sparkling rivers, gleaming lakes, forest areas and open plains... but she was standing on the clouds as if they were as hard as the ground she was sleeping on.

Samiya groaned and touched a hand to her forehead when she felt the tickle of the thistle then opened her eyes and yelped when she saw the clouds around her. I must be dreaming.. she thought as she slowly sat up, looking round her as she did. She reached a hand out and touched the soft clouds before standing. She took a small step forwards, expecting to fall to the earth below. What an odd dream..

There was a groan from behind her, and a few feet away, Dyllin sat up. He felt... so heavy in the head. Like he'd been drinking too much at his birthday party. He looked around, realizing this was a dream, and stopped when his eyes found Samiya's body. "S-Samiya..?" he asked, standing up on wobbly legs. He was wearing only a pair of pajama pants, hanging loosely around his hips. He gulped, feeling dry-mouthed. "Is that really you?"

Gasping Samiya spun around at the sound of Dyllin's voice. "Dyllin!" She whispered then suddenly ran forward, no longer caring about the risk of falling through the clouds and threw her arms round his neck hugging him tightly. "I must definately be dreaming." She said finally letting go of him and smiling. "I'm looking so hard for you, I wish you could just tell me where you are." But she knew he couldn't. He was just a part of her dream after all.

Dyllin had hugged her back tightly, his face in her shoulder. She felt so real... She was heavy, like she was real. She smelled real. He blushed and smiled at her weakly. "I know you are... I knew you would try to look for me." he whispered, and gave her hands a squeeze. He rubbed her arms, then sighed and shook his head sadly. "I don't know where I am, honestly... All I remember is where I was last: in the dungeon with Reise." He bit his lip and sighed, looking around the cloudy area they were in. "Where are we?"

"I don't know.." Samiya replied glancing round. "But we seem pretty high up." She poked the clouds again with her foot before looking at Dyllin suddenly confused. "You remember the dungeon..Dyllin how can you? You're not real..i'm just dreaming right?" She asked gripping onto his hand tightly.

"Well, there's only one way to find out..." Dyllin said softly, his hand moving up to stroke her cheek lightly, dreamily, before he suddenly pinched it, but not too painfully, and quickly added, "Can you feel that?"

Samiya seemed a little shocked by the pinch. "Hey! Can you feel this?" She repeated his words before raising a hand and slapping his cheek, but not too hard. She watched him for a few moments looking stern before suddenly laughing at what had just happened. "How can this be? Us..being here like this?"

Dyllin hissed between his teeth at the slap, but then blinked at her and smiled too, letting out a laugh. "I... I don't know!" he said, shaking his head and rubbing his lightly stinging cheek. He looked around again, then stopped cold.

Jollel stood there, smiling at them both, her hands folded lightly in front of herself. Though, unlike them, her body was more ethereal, fading in and out with the clouds behind her. "I'm connecting your subconsciousness." she explained to them, moving towards them. "You two are asleep, making your subconscious forms more substantial... I'm awake, so I'm not as solid." she explained. "We don't have much time, this was just a trial... to see if this spell would work. Now that I know it does, we can do this every night until we find out where Dyllin is." she nodded firmly.

Samiya followed Dyllins surprised eyes and gasped lightly when she saw Jollel. She listened carefully then looked back at Dyllin. "So you're just asleep? Then wake up..please. Then we can go back to Layfette and pretend that none of this happened. We'll go back to me beating you at everything.." She smiled weakly. "Just wake up.."

"I... I can't..." Dyllin frowned, shaking his head. "I've tried... But I can't."

"He's enchanted." Jollel interrupted and nodded seriously. "It was foretold... by me, at their cradle when they were only infants. He and his brother were foretold to be cursed... Reise with a sickness and Dyllin with eternal slumber. But you, Samiya... That's why you are here. You're going to be the one to wake Dyllin up. And together, you will both defeat Reise." she nodded.

