Completed Ghost Woman And The Hunter

[Alori Sai]

Time Stamp: 60th of Winter
Where: The Unforgiving
Who: Aela

It was another cold day of winter in the Unforgiving. Heavy snow fell from the sky throughout the day and found it's home amongst the trees and ground below it. The snow caked the most where it fell in uneven terrain, and leveled off in a sea of white as far as the land spread. Aela raced through the forest, boots slamming into the thick snow as she forced her way through. The long hair on her head seemed to glow, a fiery blaze wavering violently as she moved through the trees. The bow and quiver at her back clanked loudly together, bouncing around against her armor with each move she made.

The little huntress was on the trail of her prey. An adult elk stray, or left behind from the rest in it's group. It was the first one she had spotted in weeks, and would be the most meat she had eaten the whole winter. Aela knew that she had to catch this one, she had to take advantage of the lone wanderer if only to increase her own survival for days more in the harsh winter. But the elk wouldn't make it easy and she had already placed two arrows in it's back, but it refused to go down.

The tiny Inartan continued to run behind it, pushing her body ever forward, even though she was almost out of breath. Aela did what she had to and kept the elk in sight always. She darted in between trees, jumped over snow covered bulky roots, and pushed herself through bushes. The teen would not lose sight of her meal, and she would chase it through every inch of the Unforgiving until it stopped long enough for her to squeeze off a good shot. Chimes past and the hunt continued until it appeared that she had finally lost sight of it.

Near exhausted, Aela stumbled to a stop and breathed heavily as she leaned over, and placed her hands on her knees. She was tired and felt a sharp pain rising in her chest as she breathed in and out. Her legs shook and even after a chime she was still panting to catch her breath. A sudden low sound of movement caught her attention. The little huntress was always wary of such sounds. There were many things in the forest looking for a meal and she always had to be careful.

Once she had her breath back, Aela slowly crept behind the closest tree and peeked from behind it to see where the noise had been from. In the short distance, standing in the opening and only flanked by a few trees to either side was the elk that she had been chasing. Slowly the teen removed her bow from her shoulder and leaned down to crouch beside the tree. Numb fingers moved to her quiver and pulled an arrow free. Aela kept her eyes on the elk as she allowed her fingers to work and notch the arrow to the bow she held.

She lifted the bow and aimed the head of the arrow on her target. The girl took her time with this shot, she needed to make it count or else she'd be off on another chase, if she could even run anymore at all. The elk moved a little to the right where the tree it had been closest too was now in full view. Aela froze in place, staring hard at the strange snow covered lump at the bottom of the tree. At first she thought it a large root that had grown out of the ground, but as she continued to look at it she saw something else. There were limbs and fur, which made her think that it was an animal, possibly a dead wolf.

However a moment longer and her eyes focused in on hands, boots, and a head...It was human. Suddenly the elk turned and scampered off into the brush, leaving Aela alone with the frozen ice. As hungry as she was, the girl wasn't interested in the elk anymore. She stood up slowly and moved from behind the tree. She crossed over to the body and kneeled down in front of it to look closer. Who was it? Why were they in the forest? The first thing she noticed was dark colored hair, and strange clothing. It was a foreigner, no one she knew and not an Endal either.

Aela felt a bit calmer now as she realized that he wasn't from the city. If it had been an Endal, then they would probably send someone out to find him, in which case they might find her as well. But that wasn't the case, and she felt a wave of relief come over her with that knowledge. But there was still the question of who the man was, and why he was out in the Unforgiving alone. His skin was blueish and snow covered much of his clothing and hair. She started to rank through the bits of snow and look through his clothing, for anything of use when she glanced up and noticed that he had opened his eyes.

He was alive...

[Alori Sai]

Aela squealed and fell backwards onto the frozen ground. She hadn't expected the man to be alive much less conscious. Although the Inartan teen was surprised, she was glad to see that the man was still alive and not another body for the forest to claim. It was said in the city that the Unforgiving was one of the most dangerous places in the area, and it was true. She knew this first hand and if not for her iron will or the Gods or Goddess who sought to protect her, she too would be dead by now.

