Closed [Moonlight Escape] The Day the Heart Rages (Alori)

[Iosha]

Time Stamp: 57rd of Summer, 513AV
Location: Unforgiving, Moonlight Escape
Who: Alori

Stepping out side of her tent, Iosha could feel the humidity in the air as she stood in the foggy morning air. The konti frowned to herself when she couldn't see barely ten feet in front of her, but she heard her horse call out to her from in the fog. Suddenly, the sun started to peek over the horizon, and she sat three watching the sun start to burn away the fog with each passing chime. When she was finished enjoying the sunrise, Iosha went back into her tent to change into her camouflage leather armor, strapped her long sword and dagger sheathe to her belt, grabbed her short bow and quiver, and went outside. When Iosha closed and tied the flap on her tent, she walked up to the horse who was grazing by the edge of the forest. Moonfire was a good horse, and he didn't tend wander off on his own especially in the wilderness, so Iosha decided to allow him to free roam in the grassy glade of her camp. The konti smiled at him as she approached and said to him in Kontinese, “Did you sleep well boy? I heard you wander around my tent in the middle of the night a few times, and you seemed restless. I would have slept outside with you if it wasn't for the misquotes.”

Iosha learned in the Medical Library in Mura that mosquitoes tend to carry blood born diseases, so she didn't want to get sick from them, so she stayed inside the tent for the night. Also for the last few days of traveling through the Sanikas Pass, Iosha had felt like something has been following her since she left Wind Reach, and last night, she heard strange rustling in the undergrowth and the trees, so she had to sleep with a hand on her dagger all night. Iosha put a hand on Moonfire's neck, stroked his white mane lovingly, and said to him soothingly in her native tongue, “It will be a long ride to valley with the quarter deers, but I think we will make it there before night fall if the fog ever lets up.” The konti looked up into the air and noticed the sun starting to dissipate the fog, and she wondered how hot it will get when the sun finally peaks it's ugly head through the clouds. The horse nudged her with his head and went back to eating his breakfast. Iosha nibbled on her morning ration before she took down her camp.

When Iosha finally got her tent into the bag, she picked up her saddle blanket, and tossed it over the horses back. The horse gave her a irritated look because of the heat, but the blond woman gave him a flat look and said bluntly, “I know it is getting hot, Moonfire, but I need to put the blanket on, so the leather of the saddle doesn't rub into you.” The konti walked over to her saddle that was sitting on a nearby fallen log. The Konti knew it was heavy, so she grabbed it on each end, bent with her knees, and lifted the heavy saddle. The konti knew that she was more physically fit since she arrived in Wind Reach in the fall. However. She still struggled to carry the saddle over to her horse. When she made it to the horse, she set the saddle down on the ground and wiping the sweat from her face. Chewing some grass, the horse turned his head to sweaty konti. Bending with her knees, Iosha picked up the saddle with both hands and she slowly lifted it up into the air. Feeling her muscles in arms starting to give out, Iosha placed the saddle upon the animals back. The konti adjusted the placement of the saddle because she accidentally placed the saddle towards the base of the neck of the horse. Moonfire gave her a disgusted snort, and the Konti turned to him and said sharply in Kontinese, “Oh just eat your grass, Grumpy!” When the saddle was adjusted, Iosha buckled the straps of the saddle under the horse. She yanked on them to make sure the straps weren't loose, and she noticed the strap on the back was slightly loose, so she had to re-tighten it again. When she was satisfied the placement of the saddle, Iosha grabbed the bit and bridle, placed it in the mouth of horse, and tossed the reins over the back of the horse.

When the horse was ready to ride and her equipment loaded, Iosha placed her right foot in the stirrup grabbed the horn, and pulled herself onto her horse. Grabbing the reins tightly in the middle, she turned the reins in the southern direction and gentle tapped the horses sides once with the foot of her heel. The journey through the pine forest wasn't too bad since the straight trunks of the large conifers gave her plenty of room to maneuver her horse through the forest. The konti gave her horse another nudge with her heel, and Moonfire started to quicken his pace to a trot. It was definitely faster, so Iosha had to lead the horse around the tall obstacles by moving the reins. Eventually after a bell off moving away from the mountain, Iosha noticed the pine tress gave way to a thick broad leaf forest of aspens and birches. The konti had to slow down her pace to a walk otherwise she had a fear of the horse might trip over a rock, fallen branch, or log. Iosha noticed the forest was alive with sounds of birds in the morning sun, and the mosquitoes were out in force today. When she rode up to a small stream, Iosha got of her horse to look around and noticed there was a hunter or deer trail leading south on the other side of the stream. Iosha turned around and frowned slightly when she saw small burs hitchhiking on his long white main, so she started to pick off the burs one by one tossing them to the ground.

