Closed [Pavi Lake] By The Water

[Eada Vine]

Eada nodded, hugging her arms round her shoulders. It was beginning to get colder as dusk settled in and she dreaded the true night. She had no extra clothes besides the ones she was wearing, no blanket or scarf. She really hadn't through this through when they had dropped her off.

She just hoped the tent was a decent size. If he suggested sharing a dinky thing together she would refuse - refuse and freeze out in the night. But she couldn't share such a little space with someone she didn't even know. He had barely spoken about himself as they had walked. Eada didn't mind the quiet - it was nice just to enjoy the peace of the area between conversations - but it did mean she would never feel comfortable sleeping so close to him. Just please be a big tent, she thought to herself.

"That looks good." She shrugged off her backpack and left it on the ground. "But I've never put up a tent..." she admitted, chewing her lip. "I don't mind helping if you show me what to do. Or I could get firewood before it gets dark, whichever."

[Robert]

They stopped, and he went down to his knees. The same procedure followed as before. Removing his blade and shield, so he could get to the backpack, and open it up, beggining to unfold the secrets which it was hidding. Which for her dread wasn't a lot. At all. The tent was barely big enough to fit one person. Two would be near imposible. That, or at least quite an intrusion of personal space. But for some reason he didn't seem phased by it. Not even a smile. He had something in his mind which he didn't share. Yet, at least. "Well. I'll set it up then. Don't worry. Get me sore firewood, but don't get too far away. Alright? I'd suggest keeping to the area around, so you don't lose me out of sight. Will you manage?" He spoke out, looking behind his shoulder. His voice had a hinch of concern inside, as if doubting to let her go alone. It's not that he didn't think she'd manage, but she simply seemed too fragile. Yet they had to hurry, unless they were going to go look together in complete darkness. However she migh of responded, he got to work. Setting the support poles on each side, sending the spiked end in the earth so it wouldn't bulge. Removing a few rocks from the surface to make it flat. Once they were standing upright, he'd put the piece of cloth over the two poles to make a roof, followed with a small bedroll into the tent itself, so whoever might be sleeping inside of it wouldn't lie on the ground. As he was finished, he got the rocks he removed and made a circle with them before the tent, where the fireplace was supposed to be. Sitting on the ground next to the to-be fireplace, he reached behind him and began untrapping his armor. There was simply no way he'd go sleep with that on and then expect to be fine in the morning. It might of took him a while to get it off, revealing a plain woolen shirt and pants underneath. The armor was placed back on the pile with his sword and shield, and he waited for the return of the girl.

[Eada Vine]

Eada nodded and glanced at the materials he pulled from his bag. There didn't appear to be verymuch, but she tossed the thought aside for now. What will be will be, she told herself, repeating her mother's phrase.

"You need dry stuff for firewood, right?" She knew that much from her father's ovens at the restaurant. Although she had no idea how to make a fire. There was a fair amount of dry leaves around the trees, which she pushed to the side in search of branches. She gathered them in her arms, as many as she could manage, dropping them off my Robert and going back for more. They were still fairly dry from the summer sun, but she avoided the deeper, damper ones.

She returned to Robert with a decent collection of branches, enough to last a good few hours. Oh God, She thought. The tent. Her suspicions had been correct. It was a small, one man tent. And while she was small, Robert must've been at least six foot.

"I guess you know how to make a fire," she said, for now avoiding the topic of the tent. She would wait until it was time to sleep. Wait to see what he suggested. It was too late to say she'd go alone - although she knew that would've been ridiculous at night. It was probably even too late to run; she'd end up falling down some hole she hadn't spotted in the dark, breaking her ankle and never making it to tomorrow, let alone Syliras.