The stranger coughed, grunted but didn't attempt to move his body otherwise. He stared at the girl crouched down in front of him for a few ticks, as she stared back at him without saying a word. He looked the girl over, noticing the thick red hair on her head, covered in bits of snow flakes throughout the length of the strains. Her skin was pale almost as white as the snow around them, and her eyes.. Her eyes were a deep green, as rich as gems of the same shade. He could tell that she was young, much more so than he was, probably still in her teens. Aela had been taken aback from the man's sudden awakening and she wasn't sure of how to respond, until he finally spoke. "Are you a ghost?" he asked simply.

"No, I'm not a ghost." she answered in her best common. "What happened to you, are you hurt?" Aela looked him over, but it was hard to see anything beyond the snow that covered him. "Can you walk? You shouldn't stay out here, you'll freeze." she continued as she moved a bit closer to the man. He arched his back and grunted again when the pain registered in his mostly numb limbs. "Nah, can't..they got me good." With the snow falling away as he moved, Aela could now see the places where he placed his hands on his hip and thigh. The areas were dirty, dark, possibly blood stained as well.

There was no telling how long the man had been sitting there, or how badly he was hurt. But one thing that she knew, was that he couldn't move. The little huntress knew this, but she also knew that he would freeze if she didn't help him. "Just hold on okay? I'm going to get sticks to make a fire." Reaching to her pouch, Aela pulled out her water skin and gave it to the man. "Here drink this, I'll try and get food too. I saw an elk a moment ago, it couldn't have gone that far." The man took the water skin and drank quickly until it was empty.

"Hey listen, wait.."

He called out to Aela just as she stood up to leave. "Don't..don't worry about me. Find them and help them if you can.." Aela kneeled down by his side to better listen to what he was saying. Although the water had helped, his throat was still dry and it made his words hard to understand. "What? There are others..more people? Where? Tell me what happened, it might not be too late to find them."

[Alori Sai]

The stranger looked at the water skin again, hoping to find more of the life giving liquid to quench his thirst. A look of disappointment rose in his features when he realized that he had already drank it all. With a pitiful sigh, he dropped the waterskin, allowing it to fall to his side where Aela sat. She glanced down at the empty container for a tick, before looking to the man again. It seemed that things were worst than she had thought. Something had happened and this man, along with others had been hurt and stranded in the Unforgiving. The forest was a beast to it's own people, travelers were better off staying away.

"We came from Avanthal, me and two others, a man and a woman. They are traders and wanted to visit the city to trade with the people there. I was hired to escort them there and back safely. But it didn't work out so well. Our boat was wrecked when we hit an iceberg and we barely made it. Lost everything on board the boat including my weapons and any food we had. With a torn map we got lost pretty quickly and couldn't figure out which way to turn. Things got worse when we settled in and started a fire...that's when the wolves came. I told them to run and I drew the wolves on myself. Luckily I still had this.."

He paused in his speech, a low grunt slipping from his mouth as he reached into his coat and drew out a kopis blade with a thick string wrapped around the handle. Aela glanced down at the blade in his hand then back up to meet his gaze once more. The man looked to his weapon, staring at it as his memory played out before him in a glint of the metal of the blade. "I fought them off, got a few of them before they got me....I don't know what happened to my group, but I hope they didn't catch up to them.."

The teen's heart went out to him, she knew first hand of the dangers in the forest and the many beast that hunted there. Aela had thought, she had hoped that with the thinning of the animals that the predators hunted, that they too would leave and search for food else where. The man had tried to explain to her what happened, but once they got lost it left Aela without a lead. The people he came with could have gone anywhere..if they were still alive. "Okay I'll go look for them, but I'm coming back." Looking down again, she picked up the empty waterskin and stuffed it back into her pocket, "I'll get more water too."

The man agreed to what she said and nodded towards her. "Alright..name's Murry by the way." he reached for her hand then, and placed his kopis blade into her care. "Take this, could come in handy." The wounded hunter was wary with giving his only weapon to a stranger, he also felt uneasy at leaving his life and that of the others he traveled with in the hands of a girl even younger than his own daughter. But he didn't have much choice in the matter, Aela was now their only hope. "Be careful out there." he added while giving her hand a light squeeze.

[Alori Sai]

Aela smiled weakly at the man once more, before she set off into the forest. It was hard to see if she would find anything or not, but she had to try. However if nothing came of her search, she would head back to care for the injured man that she had just left. The teen Inartan headed off into a brisk jog, and searched the ground and above as she moved along. The man hadn't given her much to work with but she figured that she could start from their camp site and see if there was a trail or something that might give her an idea of where they headed off to.