Dyllin frowned deeply at Jollel's words. "You think... Reise did this to me?" he asked, looking between Samiya and Jollel, slightly pulling away from Samiya. "Why would my brother do this to me?" he asked, feeling himself hot with anger. "Reise wouldn't betray me like this."

"Dyllin I don't like thinking that Reise did this to you but there is no other explaination. He was the only one down in the dungeon with you and you cannot deny that his mood has not been darkening. He must have been planning this for some time too.." Samiya spoke turning to look at Jollel. "I mean he had time to hire the shifter to take Dyllins form and fool everyone at the party. But why? Why would he do this? And how am I, a simple princess meant to wake Dyllin up? I have no power to break enchantments.."

Jollel held up her hands before Dyllin could explode and looked at them both seriously. "Everything will be revealed in due time, I promise. For now, our top priority is to find where Dyllin's sleeping body is." she said. "Dyllin, you need to work as hard as you can every night from here on out to find out there you are. Small characteristics... like smells and sounds..." she nodded. "Can you do that?" Dyllin nodded and she smiled. "good. Now then, try to spend as much time as you can together here... The stronger your bond, the better chance we have of finding him." she said softly. "I have to go, I don't have the strength to uphold this connection. You two have until Samiya wakes up." With that, she disappeared.

Dyllin watched Jollel's form vanish, then he turned back to Samiya and frowned a little. "I refuse to believe my own twin brother did this to me." he said softly, but no less sternly. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "But... I don't want to waste our time here together by fuming on accusations." he whispered. He turned back to her and grabbed for her hand. "Samiya... I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you at the end of the night... We were supposed to run away and have an adventure together."

"You weren't there at the beginning either.." Samiya teased allowing him to grasp her hand. "I had to dance with the imposter but it didn't take me long to realise it wasn't you. He complimented me far too much, definately not your style." She smirked lightly then gently placed her other hand over his. "And his eyes..they didn't sparkle like yours do." Her smirk turned to a soft smile. "So I made up a false story about us and he acted like it was true..so do you know what I did? I punched him!" She looked triumphant before frowning suddenly. "But it was too late..by the time I made it inside you were already gone and thats how my grand adventure started. Now i'm out in the wilderness somewhere with three sprites and a dog looking for you with a shapeshifter attacking us at every possible opportunity."

Dyllin blinked at her words, blushing at her compliment about how his eyes sparkle, and then gaping with pleasant surprise at her story of how she punched the imposter. He then smiled at her pleasantly and shook his head with a low chuckle. "Wow, what a great story. A real fairytale adventure in the making." he teased lightly. He then tilted his head and smiled down at her. "What's this about me not complimenting you enough?" he asked playfully, moving closer towards her slowly. "I compliment you enough. You ride horses decently... Your archery is adequate and your embroidery.... okay, your embroidery is horrid, I'm not going to lie about that." he laughed jokingly. "But I am proud to hear that I didn't need to be there to protect you... I'm proud that you can stand up for yourself." he winked, smiling as a hand rested on her arm.

"Of course I can protect myself. I'm no damsel in distress..thats your role." Samiya replied before chuckling. She grabbed his hand suddenly that rested on her arm and grinned up at him. "You can make up for your failure to attend your own ball by dancing with me now." She stepped away from him and straightened her shirt and vest before brushing the creases from her trousers then looked back at Dyllin. "Hurry..before I wake up."

Dyllin blinked at her and blushed, watching her straighten up her own clothes before looking down at his own. "U-um... I'm in my pajamas..." he said, motioning to his toned, but bare upper half and his low-hanging pajama pants. He smiled at her a little cheekily. "Unless you don't mind dancing with me this way?"

"Dyllin remember this is just a dream..its not real. But fine if you don't want to dance." Samiya replied with a large pout before smiling and started to hum a familiar song. She began twirling and dancing round to her soft tune. "When can you ever say again that you danced in the clouds." She said aloud glancing over at Dyllin before returning her attention ahead. She raised her arms in her dancing then froze when she noticed her hand was beginning to fade and it was slowly spreading up her arm. "Dyllin.." She gasped turning to look at him. "I'm waking up.."