When Iosha took off the last of the burs from her horse, Iosha noticed that the prickly hitchhikers were clinging to the shoe laces of her boots, so she removed them and got back onto Moonfire. Iosha let the horse drink as she refilled her water skin. Suddenly, she heard something scurry behind her, and she turned around putting her hand on sword, but the source of the sound was nowhere to be seen. Grabbing the horn of the saddle, Iosha lifted herself up, grabbed the reins, and continued on her journey. As she rode through the forest, the humidity and temperature started to grow with each passing hour. It was miserable trying to ride in her leather armor, but she needed to endure if she was eve going to become a hunter. Suddenly, she heard a man voice yelling, “Is anyone out there?!” Iosha pulled back her reins to stop her horse, and she listened closely for the man's voice, “Please if anyone is out there, I need help!” Iosha turned the reins of the direction of the sound and said to the horse in Kontinese, “Come on boy. Let go see who is in trouble.” The konti nudged the horse with her heel and the horse started to walk to the source of the voice.

When Iosha rode herself into a clearing, and she noticed a naked human man with shoulder length black hair laying on the ground. Immediately, the konti thought to herself with a smile on her face, “He must have had to many Fuzzy squirrels at the Inclement Weather.” Iosha walked her horse closer to him and saw the man's left foot was trapped in a foot trap. Iosha put a hand over her mouth when she saw the quarter inch teeth were biting into the mans ankle. The man turned his head to her and said with a bright smile, “Thank the light of Priskil! Please get me out of here!” Looking at the man, the konti noticed he would in his early twenties or late teens, but he was handsome too with his dark blue eyes and well muscled body. The konti noticed the man's back was filled with whip scars, and she started to clench her teeth together realizing he must have been a slave. Iosha stared at the nude man and started to wonder why the man was caught in a trap, but she knew by the look of the redness around the ankle. He needed to be medical treatment soon otherwise he will have a infection. The Konti said softly, “My name is Iosha and I am a healer of Rak'keli. Let me get a few things from my saddle bags before I take off the trap. Let me get a few things from my saddle bags.” When she turned around, the Konti noticed blush started to creep up into her cheeks as she walked back to her horse.

[Alori Sai]

The wagon stopped at the bottom of the hill, just before reaching the tree line that lead into the forest. Alori jumped down from the front seat and walked around to the back of the wagon to get her gear and weapons. The tiny Avora had gotten up early that day and hired a wagon to take her down to the forest for the day where she could hunt. It was a quiet ride down, thin mist coated the air and created an over all sleepy mood for the little huntress. She fell asleep on the way down, and slept soundly while she rested her head on the driver's shoulder.

The man didn't know the teen very well, but he had given her a ride before and knew that she was a hunter. He had also noticed that she always hunted by herself, and with her small size, he couldn't imagine that she could bring back big game on her own. He felt sorry for her, knowing how arrogant hunters could be, and thought that they must have shunned the girl and wouldn't hunt with her. So he decided to allow her to ride up front with him instead on the back of the wagon, though he hadn't expected her to fall asleep on him.

"Good hunting to you." He said to her as she reappeared from the back of the wagon. Alori smiled, strapping her backpack over her shoulders, and sliding her bow into the loop so that she wouldn't have to carry it by hand. "Thanks, it'll happen. I just have to be patient." The life of a hunter suited her well. Unlike her days as a glassblower, Alori could hunt when ever she wanted and how ever she wanted to do it. It was the exact opposite of the structured life that she had before, and structure was one thing that no teen wanted in their life.

"You needing a lift back up?" the driver asked as he readied the bull to start off again. "Yea, if you're around. I didn't bring a sleeping bag, and I won't stay here all night, nope." Alori combed her fingers through her hair and glanced off into the forest, staying the night was the last thing that she ever wanted to do again. The little Avora had bad memories of the forest, and while she could get passed them, she didn't want to relive those nights. "Alright then, if I have the time, I'll swing around in the late evening." He gave a nod and turned the bull to head back the way that he had come.