The little huntress stomped through the muk of snow for chimes, heading in different directions, until she reached a dead end and saw reason to head back. Finally she spotted the buffer of smoke covering from above the trees to her right. She hurried then, making swift tracks to reach the camp as soon as possible. The girl knew that she had gotten closer when she could actually hear the crackling of the fire.

She moved into the campsite, being wary of her surroundings in case the wolves were near-by. There wasn't much left in the camp, as the man had said that they lost most of it when their boat sank. However she did find a pen, ink, and a half written letter. She also found a lantern and a small bag with rations in it. It seemed that the wolves hadn't searched the came as of yet or they would have likely found the food. A small smile rose in upon her lips then, as she slung the bag over her shoulder and stood up again.

Snap, thump

Aela spun around, quickly pulling her bow from her shoulder and reaching into her quiver for an arrow. Slowly the teen moved into the brush, searching the far corners and the near area for any sign of movements. Once she cleared a thickness of bushes, she saw a slumbered over figure laying out in the middle of the frozen grass. Aela hurried over to the body and quickly dropped to her knees beside it. She turned the person over only to be met with a gruesome sight. The wolves had got to the man and ripped him up. There was frozen blood caked in the snow around his upper body and his features were mangled.

"Gods..."

Suddenly there was a growling sound coming from the near by bushes. The huntress raised her bow and notched an arrow to it as she scanned the area. By now her hands were almost frozen and the numbness she felt plus the shaking in her arms made it hard to hold the bow steady. But hold it she would, emerald green eyes staring through the blankets of snow and forest to find the location of the snarling sounds. The teen held her breath then, her focus eyes and ears pushing into overdrive to locate whatever was now stalking her.

Finally she saw it, a dusk colored wolf slowly merged from within the bushes in front of her. Aela steadied her aim on the creature and fired. The arrow soared true and made it's home in the chest of the beast dog. The wolf whimpered and fell back into the brush. She exhaled her breath thinking that the wolf wouldn't attack again with such a serious wound. But then she heard it, snarling and howls coming not from in front of her but all around the area.

"Shyke.."

[Alori Sai]

The little huntress fumbled with another arrow as she fought to notch it to her bow. The bushes in front of her and to be sides started to rustle all at the same time. Snarls and growls came from all sides as if the wolves were somehow discussing how they planned to take down the girl. Aela turned left, front right as she spun around and around holding her bow tightly with an arrow pinched back against the string.

Aela breath deeply, trying to stay calm and focus, she knew that her aim was vital and missing could be her death if the animal got to her before she could notch after arrow. Finally the rustling bushes to her right became quickly and the girl fired off the arrow. There was another whimper in the brush as her arrow slipped inside it. She looked down quickly attempting to notch another arrow to the bow when a another sound caught her attention.

Glancing up, she noticed that a wolf had appeared on either side of her, ready to attack. Aela's eyes widen, she swallowed hard as she slowly set her bow down onto the ground. She knew that she didn't have chance to shoot both of them and needed a better plan. She moved her hand to the blade that the man had given her with the string wrapped around the handled. With her eyes dancing between the wolves, the little Avora unrolled the string from around the handle until all of it rested in her lap, while still connected to the handle with a thick knot.

"I hope this works..."

Slowly the girl rose to her feet, allowing the blade to fall away from her as she gripped the string tightly to extend it's reach. The wolves started to move the, growling as if they suspected that she was up to something and moved closer. Once she had the best reach to swing the blade while having enough control Aela readied herself and started to whirl the spring around. The wolves growled more, threatened by the actions of the Inartan.

"Come on...."

Once the first wolf moved into range, Aela swung the blade at him where it swiftly connected with the side of it's head. The wolf grunted and stepped back just as the other moved in to attack. The little huntress quickly shifted her body away from the animal and brought her arms back around to swing the blade at it, slicing into it's left eye.

[Alori Sai]

Aela backed up once again as she continued to swing the thick string that was tied to the handle of the blade. Her eyes moved left and right to the wolves that were stalking her. Both had been slightly injured but not enough to run them all. The little huntress took a deep and long breath, her numb fingers squeezed the string within her grip as she turned it against one wolf before pulling it back to swing at the other.