Dyllin gasped, blinking at her fading hand and he moved to her quickly, kicking clouds out of his way as he moved. He tried to grab her hand, but his just faded right through it. He gulped, then looked at her and smiled reassuringly. "It's alright..." he said softly. "We'll dance in the clouds again tonight... I promise." He lifted his hands to stroke her cheeks, just admiring her face before he kissed her forehead. "I know you'll work hard to get to me, Samiya. I have faith in you. See you when you next sleep." He gave her a soft smile, then stepped back as the rest of her started to fade.

"I don't want to go yet..we've still got so much to talk about." Samiya said in a panicked tone then suddenly rushed forward wanting to hang onto Dyllin and not let him go. But her form was mist like now and she passed straight through him, stumbling to the ground where everything went dark. When she opened her eyes and looked up she found herself lying again on her blanket on the forest floor, no longer in the clouds. "Dyllin?" She called in a panicked tone, sitting up quickly and looking around. When finally she realised that he wasn't there a small sob escaped her throat. "Iswe..Eon.." She called in a weak voice looking at both of them.

Eon lifted his head from where he had fallen asleep beside Samiya. The thistle that had been on her head had wilted during her dream encounter with Dyllin, and he tilted his head, perking his ears at her in confusion. What had happened? She seemed so upset now.

Iswe jumped away and glanced around eagerly. "What? What's wrong?" Her eyes fell on Samiya. Frowning deeply she stood up for the first time in several hours. Wobbling on her feet unsteadily for a moment she walked over to Samiya's side and plopped back down. "Tell me... what happened?"

"Dyllin...I saw him." Samiya sniffed as she looked between Eon and Iswe. "I fell asleep and he was there. It wasn't a dream either. Jollel was there too..she said she had managed to open a connection between Dyllin and I, but only when i'm asleep. He doesn't know where he is.." She frowned whilst looking tearful. "What if he's never able to tell me where he is..we'll never find him."

Iswe gently wrapped her arms around Samiya, rubbing her back comfortingly. "We will find him. I swear to it." She knew it was an impossible thing to promise but she had a good feeling, which was entirely crazy, but when she'd said the words, she believed them with all her heart.

Eon whined at Samiya's words and got up onto his weak legs, limping towards her and starting to lick at her cheeks, drying her tears as best he could. We'll find him, we will... he insisted to her, though he knew she probably couldn't hear him. He sighed through his nose and looked at Sein, then at Iswe and gave a gruff little bark. They needed to eat and drink, and get moving.

"Thank you..both of you." Samiya replied after she had hugged Iswe and patted Eon on the head. "Jollel told Dyllin that its most likely Reise did this to him..He wasn't happy with that idea. He basically refused to believe it." She sighed lightly then looked up when she saw Sein appear.

"Is everything alright?" Sein asked as she looked at the three before her. "Do you wish to stay here or are we going to make ready to leave?" She began to dig through one of their packs pulling out some of the cooked meat they had packed and took a large bite from it. She suddenly froze when she caught the sudden sounds of approaching hooves.

Before she had time to warn the others the large chestnut brown horse burst through the trees, skidding to a halt beside then group after the rider pulled on the reins. The young elf rider leapt from the saddle and after whispering a thanks to his horse and gently patting her neck he turned to look at Samiya and the others. "Greetings, my name is Prince Ihara Sorai, heir to the crown of the elven kingdom of Cuole. Is this the group searching for his highness prince Dyllin?" He asked in a polite tone as he stood straight and poised.

Eon's ears had perked at the sound of quickly approaching hooves, and he had jumped up to protect Samiya just as the steed burst through the brush. He hunkered low, baring his teeth and growling with his fur stiff and his tail up straight in warning, but when he saw it was the elven prince, he seemed to relax considerably. Then an idea hit him, and his ears perked up. Elves can understand animals! At least... the talented ones can. he thought and then moved towards Ihara cautiously. "Can you understand me?"