The teen smile as she watched him leave, he was a kind man and he seemed to care what happened to her and wanted to make sure that she could get back to the city safely. That in itself may not have meant much to most people, but after what she gone through, it was good to know that not everyone hated her, even if he didn't realize who she was. Alori turned back towards the forest with a determined look in her hazel eyes. She got down on one knee and lightly rubbed her fingers through the dirt on the ground in front of her. It was hunting time.

x

[Iosha]

Rummaging through her saddle bags, Iosha frowned to herself when she couldn't find anything that could be used as a bandage. The konti groaned slightly when she realized that she could use her pants legs for excess cloth. Closing the bag, Iosha walked back to the young man and knelt down beside him. As she examined the scene in front of her, she noticed the steel jaws of the trap were biting into his ankle, but it wasn't biting to deep, so she doubted that he would have a serious injury. Keeping her eyes on the young man's face, the konti gave him a weary smile and said softly, “Alright, I will open the trap, but you need to pull your foot out quickly. Do you understand?” Iosha watched for a response, and the man said with a nod, “Yes. Please hurry!” The konti stuck a hand up to silence him as she examined the trap. When she observed the trap, she noticed it was made out of iron because it was starting to discolor being exposed to the elements, but even if it looked weathered, the trap was still efficient in catching prey. When she looked at the trap, it was a round trap with small teeth like grooves in the metal and in the center of the traps there was small flat plate. Iosha started to wonder if it was the trigger to the trap. On both sides of it, she noticed two latches on the side of metal contraption, and she was curious if they could open it. Iosha reach down and tried to open the metal jaws with her hands, but the two jaws wouldn't move. The konti started to mutter angrily in Kontinese as she tried to pry it open with strength alone, but she had to stop when the man cried out in pain.

Frustrated, Iosha put her hands behind her head, looked at the man, and apologized, “Sorry I not sure what I am doing.” She watched him for a moment as he struggled to gain his composure with all the pain, and he smiled weakly and said with a laugh, “No don't be sorry, Iosha. It is my fault for getting myself in this mess in the first place since I should have been paying attention.” Suddenly he reached out and took her hand. Iosha eyes widened for a moment, but they softened when she knew, he didn't mean her any harm. The young man said with a smile, “I am just glad you came.” He released her hand and laid back on the ground and said softly looking up at the sky, “Do you see the metal latches on the side of trap?” Iosha eyes looked at the trap and said with a nods, “Yes.” The dark haired man said softly, “I want you to help me stand than you will need to stand on the latches on each side of the trap. It should loosen the trap up enough to pry open the metal jaws.” The konti looked at him and asked, “How do you know about traps? Are you a hunter?” The dark haired man said with a smile, “Yes, I am hunter, but I dabbled from time to time with traps too.” Iosha heard enough to trust his judgment, so she stood up, offered him a hand, and said plainly, “I am not strong enough to lift you on my own, so you will need to fight the pain and stand on your own.” The man nodded and said with a smile, “Iosha please don't judge me if I cry like baby afterwords. Oh my name is Rian.” The konti laughed out loud and said with a smirk, “Deal.”

Iosha knelt besides him, and he placed his large arm her shoulder. Iosha widened her stance enough to counter his weight and said with a smile, “Alright, Rian are you ready?” When she started to stand, he saw the man struggling to get to his feet. The konti could tell that she was struggling under his weight, but the woman's legs weren't buckling, so she continued until he was standing on both feet. She heard him let out a loud cry of pain, and she looked at him and said softly, “Alright, I want you to hold onto my shoulders till the trap his disarmed. I don't need you falling and tearing a tendon .” Iosha felt his arms wrap around her shoulder, and she stepped on the latches on each side of the trap. When she put her full weight on them, she heard a click. The konti looked down and saw one of the metal jaws were slightly opened enough for her to pull it apart. Suddenly, Iosha realized how uncomfortably close to the naked man, and she started to chastise herself in her head for not being a professional. Iosha blushed for a moment and said in a awkward voice, “Alright, I am going to kneel down and open the trap, so please don't move till the trap is opened completely.” When she knelt down, she made a conscious decision not to look at his manhood directly in front of her. She reached down with her hand, grabbed the slightly opened jaw and brought it completely down till the trap made a clicking sound. Rian had enough room to wiggle his foot free for the trap, and he stumbled backwards a few steps before he fell backwards onto the ground. Iosha giggled at the man and said with a smile, “Now you are back on the ground! Well just stay there till I mend you ankle” Kneeling down by his feet, Iosha started to examine his ankle and asked without looking at him, “I might not be the most experienced explorer, but I would never traverse the Unforgiving nude, so why are you out here in the wild...naked, Rian. Did you lose a bet?”

oocSorry it wasn't my best post.