"Come on you petchers!!" the girl dared.

She started to twirl the string faster and wider, the wolves moved from side to side, though neither attempted to attack and jumped back whenever the blade was flung near them. Finally one of the beast jumped at her and Aela lifted her arm higher to get a heaver swing as she whipped the blade towards the dog. The wild swing flipped the blade and it came sideways where the wolf caught it in his powerful jaws. Aela tried to pull the weapon free of the animal's grip, but as soon as she saw the other wolf moving closer, she had to drop the string and run.

Panic-stricken, Aela raced for the first tree that she saw with tall branches with the wolves right on her heels. She didn't have much time to think, only to react and in a reckless move, Aela slammed her boots into the trees as she ran up and leap out to catch hold of one of the higher branches. She squealed, barely holding on with both hands with her legs dangling below her. Finally, she was able to pull herself up to where she could hug the tree to keep from falling.

"Oh God..."

The teen breathed deeply, leaning her head against the tree as she tried to think of a way out. There was no one else around, no one to help her fight off the wolves circling the tree below. It was all up to her and she was now without a weapon. "Okay....I can do this..." the girl said to herself. She opened her eyes, searching the ground for her bow that was still resting beside the frozen body. It wasn't too far away, but with the wolves so close, she didn't want to chance it, but there was little choice.

So she moved, sliding herself around the tree and setting her feet into position one in front of the another while she balanced on the branch. She could already see the wolves moving faster now, eager to get at her. Aela took in another deep breath and launched herself off the branch. The little Inartan hit the ground a few feet away from the tree that the wolves circled and landed with a stumble before she tumbled over. Her eyes widen at the sight of the dagger with the string connected laying right in front of her. The jump hadn't been far enough to land her closer to her bow, but it did allow her to get the dagger back and with the wolves now racing towards her, she would need it.

[Alori Sai]

Aela rolled over just as one of the hungry wolves descended upon her, and in a wild swing she slammed the blade into the side of it's neck before it could sink it's teeth into her shoulder. Luckily the armor had protected her from a fierce bite long enough for her to stab the wolf that was now laying on top of her. She gasped softly, her heart thumping even harder in her chest from all the excitement. Suddenly a heavy weight slammed on her and she stared up at the other wolf that was still alive. The beast snarled and snapped his jaws, trying to reach the tiny girl buried beneath his fallen companion.

The little huntress screamed, emerald green eyes growing wider as she quickly shifted from side to side trying to dodge the wolf's dangerous fangs. Aela squirmed under the dead animal, pushing her legs together to try and push upward and force the wolf back onto the other. She panted, shrieked and screamed, her head darting from side to side as the beast became more restless and more fearsome in it's attacks.

The young huntress stared up into the yellow eyes of the wolf as it seemed that they were searching each other and trying to figure out their next moves. They were both learning, testing each other to find a weak point. For the moment, the meaty shield was to Aela's advantage as the speed of the wolf was to his. However, this wouldn't last long, with the girl pushing up on the body of the dead wolf, the other started to stumble to hold himself up and soon slipped to the side in an attempt to dig his teeth into the Inartan's flesh.

There was a brief moment, both seeming to figure it out at the same time, and as the beast slipped to the side, Aela pushed herself further away while swinging her arm upward towards the incoming mouth. There was a sharp squeal as the dagger dug into the eye of the wolf and it's body fell over, twitching right next to her. Aela panted hard, her head falling back as she released a loud scream of pin up fear and exhaustion.

The next couple of moment were a blur in her mind, and she barely remembered getting up and retrieving her items. She wandered off from the camp, walking for chimes without knowing where she was going. Her mind had gone blank, and she stumbled through the thick snow as she pushed forward.

It wasn't until she heard the familiar sound of running water that she awoke from the shock and came too. Aela dropped to her knees, reaching into her pack to find the empty water skin that she then dipped into the icy waters to refill. Once she was done, the teen stood up, slightly bewildered at how far she had just walked. Luckily her trail was still fresh in the snow and if she was quick enough, she could find her way back before the falling snow covered it.