[Robert]

"Well, if I don't...we will have quite the problem, no?" He responded with a chuckle at his own joke, reaching into his backpack for the flint and tinder on the bottom of it. He'd start piling up the brances and leaves she brought into the circle he made previously. Now without the armor, his free hands worked fast and quick, showing he made fire before. With a few fumbling with the resources he had, and a few tries which in the end resulted with him sighing in slight annoyance, he finally managed to bring forth a spark, fueling the rest of the fire to lit up. The darkness surrounding the area would vanish, as a bright light emited from it, revealing the silent and dark forest around them. He gazed up at the sky. It suddenly did turn quite dark outside. They were done just in turn. He'd nod to himself, happy it all ended up like this. Once the fire is burning, and his necklace illuminated by the light, the man turned around to face his new traveling companion, motioning to the tent. "Alright. Before you get any silly ideas, let me get one thing clear." His lips formed into a teasing grin, though they quite quickly faded, replaced by the usual smile. "I'll keep the fire burning, and keep guard. When I feel like I can't, I'll wake you up, and we change places. That sounds like a plan?" His voice didn't really sound like much of a question, but more of an explanation. it's safer if someone keeps an eye on the surroundings. One of the dangers in the forest is getting found by wild animals while sleeping alone. Though, little did she know he wasn't going to wake her up. It wouldn't be his first time staying up all night to keep himself safe. This time, even he was keeping someone else safe. All the more reasons to stay awake.

[Eada Vine]

Eada exhaled. She would be so embarrassed if he knew what concerns had been going through her mind, but she smiled. "That sounds great." Her eyes were suddenly heavy and her legs ached. She sighed. "Thank you. I mean, you've been so kind."

She picked up her bag and fiddle and moved towards the tent. She lay a hand on his shoulder as she walked past, as a notion of appreciation. She had no idea how she would ever thank him for this. She hadn't any processions of worth and the food she has was simple stale bread and dried meat strips. "Make sure you do wake me. I don't mind."

She removed her hand and slipped into the tent. She sighed. It had been a long day and the muscles in her legs ached. She slipped off her shoes, wondering as she did so whether it was a good idea, but her feet seemed to sigh as they were freed from the leather. She couldn't bring herself to put them back on. She squeezed her calf muscles, trying to ease the tightness, and her eyes got heavier. She lay back, listening to see if she could hear Robert outside, but he was quiet. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance and she closed her eyes.

She fell asleep a few minutes later and dreamed of walking.

[Robert]

And so he was left alone. With his sword in one hand, and a piece of dried off meat strips in the other. He wasn't sleepy, but he was tired. His rest at the lake never came, and he was walking for the past day. All for a reason, though. The reason was currently sleeping peacefully in his tent. He gazed up at the sky, observing the stars. Everything was so silent. Yet so different. The night is an enchanting place, if not dangerous. As he finished with his meat strip, he decided to add more branches on the fire before it would die out. At least something he could do. As he gave new life to their source of heat, he stood up, and flexed his aching muscles. It was going to be a long night, after all. Walking to his backpack and taking out a small dagger, and after finding a suitable piece of wood, he'd began to cut it into shape. He wasn't good at it, and he was more likely to cut his finger ot get a splinter in his finger. So he was taking it nice and slow. The wood had no certain shape, but it was getting to it. The fire brightening up the night for him to work. It was silent, with a single howl heard in the distance. He gazed to his sword lying there, hoping he wouldn't need to use it. Giving one last glance over the sleeping girl, and smiling. He should feel bad for watching her like that, but not that anyone knew anyways. At one point, getting tired of his sculpturing, he'd remember something. On the far bottom of the backpack, there was an old piece of cloth. An old tent roof. He'd cover Eada with it, seeing how it suddenly got quite colder than usual. And then...Another howl followed. Closer than before. The man sighed, and walked back to the dying fire, grabbing the hilt of his sword. He was uneasy. His pulse was raging. And due to the adrenalin, he was wide awake. He hoped it wouldn't get close enough.

[Eada Vine]

Eada was curled in a ball, trying to trap her body heat. She dreamt of human-fish people and walking through the Cobalt Mountains. Music seeped into her sleep and her eyes flickered under their lids.

She woke several hours later with a painful pressure against her abdomen. She rubbed the sleep from the corners of her eyes and sat up in the black. She blinked, realising the darkness wasn't completely black, but tinged orange from the glow of the fire. A blanket had been draped over her and she smiled; Robert must have put it on her as she slept. His silhouette was hunched around the light and Eada sat up. She was desperate to relieve herself.