[Alori Sai]

This was the best part about hunting, the time when a hunter's mind was filled with hope, and looking forward to the big hunt they were about to undertake. They were excited about being in the forest again, excited about tracking their prey through the forest and taking them down. It happened at times, and other times they weren't so lucky. Other times they wouldn't bring back a catch at all, and maybe..just maybe that would be the day that they had to go hungry also. Perhaps it wasn't on the minds of the more skilled hunters, the ones that had coin to spare, or even to one particular Avora who had done well for herself as a glass blower before she joined the hunt.

But it was there in the back of her mind, a nagging string that pulled at her subconscious hunter instincts and kept her on her toes. She knew more than many her age, of how harsh and dangerous the forest could be. She knew the blight of the starved, the life of those with no hope less to feed their dieing souls. She was there once, and it had changed her, but through it all she wouldn't forget. Alori remembered the forest and knew it well. It was alive just as much as any human or animal that trekked through it. It even seemed to have emotions at times, all of things hunters mostly understood.

Alori walked slowly through the forest, taking her time to look around. Animals were everywhere, and a kill could be closer than she thought. Kneeling down again, the tiny huntress checked the ground for any fresh tracks. If there were game in the area it would be made clear by the tracks and any broken twigs throughout the brush. She assumed that she was down wind from the motion of the breeze and hoped that would help to cover her scent. The teen wasn't overly fond of perfumes and lotions, but she did wear them when she wasn't hunting.

It was best not to wear perfumes or anything that might irritate the animals or tell them where the hunter was. It was also a good idea not to bring any food cooked with any spices. Such things could cause predators to come looking for a meal. But the Avora was ready, she had learned all these things before and made sure to follow by the rules. She always bathed and washed her hair before a hunt, and she only brought fruits to eat and tried her best to relieve herself as little as possible. All tricks to keep the animals from learning of her presences.

The little huntress continued through the forest, her bow drawn and a single arrow notched into it. It was better to be prepared should she need to get off a quick shot. That's when she heard it, a loud scream from within the forest depths. Alori was instantly reminded of the travelers from Winter who had wrecked their ship and were looking for shelter. The teen raced off into the forest quickly towards the direction of the scream. It took her time, the soured screamed quieting down into silence and taking with it any trail that she could follow.

That was until she noticed horse shoe prints in the dirt leading one way. Alori followed the prints along the narrow strip of dirt and grass until she could hear voices, a male and female speaking in a friendly matter. This was a bit odd, and made her wonder if she had gone in the wrong direction. There was a scream, she was sure of it, but what going on, she had no idea. She moved closer, making light and careful steps so that she wouldn't interrupt whoever it was and whatever they were doing. Once she got close enough, Alori hid herself behind a tree and peeked out. She saw a naked man and a woman. "Iosha?" she called out from behind the tree. "Are you..busy? Is everything ok?"

x

[Iosha]

The dark haired man shook his head and said in a soft voice,“Naked?...Well..it hard to explain without showing you.” Iosha raised an eyebrow and said with smirk, “I think you showed me quite enough for today, Rian.” Rian realized what she meant and stated with a snicker, “I guess your right, Healer.” Iosha sat down in the grass, put his bloody ankle on her lap, and started to examine it. The healer noticed majority of the laceration was already started to clot up with dried blood, but the parts of the ankle the teeth were located were starting to oozing blood, so she reached into her backpack and pulled out her water skin. She uncorked the canteen and poured it over the bloody ankle to wash off the excess layer of blood. The young man jerked his foot away from the water, but she knew his reaction wasn't uncommon, so she just put a hand on his leg to stop him from pulling to much. When the wound was somewhat cleaned, she noticed the wound was a quarter of a inch deep into his ankle. Luckily the teeth missed the artery, so she didn't have to worry about him bleeding to death if it did it the blood vessel. However, the wound was quite dirty and the outer edges of the wound were starting to inflame into a deep red color. The Konti looked at him and asked softly, “Are you having hot and cold flashes, Rian?”