[Alori Sai]

Murry was happy to see the tiny girl returned from the frozen forest, carrying an arm full of branches and sticks along with her. Aela had walked for some time, trying to retrace her steps before she found the path that she had took before. On her way back and had gathered a such wood to make a fire as she could. Murry was relieved that she made it back, but from the looks of her, he could tell that something bad had happened, and he knew that he would never see the travelers again. If the man could stand up, he would have helped her, but at the moment it was he who still needed her help.

"What happened out there? Are you hurt?" he asked with concern in his voice.

Aela shuffled over and dropped to her knees beside him. She felt exhausted and barely had the strength to push the logs out of her lap, before she rested against the tree beside him. There was blood on her armor and around her neck. Murry reached up, gently tracing his figures across the teen's flesh to check for any wounds. He was glad to see that she hadn't been injured, but he knew that she had gotten into a fight. "You ran into wolves?"

The little huntress breathed in as she forced her body to move towards him. She reached into her pack and pulled out the newly filled water skin and offered it to him. "Here, you should drink more." She didn't answer him, not yet, and instead looked out into the blanket of white all around them. She didn't know how to explain it, how to tell him the horror that she saw. Murry could see this also and after he had drank from the water skin, he handed it back to her half full.

"I get it. You don't have to tell me..I know their gone."

She released a breath suddenly and forced herself to look into his eyes. "I did what I could but....I was too late." Aela looked away again, but found herself being drawn back into his gaze when he reached out and gently touched her cheek. Murry stared at her, she was so young and tiny, and he couldn't imagine why anyone would leave her alone in the forest. He wouldn't imagine his own daughter out in the wilds alone. There was something else that he noticed, the girl was warm. Anyone else spending a long amount of time in the icy weather would be cold to the touch, but she was warm, very warm.

Aela turned away from him, feeling a bit nervous with the way that he looked at her. She didn't feel like she deserved any praise, she hadn't done anything to deserved it. Turning the water skin into her mouth, Aela drank from it then closed it up and sat it down between them. "I'll get the fire started." she commented as she pulled herself away from him. She moved a few feet away and gathered the logs and sticks into a pile so that she could light them. The little huntress removed the flint and steel from her pack and moved back to the pile if wood.

"When I first saw you, I thought you were a ghost.." he said randomly. Aela didn't answer and instead leaned into the pile and started to strike the flint against the steel. "You never told me your name.." he added, trying to get some sort of conversation going. "Aela.." she replied simply and continued to strike the flint. "I'm sorry about your group." she added without looking up. "They're in a better place now." Murry said forcing a smile to his face. "But we're the one's stuck out here in the petching snow."

He was attempting a joke, trying to lighten the mood, and while she understood it, Aela wasn't in the mood to laugh. She struck the flint more and until finally she saw fiery sparks, and wisp of smoke beginning to billow. Leaning down, she gently blew into the sparks, feeding the fire until it was strong enough to catch and spread across the pile of logs. Looking up, her emerald green eyes met with that of the travelers and she smiled weakly. "At least we won't freeze now."

[Alori Sai]

Aela sat down, pulling her legs together as she hugged her knees to her chest. The warmth of the fire was a comfort, though with Ivak's mark, she hadn't felt the full effect of the cold as the wounded traveler had. There was something else as well, the mark on her neck allowed her to sense the deep emotional pain the man was in. He hadn't said anything, and he didn't have to, she could feel it, the man was hurting, he was in terrible pain. She couldn't tell what exactly caused the internal pain, but she could take a guess.

The man was alone now, after having lost his crew, and the people that he was supposed to protect. That had to weight down on him, and with the possibly of his own death, she could see why he would be so burdened. Aela really felt bad for him, and if there was more that she could do, she would. But the tiny Avora wasn't a medic, nor did she have anyway to get him to the city where healers could help him. He couldn't walk on his own, and for now, the only thing she could do was to stay with him.

Aela moved from her side, and crawled over to settle in right next to him. It was the least she could do, being alone in the forest gave one a sense of hopelessness, Aela knew this very well. However, the simple act of kindness did more for the man than even she knew. The newly burning fire in front of him, as well as the warmth from the Inartan girl made him feel a lot better, and the frost biting at his limbs slowly went away. He reached out and gently placed his arm around Aela and pulled her closer.