Iswe smiled softly and nodded at Samiya. The sound of a horses hooves made her turn and stare at the handsome elf in front of her. Eyes slightly wide she nodded her head gently. "Yes, yes we are." As the words came out of her mouth she wasn't sure she should have been so forthcoming with that information.

Ihara glanced down at Eon and smiled softly before kneeling in front of him. "Greetings my canine friend. I understand you fully." He smiled again then stood up regaining his composed posture. "I am glad I found you. I wish to offer my services in your search. I have travelled these lands more times than most so would be an excellent guide if you'll allow me."

Samiya turned to Ihara and greeted him with a welcoming smile. "Prince Ihara..my father has spoken most kindly of your people. We would be honoured to have you in our group. Wouldn't we?" She said glancing at the two sprites beside her.

Sein nodded but only after thinking for a few moments. "I suppose we have room for one more in our group.." She said slowly with a frown. The fire sprite had never much enjoyed the company of elves and didn't like the thought of being stuck in the company of one.

Iswe moved over to her sister, her exact opposite, and linked their arms. She could tell that Sein was upset. Should we trust him? Laying her head against Sein's shoulder she sighed softly. A shiver ran through her as the warmth radiated off of her sister, cooling her own water, which soothed her greatly.

Eon was greatly relieved when Ihara had confirmed that he could understand him. His tail was even wagging. "Welcome to the team!" he barked excitedly and turned to face the girls. "We have to move on. Now that we have a guide for the woods and a wonderful tracker, I might add, we should have no problem finding Dyllin at this rate!"

Sein shrugged. He's most likely trustworthy but that doesn't mean I like him. He's an elf..I don't like elves. She said mentally to Iswe still frowning as Samiya's mood seemed to brighten with Ihara's company.

"You are too kind.." Ihara said to Eon then looked to the others. "You look like you all could use something to eat first though.. I brought some fresh fruit and berries with me if you'd like some?"

Iswe tapped Sein's hand as she slowly moved away and nodded her head. "Yes please. And thank you for offering your help." Bowing slightly, Iswe chewed on her bottom lip, hesitant of the newcomer but still not backing down. She wasn't like that, she stood her ground.

Eon couldn't help but notice the sprites' unease around the elf prince, and he huffed a sigh through his nose. He looked up at the prince and his ears laid back apologetically. "I'm sorry for their behaviour... We're wary of newcomers after the numerous attacks by a particular shape shifter. But we have plenty of boar meat from yesterday, you are free to help yourself." he nodded, moving back to Samiya's side. He was actually rather surprised that he hadn't thought Ihara would come in the first place. Ihara had grown up with Samiya and Dyllin in the summertimes, and was just as close to them as they were to each other. He was glad he was here though... With Idre's return to Jollel and her loss on the team, he had been afraid they would be weaker. But Ihara... he raised their chances significantly.

"I do not eat meat, but thank you for the offer." Ihara replied politely then turned back to his horse and after a few moments of rummaging through the packs returned with a few leaf wrapped parcels. He opened one then offered it to Iswe and Samiya with a smile. "These are the finest fruits you will ever taste, grown by my people in Cuole."

Samiya smiled and selected a ripe strawberry. "This is delicious! Go on Sein try a little.."

Sein swiftly shook her head. "No thank you. I'll stick with the boar." She turned and wandered over to their packs turning their backs on them.

"So when are we leaving?" Ihara asked not seeming to notice the fire sprites attitude. He stood still holding the parcel of fruit, politely offering it to any who wished to eat.

Iswe took the food from him, her cheeks a beautiful rosey red as she smiled. "Thank you." Licking her lips she looked down at the delicious fruit she had given her and took a small grape and popped it into her mouth. A soft sigh escaped her lips, he was right. The best fruit she had ever tasted.