Rian looked off to the side as he thought for a moment and said with a nod, “Yes, I started to feel very hot for a moment for a bell than I would feel really cold for another bell.” Iosha pondered what he said and thought to herself, “Shyke! He must have a infection.” The konti looked at him and said plainly, “I think have the early stages of a infection. How long have you been stuck in the trap?” Rian shook his head and said simply, “About a two days and one night.” The konti nodded to herself and remained quiet as she thought of what to do. Iosha knew their was little her healing gnosis could do other than clean the wound, close it slightly, and bring down the inflammation. However, she knew it was only temporary fix. At the moment, she wished she had the Infirmaries resources, but she wasn't expecting or prepared for a rescue mission either. Iosha quickly lifted his ankle causing him to cry out in pain and wrapped her webbed hands around the wound. She closed her eyes and said a soft prayer in Kontinese to her goddess, “Rak Keli lend me you power to purify the wound of any impurities and stop the wound from bleeding out.” When she opened her eyes and rested his ankle on the ground, she noticed his wound and the area around it was completely cleaned, but the deep red ring was still around the slightly opened wound. She knew that she needed to curb the infection before it invades his blood stream. Suddenly she heard her name, and she whipped her head to the direction of the voice and saw Alori standing in the woods.

Still on the ground holding the young man's ankle, Iosha smiled at the teenager and said with a nod, “Yes, I am just fine, but this man is need of bandage. Do you have any spare cloth? Enough to wrap around his ankle.” Iosha started to run her finger up her ankle and noticed the tendons seemed to be fine, but as she ran her finger along the bone above the wound, she noticed the man had a clean break through the bone. When she pushed down slightly and noticed the bone move slightly, the man cried out in sheer agony. She looked over at him, back to Alori, and said softly, “Sorry I don't want to sound like I am ordering you around, but we can exchange pleasantries later my friend. Could you go into the woods and find me a long sturdy stick? I need it to stabilized the leg after I set the fracture back into place.”
Iosha knew Alori had a kind heart, and she doubt the young woman would leave the man to his fate. Unlike most Avora and Endal, the foreigner seemed to care about the well being of people even if they might be a complete stranger.

[Alori Sai]

Alori thought that the Konti was a friendly, and well meaning woman. But she was a weird blonde woman, there was no other way around it. How the woman ended up in the middle of the forest along side a naked, injured man, she couldn't even begin to figure out. She knew Iosha to be an aggressive woman from her duel in the pit, but to injure the man during whatever they were doing seemed a bit much.

"No, I didn't bring any, what happened?"

Stepping from the tree, the teen made her way down to the pair to get a closer look. She noticed the trap where his foot had been caught and the blood spilled. "This isn't good if there are predators near they will smell his blood and come looking for food." She looked around quickly, scanning the forest for any signs of animals coming their way before she turned back to face them. "I'll see what I can find, but we're gonna have to get him moving quickly. The blood will draw predators here, it won't be safe long."

Taking her back pack from her shoulder, Alori sat it down and headed off into the undergrowth to look for what had been described as a long sturdy stick. She turned back to look at Isoha without seeing the naked man, or calling attention to the fact that she was trying not to see him. "Um...are you? N-nevermind, I'll be back." The little huntress shook her head and wandered off. So early, and yet she was already heading on an adventure, but into what, she had no idea.

It was one of those odd things, a girl in the forest looking for a stick, and yet none were around. It seemed as if she would have been better searching the city to find one faster. But she continued looking until she found one. It was long but she wasn't sure if it was sturdy enough. Alori held the stick between both hands and slightly bent it to see if it would break. It didn't and so she turned and headed back to where she had left Iosha and her naked guest.