She felt a burn in her cheeks, and for a tick she wasn't sure where to look or where to place her hands. It felt odd being held by a man she didn't know, but at the same time it wasn't so bad. It had been a long time since she had been so close to any person, and for the time now she didn't mind. They sat quietly for a few chimes, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Finally Murry decided to break the eerie silent, that until now had only been battled by the crackling of the fire.

"The city must be close by, and you're out here..by yourself? " he asked awkwardly, but as he looked down, he was met with nothing but a thick mane of red hair, and not a word from the girl. "I have a daughter but I'm sure she's older than you. You kids are everything to parents, I'm sure yours are proud of you." Aela didn't answer this question either, she didn't even know her parents and if she did, she doubted they'd be proud of her. "You picked a bad time to go hunting, the winter is harsh, but it's a good thing that you did." He finished by lightly squeezing the girl's arm.

Finally, Aela shifted and turned so that she could look at him. There were things she wanted to say, things that she felt, pent up emotions that she had kept bottled up inside for some time now. However, she didn't feel like this was the time, and he wasn't the person. A tick later, the little huntress pushed herself up and lightly stumped her way back around to where she had left her bow and picked it up. "You're gonna need to eat something and get your strength back. I'll see what I can find."

[Alori Sai]

Murry started to say something, but he found himself silenced by a sharp pain in his lower back, which left him only nodding his head. He felt bad having to depend on the girl as much as he did, and he felt worse having her go back out to hunt down food for him. He swore to himself then and there, if it were ever possible for him to help her, he would find away to do it. But for now, he could do nothing, nothing but watch her disappear again into the endless white and hope and pray to the Gods that she returned.

Aela stumped through the snow again, heading off in a different direction than she had when she went to search for his companions. It was hard for her to find tracks in the snow, although it was easier than trying to find them in dead leaves in the Fall. She looked around, searching the forest for any signs of more wolves and continued on. This wasn't the first time that she had faced them in the forest and she knew that it wouldn't be the last either.

Finally after walking for chimes, she came upon a pair of small tracks driven in a bed of thin snow. It was a good sign that an animal was near, and judging by the size of the tracks it would be small. There likely wouldn't be enough for her and Murry to share, but Aela was a strong girl and she could do without if it would help the man to survive. But for how long, she didn't know. The little huntress followed the tracks until it stopped and shifted into a circular pattern.

At first it was hard for her to understand, it looked as if the animal had stopped, spun in a circle and then... Glancing up, she saw the body of a rabbit hanging from a rope in the tree next to her. It was a man made trap, and probably left there by a hunter who forgot that he had set it. The rabbit then came along and got caught in it and had been strangled by the rope around it's neck. It was a cruel way to go, she thought, but she was grateful for finding it. Slipping her bow over her shoulder, Aela moved against the tree and slowly climbed up.

The tiny Avora was careful, knowing that the snow caked on the branches made it slippery and harder to moved across. She took her time, luckily the fire had thawed her fingers and she was able to grasp the tree more tightly as she climbed up. Once she was close enough, Aela pulled the kopis blade from her pocket and started to rub the sharp blade against the rope until it snapped in too. She retrieved the rabbit, a smile slowly gracing her frozen cheeks. The rabbit was even bigger than she had thought, which meant it was enough for them both to eat.

Aela hurried back to the campsite then, a renewed bounce in her step and the small bundle that she carried. It wouldn't take long to skin and cook it and they could have a hot meal before they had to figure out a way to get the injured man to the city. Aela wasn't sure what to do, or how far she was willing to go to get the man the help that he needed. Would she really risk being found just to save a stranger? Things would take a turn suddenly, and the girl was relieved of having to make such a decision.

When she returned, finding the camp in eye sight, she was met with a wondrous and yet horrific sight. Standing several paces from the man, was a Wind Eagle. It stared down at the man, and the Endal rider who was there checking on him. Murry was still, and from where Aela stood, she couldn't tell if here was alive or not. The teen Inartan slumped close to a tree to hide herself as she watched the Endal lift Murry up and pull him towards the Wind Eagle. The girls heart thumped loudly in her chest as she watched with baited breath.

The Endal remounted the Eagle and within ticks they took to the skies, taking Murry with them back to the city. Aela didn't move, fearing that doing so would alert them to her presences. She hoped that the man would survive, and in a way she was happy that help had arrived. But there was something else, something in the pit of her stomach that said something wasn't right.