Eon tilted his head at Iswe. He couldn't help but notice her change in demeanor whenever she was close to Ihara. He perked his ears at her, his tail giving a soft flick, but he decided it was just a girl being girly and moved to get some of the leftover boar from Sein. He ate hungrily beside Samiya, watching and listening out at their surroundings closely. Nothing seemed amiss this morning... Everything was calm and peaceful. He finished eating and stood up, shaking out his fur and looking at Ihara. "Tell them to hurry, please. We need to get moving."

Ihara nodded then turned to the group. "We should really prepare to leave." He said then moved to his horse. He stroked her nose gently then rested his head against hers before stepping back and lifting his pack from her back. "Go home Iladria. I will return soon." He told her then watched as she took off galloping through the trees.

Samiya nodded in agreement then turned and moved to Sein and helped her repack their things. "We're ready." She said after they had finished. "So where are we going now anyway?" She asked curiously looking around the group.

Iswe pulled her leather pack and situated it so it was more comfortable. Glancing at Sein, she walked back over to her sister and smiled reassuringly. "Ready?" She knew of course that she was. Looking over at their new companion she smiled. "We're ready."

Eon had heard Samiya's question and he looked at Ihara, obviously politely asking him to continue translating. "We need to follow the magical trail that Dyllin has left with Samiya. It's a thread that connects them... Like a scent, or a marking. Wherever it leads, we go." he said seriously, looking at Samiya as he finished.

"We need to follow the trail that connects you and Dyllin." Ihara replied repeating Eon's words and watched as Samiya briefly glanced around herself as if expecting to see a fine thread attached to herself and leading off into the woods. "So will I just know which way to go?" She asked curiously.

Sein nodded at Iswe, frowning lightly when she noticed the other sprites behaviour towards the elf. "Lets just go!" She growled in an annoyed voice.

Eon nodded at Samiya's words, and gave a little bark at her as his mental translation was sent to Ihara instead. "You need to concentrate. Close your eyes and pull out your compass. It will show you where to go." he said firmly, his tail wagging. He suddenly stopped, his tail going limp, and his claws digging into the ground as his icy blue eyes went wide on the ground. His hackles raised in an on-edge fluff, his tail stiffening as Jollel's voice entered his head, sounding nervous and unsure. Eon... Reise is trying to kill me... I cannot afford to use the energy to keep up your form any longer... I'm sorry. I will have to return you to your true form... but in addition, I will give you a gift. I'm sorry, my love. I will try to help as best I can from my current position... I promise. Eon panted heavily through his mouth then, and his body shuddered before he collapsed onto the ground in a limp heap.

"EON!" Samiya cried in shock and moved to help him but Ihara quickly held out an arm to stop her. "Princess please be cautious." He said softly then glanced at Iswe and Sein and nodded lightly before stepping forward and kneeling beside Eon. He closed his eyes and let his hands hoover an inch or two from the animals chest as he tried to detect any poisions or injuries.

Iswe turned at Samiya's shout and gasped softly. Clutching Sein next to her she frowned deeply. What's happening? Biting her bottom lip she inched closer and placed her hand on Samiya's shoulder, comfortingly. Watching Ihara kneel beside Eon, she waited to see what he had to say.

There wasn't any poison in Eon's system, nor any injuries... just a soft stirring within that might have either been a bit of magic.. or just his heartbeat. After a few moments of him laying motionless, his eyes completely closed, his chest started to move rapidly with pained breathing, his face giving a clear wince. Then in a sudden flash of light, his body shifted and changed... into a human man. He was nude, a natural consequence of being a beast for so long, and he was tall, lean, tanned, with brown hair that was shaggy on his head and scruff on his chin. His breathing was still stressed and pained, his face still scrunched in a painful expression as his bones cracked into their proper place after so long of being a hound. He finally calmed, and breathed deeply, and his still-icy blue eyes opened, his wounded eye still red and showed a nasty scar over it from the top of his brow to his cheek bone. He groaned and sat up a little, putting a hand to his head. "Ouch.." he grunted.