"Alright, I found one. I hope this is good enough."

x

[Iosha]

When Alori left, Iosha looked at Rian and said softly, “Rian please lay down on the ground, when she gets back, I will set your leg.” The man nodded and laid back on the ground. Iosha knew that she had to explain to Alori the situation. She just hoped the teenager didn't think the worst. When he sat down on the ground, she sat down next to his leg and looked at his fractured shin. As she examined it, the konti could tell the force of the metal trap broke the bone forward because of the a large bulge in the front of the shin and the abnormal indent in the back of the caff. Iosha needed the help from her goddess to see how the bone broke, so she closed her eyes and placed both her hands over the black and blue part of the shin and said a prayer to Rak'keli in Kontinese, “My Goddess I need a better look at the injury the man has suffered during his time in the trap. Please, grant me your sight to get a better insight at the situation.” Iosha knew from past experiences in the Infirmary that she could call upon Rak'keli's help to help diagnosis a patient with a hint. In the end, it was always her faith and healing ability to cure the patient, but Aidara showed her with Lily that Rak'keli could help see the unseen. Feeling a calmness fill her, She knew Rak'keli's power always emitted a blue light when she was channeling her Goddess's power. The vision came just like the log and the mushroom. However, during this vision, Iosha saw only a broke broom handle. The broom handle was broke when the force came from the back of the broom and broke the wood handle forward. Iosha walked over to the broom and stared at for a moment. She knelt back down, picked up the boom, and with both hand pull in each direction till the handle was straight again. It seemed simple enough to the young healer, so she opened her eyes.

“Thank you my Goddess,” Iosha opened her eyes, saw Alori came back with the thick stick, and said with a smile, “That will do perfectly, Alori. Thank you.” The konti looked at Rian and said simply, “I will have to set your leg back into place, so I need you to lay perfectly still.” Iosha stood up and motioned her away from the man with her hand, and when they were a good distance away, she said softly, “I found the human trapped in a animal trap of some type. I not sure if the Inarta use traps, but the trap was large enough to catch something size able with it.” The konti glanced over her shoulder at the man on the ground and said softly, “Honestly, I don't know why he is wandering around the Unforgiving naked, but he might not be quite right in the head, so be careful Alori. By the way, the man has a infection, so if you know any shelter in the area. It would beneficial for his survival to find one,” Iosha placed a hand on her shoulder, gave it a squeeze before turning back to the naked man, and took the stick from her. The healer looked around and found a exposed rock in the vicinity. Iosha walked over to the rock, leaned the stick next on top of it, lifted the healer of her boot, and brought it down hard on the center of the stick. The impact caused the thick stick to splinter but not break, so she lifted her foot again and drove it down on the cracked stick. When the second impact broke the stick in half,she picked the stick back up, walked over to the man, and laid them next to him. Iosha walked to his foot and said softly, “This is going to hurt, Rian, are you ready?” Rian gave her a weary smile and said with a laugh, “No, but I better be otherwise I might spend my remaining years in a chair.” Iosha gave him a smirk and picked up his foot. She traced her fingers up his shin to feel his fracture and noticed the break wasn't clean in the other side. She frowned and thought to herself, “You might be resigned to a chair regardless if I can't get you back to Keah or not.”

Iosha grabbed his ankle with both hand, bit her bottom lip, and gave his leg a heavy jerk towards her to straighten out the leg. She felt and saw the leg jerk into place, but the young man let out a spine tickling scream. The konti knew it wasn't down, so she ran her finger up the shaking man's leg and noticed the fracture was set into place. However, she could feel small pieces of bone under the skin. Iosha picked up the two sticks and looked for something good to secure the sticks to Rian's leg. Iosha went to her saddle bags, rummaged through it, and found her white cotton scarf. She pulled it from her bag and walked to groaning man laying on the ground. Iosha wrapped the scarf around her shoulders, lifted the sticks slightly in the air, said a soft prayer to Rak'keli to cleanse the sticks. The sticks started to glow with soft blue light for a moment than faded moments later. Iosha placed the clean sticks on the front and back side of the break, took the white scarf from her next and started to wrap the cotton cloth around the sticks in his legs.

When the leg was tight and secure, Iosha took a step back and smiled at her handy work. Suddenly, she heard stick snap and a main raising from the underbrush, the konti heard a loud gruff voice from the woods yell at them in common, “I don't want to see anyone of you Petchers move on inch, or I will put a bolt in each one of your foreheads!” Iosha glanced up to see a stocky Isur dressed camouflage leather armor and over his shoulder was hooded cape made of stitched together animal skins. Iosha got a better look at his face and saw the man had long crimson hair that was tied back from his face. His face was covered in a thick green paint with a spattering of light green in it. Iosha had the feeling the man knew his way around the Unforgiving. However, the way he pointed the light crossbow at Alori's head immediately made him hostile. Iosha noticed a hand ax and a smaller hatchet on his belt. Iosha noticed Rian on the ground start to fidget, and she wondered what he had to do with the Isur. The konti violet eyes stared at the man and waited for him to speak. The Isur walked forward into the clearing still pointing the loaded crossbow at Alori and demanded to Iosha, “Why did you release that thieving kelvic, I was just about to send him to Dira before you and this Inarta girl interfered?”