"Are you tired yet?" She asked, hoping he wouldn't be able to see the puffy sleep in her eyes. He would inevitably here it in her voice. She half hoped he wasn't tired; she wasn't ready to wake up yet. She pulled her shoes on, not bothering with the laces and slipped out of the tent. "Sorry, I'm desperate." She smiled apologetically and slipped into the darkness of the trees. She wanted to get far enough away from the firelight.

She shivered as the pressure on her bladder eased and she stood up. For a second she just looked into the darkness and let the cool breeze run through her dark hair. She closed her eyes, still heavy with sleep, and listened to the faint crackle of the fire and the distant screeching of owls.

She suddenly felt like the was being watched and opened her eyes. She turned, expecting Robert to have come looking for her, wondering why she was taking so long.

But it wasn't Robert.

A dark-haired wolf stared at her from between the trees and her breath sunk to the floor. It's eyes reflected in the dim light and it's lips pulled back, displaying rows of canine teeth. It looked hungry. Eada stepped back. The wolf growled, low and deep - a sound that echoed through her bones. She screamed.

[Robert]

Was carving the small wooden piece as the night was passing next to him. Slowly, it was getting shape. He decided to ignore the faint cuts on his left thumb and right index finger from his dagger. Injuries like that didn't mean much. They didn't even draw blood, so he knew he would be just fine. The wooden piece was slowly coming into shape as well. If you looked close enough you'd recognise some charateristic of a fiddle. It was far from anything worthwile of gifting, however. He'd need a couple of tries more if he wanted to get through with it. Which would mean a couple more sleepless nights. He smiled at the thought. Though his crafting was interupted by the shuffling in the tent, and he'd turn his head to face the noise. She was getting up? "Oh I'm fine, thank you." He said, slowly moving his hand over the wooden statuette he was making. No need for her to see, he thought. Her voice sounded adorable, if nothing else. She did just wake up, and it showed in the tone. Even if he was tired, he couldn't let her into guard duty. He didn't need her to tell him what she was up to. It was quite obvious. With a shake of his head, he responded. "It's fine. Just don't walk out too far." As he watched her walk away from the fire, and into the dark wood. He was uneasy. But he didn't try binging out bad thoughts. His dagger run across the surface of the wood, peeling off a portion of the now already smooth neck of the fiddle he was working on. Yet his work was interupted. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he heard the scream. "Eada?!" He responded quickly, suddenly all his sleep thoughts fading. His dagger, together with the little object fell to the ground as he stood up, grabbing his sword from the ground. Knowing it would be too dangerous to walk in blind, he picked up a branch from the fire, to use it as a makeshift torch. He knew it was bound to run out eventually, but it was either that or darkness. Without the armor on him, he could move quite fast even if he was tall. The fire in his hands allowing him to jump over a root or two without a fall that would be innapropriate at this very moment. Luckily for him she didn't move that far away. The scream did came from one direction, but his next direction to move to was the sound of growling. 'Wolves...' He muttered out, finding the dark silhouette of the girl just infront of him. With a few quick steps and a jump, he'd already be infront of her, his sword in his dominant right hand, and the burning torch in his left, waving it around for the wolf to back off before he could take a bite from the girl. Truth be told he was scared. The wolf looked simply massive. His brown eyes were openned widely, reflecting the fire from his torch in his eyes. "Away!" He yelled out, hoping to scare the animal off. But he knew it would come back. Wolves usually travel in packs. So if this one ran off and brought friends the two would be in quite the mess. So he stepped forward, the torch in his hands dying off. The wold noted that too, and turned agressive. It was his sword versus it's razor sharp fangs.

[Eada Vine]

Eada stumbled backwards as Robert jumped in front of her. She had been contemplating grabbing a rock, hoping she had enough strength - and speed - to smash the creature over the head with it before it could rip her arm off, but that was wishful, desperate thinking.

Robert had his sword, thank God, but that didn't mean he would escape unscathed. He dropped the torch as he stepped closer to the wolf and Eada longed to jump forward and pick it up before the fire went out, but she didn't want to get so close to the sharp metal Robert was holding and especially didn't want to get close to the creature.