Iswe was the first to snap out of it. Hurrying forward, she pulled a blanket from her pack and wrapped it around Eon. Clearing her throat, she looked up in the handsome face of Eon. "As much as I enjoyed the show, you're less distracting with clothing." Kneeling beside him, she tucked the blanket over his crotch and checked to make sure he was okay. "You okay? Anything hurt?"

Samiya's eyes widened before she quickly averted her gaze from Eon's naked form, a look of embarassment on her face. After she was sure Iswe had covered him over she turned back to him looking amazed. "Eon..is that you?" She asked moving over to him as Ihara stood with a bemused look on his face. "Well that was the last thing I was expecting friend." He finally said.

Eon blushed a little out of embarrassment, grabbing the blanket that Iswe had given him and covering himself modestly with it. "I-I'm sorry, princess... forgive me." he mumbled shyly. He looked up at Ihara, Samiya, Sein and Iswe and cleared his throat. "Mistress Jollel could no longer uphold my canine form... It doesn't take a lot of energy to hold me in that form, but she needs all the energy she can muster right now... She's in danger. Reise attacked her." he explained, looking around at everyone. "She's trapped... but she's safe for now. We have to hurry." he panted, pulling himself to his feet with a stumble. He braced himself against a tree and looked at Ihara, still holding the blanket against himself. "Would you happen to have extra clothing, your highness?"

"Oh of course." Ihara replied politely then moved to his pack and rummaged through it before removing a new pair of trousers, a shirt, clean brown boots and a cloak to wrap around his shoulders. "Finest elven fabrics..you won't feel a single chill in these." He said with a smile then placed the clothes on the ground before gently taking Iswes hand and leading her away to Samiya's side where he turned them both to face away from Eon so he could have some privacy to dress. Sein rolled her eyes and finally turned around as well.

Eon nodded at Ihara gratefully for turning the girls around so he could dress, and he did so quickly, right down to the cloak on his shoulders. He refolded the blanket after shaking it out of any dirt it might have gotten on it from being on the ground, and cleared his throat to let the girls know it was okay to turn back around. He offered the blanket back to Iswe with a quiet, "Thank you," before he looked at them all. "Well... as exciting as this recent turn of events was... We should really be pressing on." he nodded with a frown. "Let's pack everything up. Princess, you should try to focus on your connection with Dyllin... see if you can see the link you share. It really is important."

Iswe smiled softly and nodded her head. "Anytime." Glancing at Sein, she bumped her hip against her sister and frowned. She was always such a party pooper, she'd need to fix that some day. Looking at Samiya, she chewed on her bottom lip and waited patiently for the princess to decide.

Samiya nodded then closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she did. Show me the way Dyllin. she thought concentrating hard. Finally she felt something, a strange pull that was trying to make her move. Her eyes shot open and she smiled. "I think i've done it! I can feel a power almost guiding me in the right direction. Should I follow it Eon?" She asked turning to their newly changed companion.

Eon nodded at Samiya with a smile. "Yes, follow it, princess! Don't lose it. We'll follow you." he said and moved to lift a couple of the packs so Iswe and Sein would have to carry less. "Let's go." He looked at Ihara and Samiya and nodded, waiting for her to lead the way.

Samiya closed her eyes once more then turned in the direction that she was being pulled and suddenly took off, managing to find a clear path even thought she couldn't see.

Ihara waited for Eon to follow her then motioned to Sein and Iswe to follow. "After you." He said politely and couldn't help but smile lightly when he noticed Seins eye roll as she ran on after the princess.

Iswe nodded her head gently, smiling softly. "Thank you," she whispered softly to the elven prince as she walked ahead of him, but not by much. Turning to him she frowned slightly. "I'm terribly sorry for my sister's behavior towards you."