[Alori Sai]

Alori sighed in relief, she was glad to see that she had found the right sized stick on the first try. Finding sticks in the forest was easy, but finding a certain type could be a hassle. "I'm just glad that I found it so quickly. Who would have thought it would be hard to find a stick in the forest?" Alori shrugged, and the teen was ready to leave the two to whatever they had going, until the Konti pulled her aside for a quick chat.

She followed Iosha until they were away from the man, and she waited to see what the woman had to say that she didn't want her companion to hear. After the explanation, there was still much to be explained, but she knew now that Iosha had found the man as he was...naked. Alori took another look at the trap and pondered the Konti's words for a moment. "Well really, it's big, but it's just a trap. The one's I have are smaller, but some hunters might use those for bigger game. You think that's what happened?" she continued in common.

Still, none of that explained what happened to his clothing, but she had heard about a bunch of raunchy people in the city that had been dancing naked in the rain, and wondered if he was continuing the craze. The huntress thought for a moment about shelter and remembered the cave that she had lived in for a few seasons. It was a warm place to relax, and yet cool enough to keep them from freezing. The only problem was it didn't look like they were anywhere near the same area. "There may be something, I'm not all that familiar with this part. But I think I saw a cave the last time I hunted, but it's a good ways off from here. You think he can make it?"

The teen also realized that she was supposed to be new to the city, and wouldn't know as much about the forest as Aela would, and she had to remember to play that part. "I don't know Iosha, I could be wrong and we could be way off, but we can try for it." Alori waited for an answer and watched while Iosha put the stick to use to fix the naked man's leg. She wasn't a healer and knew next to nothing about treating wounds, the girl could only wait and see what happened. What she wasn't expecting was a strange man in animal hide to appear aiming a loaded crossbow at her.

Completely caught off guard, the tiny Avora stood in surprise as she stared at the man. Going for her bow was a bad idea, and with the tension she realized that she might not be as fast before she was shot. There was still pieces of the puzzle missing, but she had the feeling everything was coming together and the picture didn't look good.

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[Iosha]

Iosha narrowed her eyes at the man as he pointed the crossbow bolt at Alori's head. She knew that she needed to do something, but she needed Alori's quick thinking and quickness for it to succeed. Iosha knew vary little Nari since she had to learn from her mother. Who wasn't vary good in the first place, but she knew a few words that could alert the Inarta to her plan without alerting the Isur. Looking at Alori, Iosha said in Nari, “Get. Ready.” She hoped for her sack it was enough warning for Alori. Suddenly, the stocky Isur trapper yelled at Iosha, “What in holy Hai did you say to her, Fish!” Iosha violet eyes burned a hole into his forehead at the racist comment about her people and said simply, “The girl doesn't speak a spit of common, Isur. I just wanted to try comforting the poor soul since you are pointing a crossbow at her head.” The Isur shot a look at Alori and asked in common, “Do you understand anything I just said, you feather brained chicken herder?” The konti closed her eyes at the insult and prayed to Rak'keli that the teenager could play the part and control her anger. The Isur said to Isur with a snort, “The girl probably too inbred to comprehend the spoken word anyways. Now Konti give me the kelvic or stand aside, so I can shot the the bastard in the head.” Suddenly, the naked man on the ground said hastily, “Master these woman aren't involved in the burglary. The konti was just healing me my injuries. You should just let them go. They have no quarrel with you.”