So the light went out, but the moon was bright and the fire from the camp just reached into this area. It was enough, but perhaps gave the wolf an advantage. They began to fight and Eada whimpered as the wolf snarled.

In the dimness, she couldn't be sure if either one of them was injured and, if so, which one. She couldn't just sit here and watch as Robert fought the creature. There was a glint near the fire and she shuffled slowly backwards, calculating when it would be safe to run. Perhaps she waited too long, or maybe she went too quickly, but she grabbed Robert's fallen dagger from by the fire, whirling back to where the wolf was waiting.

She had never used a dagger, but surely it was common sense - or rather, instinct - that guided your hand into an attacker's flesh?

Oh God, her heart thudded; there were two. Wolves were pack animals, she remembered. This second wolf either didn't notice her - which she thought was unlikely despite the fact she was stood silently watching - or didn't care about her. She wasn't exactly a threat.

But she would make herself one. Robert could take on one wolf, but two? The wolf stepped towards Robert and the other wolf (which appeared to be suffering). It stepped away from Eada. She scoffed inwardly: this creature had to be taking the mick. No animal would turn it's back on someone that was in the least bit threatening. Maybe she stank enough of fear for them not to bother.

Her fist shook around the knife and the second wold growled. Just don't think about it. She swallowed and the wolf crouched lower, ready to jump.

But Eada jumped first, plunging the knife into it's hind and the beast yowled. Eada pulled the knife free, just millimeters away from the wolf's snapping jaws that turned to her. She got his attention off Robert, but now what?

She didn't dare take her eyes off the creature to check whether Robert had killed the first wolf, she was too focused on this one and the dagger that trembled in her hand.

[Robert]

He felt like in a dream. Adrenaline pumping into his body as he wasn't really thinking what he was doing. The wresle with the animal was quite one sided, though. He wore no armor. No spiked gauntlets which he got for reasons like this. He was practically nude, as the linen cloth on him offered nothing as protection. Yet he had his sword. A longsword. Which he hoped he can use to overpower the animal. His torch now gone, yet he could see the silverly glow of the wolf he was fighting. And it's blood red eyes simply starting at him. The wolf moved in to strike. Without a shield, he couldn't do much more than to sidestep, feeling the fangs of the animal running into his left arm. He hissed in the warm, and numb feeling of dread and pain eating onto his very being. The teeth running into his flesh like it was simple butter. But he retaliated. In a quick jab of his sword, he'd run the sharp metal through the wolf which tried to knock him over. The grip on his arm lessened. It was still in severe pain, yet now it wasn't at risk of being chomped fully off. He tried to get back to his senses. But he couldn't. Where was Eada? Were there more? "...Oh f..." He'd mutter underneath his breath, as he turned around, showing the now dead wolf off his self. His left hand was bleeding, flesh almost torn off, and a piece or two simply hanged from it. It wasn't a pretty sight. And it was supposed to hurt. It did. Though the adrenaline rush was simply too strong to ignore. He could collapse down and cry after this was done. He had to save her. Didn't matter he met her that day. Didn't matter he knew amost nothing about her. He just had to. And he did. He'd make a step forward to gain some balance, before bursting into a sprint. It wasn't far from him, just a few feet. But a second more means a chance more of risking a loss. Coming from behind the wolf, who was focused on the dagger wielding bard, he tried to make this as simple as he could. His rght hand lifted up, the blade pointing up, before it was sent down, using the weight of the metal, and the sharp edge to hack down onto the back of the wolf. Using as much force as he could, as he connected with the spine of the animal. But his weapon did not stop there. It dug itself into the beast, as Robert fell to his knees to finish his charge, twisting the sword in the wolf to finish him off. A drop. Two. Three. Slowly, a puddle of blood began forming underneath him. His left sleeve torn, and the wound open. He was breathing heavily. Panting in the post-adrenaline rush which now began fading. And he just felt how his arm was missing. Currently it was besides his sides, motionless. The brown eyes of the man looking up at Eada, faking a smile. "...You're...Going to be fine, don't worry." He spoke out, feeling his heartbeat chocking him from the rapid beats. "I got 'im." He finished, keeping himself on his knees. Sweat dripping off his forhead.