Eon smiled at Samiya's quick ability to hone in on the signal and he quickly followed after her, adjusting the pack on his shoulders. They were heading away from the lake, but not in the same direction they'd come. He was glad for that. He glanced back at the others, noticing Sein was the only one really keeping up. "Let's go, you two! We can't afford to be separated!"

"Please don't let her behaviour bother you. I feel she may have had a bad encounter with a fellow elf and so has a dislike towards me or any other elf she meets." Ihara replied as he walked beside Iswe then looked up as Eon called to them. "We should hurry." He smiled softly at Iswe then quickened his pace to catch up with Samiya and the others whilst they ran.

Iswe pursed her lips together in frustration. Of course the elf was probably right but, Iswe herself didn't know for sure. She didn't really know her sister all that well. Frowning she quickened her pace to keep up with the rest of the group.

When Samiya's pace had slowed a bit, Eon came up beside Sein and looked at her seriously. "So why do you seem so.. tense around Prince Ihara?" he asked softly, eyeing her cautiously. "I assure you, he has done nothing to wrong you or anyone else."

"He's an elf..I hate elves! I would prefer the company of the shifter over him.." Sein snapped in a low voice. "Elves prance around these woods and forests thinking they own the place.."

"We do not own it, we just help protect it and encourage it to grow.." Came Ihara's voice from behind them causing Sein to scowl angrily. "We elves are the oldest living creatures within the woods..you cannot blame us for living here this long."

"Protect it? I was refused entry once into your precious Cuole woods. Am I considered dangerous?" Sein replied as she spun around to confront Ihara. "And after that whenever I have sought the aid of your kind I have been ignored."

"Well..you are a fire sprite. We could lose everything if you lost your temper.." Ihara replied jokingly as he smiled softly at her. "What exactly was your intentions in the wood?"

"All I wanted was some branches and timber from the central trees of the Cuole. I had heard they are supposed to burn the brightest and most splendidly, so I wished to try it." Was Sein's response.

Ihara's eyes widened and for a few seconds his perfectly calm expression turned to one of shock before he managed to regain his composure. "No wonder you were forced away..the central trees of Cuole where the first trees ever to grow there..they are the woods life source so if they were cut down the entire wood would die. Your intention to destroy one of these trees has obviously angered my elders..that is why they ignore you."

Sein frowned lightly then glanced round at Eon and Iswe, looking a little guilty. "I didn't know the trees where sacred or anything.." She mumbled as Samiya paused to make sure they were going the right way.

Iswe wrapped an arm around Sein, hugging her slightly. "Well, now you do, maybe they'll forgive you. We know you would never intentionally do something like that. You may be a fire sprite but you're not heartless." Iswe smiled softly, trying to reassure her sister that it would be okay.

Eon nodded in agreement at the interaction between Sein and Ihara. He gave them both a small smile, and clapped them on their shoulders. "A small misunderstanding is all." he told them gently, then turned back to keep an eye on Samiya. He sniffed the air lightly--though his sense of smell wasn't as good in this form as it was in his dog form, it was still heightened more than a normal persons--looking for any sign of that damned shapeshifter. When he couldn't smell him anywhere, he relaxed and looked at the group. "Let's hurry on." he urged.

Ihara smiled and nodded to Eon then turned to Sein. "I do not blame you. Mistakes are easily made. I shall speak with my father and make him understand that you meant no harm." He nodded then turned to Iswe and motioned for her to follow him as Samiya finally took off again running through the trees. Sein sighed and looked at Eon. "He's too nice." She grumbled then followed after the group.

Samiya carried on running, letting her connection with Dyllin guide her. She suddenly skid to a halt when she realised where they were being led and looked back at Eon and the others with a nervous frown. "Its the cursed woods..this is supposed to be a place of nightmares." She whispered then looked back towards the darkening trees and for the first time pulled her bow free and grabbed an arrow, readying herself to defend the group if needed. "This is where we have to go." She took a breath then started walking again, her pace slower now to keep a watch out for danger as she entered Cursed Woods of Raelm.




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