Iosha looked at the man and raised an eyebrow when the kelvic said Master. Was he a slave, or this pig's bond mate? The Isur yelled at the kelvic, “Why should I believe anything you say, Rian? Your about a greasy as a Charoda on a skillet. Where is my sword?” The konti sneered at him at his comment about Charoda. She was about done with the Isur's bigotry. The Rian said softly, “Would you believe me if a Zith took it, Master? Why do you think I am traveling through the Unforgiving naked. It isn't because of the nice weather. Everything I owned was stolen from me in the dead of night by a pair a two Zith. A male and female both Zith had red fur. I think they came from the Vyzkal Colony near Wind Reach.” Isur face turned to stone, and he looked at Iosha and said softly, “See he admitted his guilt. Now I am going to kill him.” Iosha walked in front of Rian to shield his body with hers and said softly, “What does the sword mean to you?” The Isur stuck his nose up into the air and said softly, “It was the first sword my father made for me? Why?” The konti looked at the Isur sympathetically and said with a smile, “Do you really have to kill him? He is on the brink of death as it is with the infection in his leg. What if I could help you get it back, would you spare my friend's life and the life of the kelvic? I am fairly good with a bow and decent with trusty long sword. Besides, I understand what it is like to loose something from your parents.”

“Petch you, Konti! I will not let you sweet talk into my mind. How about I kill the inbred human first than you than my kelvic!” Iosha knew negotiations were over, and she had to think fast to save the life of Alori. Knowing this was incredibility stupid, Iosha started to walk towards the Isur and said slowly, “Why would try to sweet talk you, trapper since you already decided my fate was fore-fit for the misdeeds of another...” The Isur removed the crossbow from Alori and pointed it at the approaching Konti and yelled, “I will not let you charm me, konti!” Only a couple of yards away, Iosha tilted her head and said innocently, “I am not trying to charm you...I am just trying to talk.” In range now and looking at the crossbow, Iosha focused a large sphere of res around the crossbow. When the almost invisible sphere of res completely surrounded the crossbow. With the stress of having a crossbow now pointed at her head, Iosha had trouble maintaining focus to keep the res from losing shape, so the sphere started to waver slightly. Normally, she would have her hands to keep the shape steady, but today, she was using her mind to focus her will into maintaining the shape of the sphere of res. Iosha knew it was do or die, so she said one simple word in Kontinese to focus her will to ignite the large ball of res, “Burn!” Suddenly, the large ball of res ignited in a flash of light and heat as the flames and the heat consumed the crossbow. The Isur screamed in pain as he dropped the burning wood to the ground. Iosha could tell his arms and hands were seriously burned, and the konti quickly unsheathed her long sword.

[Alori Sai]

Hazel eyes burned with rage, small fingers squeezed tightly into white knuckled fist. Few times had the little huntress found herself the target of an archer and it was a painful reminder. One that hadn't retreated far enough into the past for her to easily forget. The teen could feel her emotions rising, the mark from Ivak burning into her neck, urging her to release it all here and now. Alori wasn't sure what to do, but if not for Iosha's voice, she might have acted recklessly.

"Get ready? For what? What are you planning Iosha?"

Alori wasn't sure what the Konti was up to, and her directions were vague at best. Get ready, as the order had been given, could mean she was going to attack, or possibly even run. Thinking more on it, she realized that Iosha's plan was to stay and fight. She had gone through so much trouble to aid the fallen, naked man, Alori doubted she was willing to leave him to his fate. Suddenly, the angry stranger yelled, and the Avora snapped her head back around to glare at him. She understood enough common to know what he was saying, and she also learned that he didn't understand her language.

It was smart thinking by Isoha to use Nari to communicate, and she hoped it was a tool they could put to use. The man's words were infuriating, but there wasn't anything she could do while he held the cross bow on her. There was also the fact that by cursing him back, he would know she understood common. And so the teen just stood there and waited for Iosha to do what ever it was she had planned. Alori watched and listened, the story of the strangers coming together and what she heard mostly made sense in the end.

However, the teen didn't really care about it all. She was more concerned with the man holding a cross bow on her, this man who was so intent on killing her when she had done nothing to him. The conversation continued, and the man threaten to take her life again. The tiny Avora took a small step backwards, her fingers reaching behind her hip to grip the end of her bow. Finally, when Iosha stepped in the way of the bow, she was able to pull her's free, and the teen quickly pulled an arrow from her quiver and notched it to her bow.

The man's yell drew her attention again, when the konti burned his bow. Angry and desperate, Alori didn't wait and took a couple of quick steps to get a better aim and fired the arrow at the man. No sooner than the first had left the bow's string, had the huntress reached for a second to load. With her eyes fixed on her target, she fired the second arrow.

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