Completed Warm Yourself By The Fire, Stranger [Ardan][abandoned]

[Engghaen]

21st of Fall, 513, early in the morning Engghaen checked if the tent was secured. It was. She gave the horse a pat on the back. "You have been waiting here nicely... It took long, I know. But don't worry. I won't do this too often." she spoke to the horse. Then she turned to Ardan. "Ardan, you can sleep in the tent with me. It's big enough for the both of us. But I need to build up this fire first." She reached into the tent and showed a bundle of dried wood. She placed that in a pyramid shape and then searched for some tindle. High up in one of the trees, there was a dry place. She could see the dry leaves and tindle laying there, so she climbed up. When she got down, she placed the tindle in the middle of the pyramid. Then she used matches to light the whole thing up. A small spark appeared, but it needed some help. The cat bent down and started blowing with her hands protective around it. Yes, there it went. She smiled. The flame on the tindle shot over to the dry wood. She had to be careful though, it could still go out any minute. After a short while, the fire was nicely burning. Engghaen pulled a big log over and sat down on it, warming her hands. It was nice, the cold that had been growing in her hands, her nose and her toes immediately disappeared. The warmth of the fire spread over her face. Looking where Ardan was, she smiled. "Come sit down here, Ardan. I think you must be cold."

[Ardan]

Ardan Ardan sat in his animal form staring at the stars. It was either very late or very early, he cared not. The stars were still out and the sun had not yet come up. It was a sight that never got old. Suddenly, he heard Engghaen call for him to join her by the fire. He did so, as it truly was quite cold. He shivered slightly as the flames heated his body, and let out an unintentional purr. He looked up at the girl across the fire, assessing her. A smaller cat would be useful for getting into places, he thought, but probably would be a liability in a fight. His mind wandered from assessment to questions. He knew those eyes from somewhere, but he just couldn't remember it. Bah, probably nothing, he reasoned. "So, where are you from?" he asked.

[Engghaen]

Engghaen changed into a cat and stared back at the big, black panther.She growled unintentionally. She might be small, but she was not that easy. She twitched her nose and showed her teeth. Then she sat back on the log. "Just kidding." she purred. "I'm from Syliras. And you?" She was curious about him. He recognized him. But he could never... No. She shook her head. She could never have met this man. Maybe he just... Looked familiar. Yes. Maybe... Maybe he was a son or a nephew of someone she had met during her travels... It was curious, she thought by herself, how she tried to get the idea of knowing him out of her head. She could know him, couldn't it? Then why did she deny herself that? I guess I'll just need ti find out. There were tons of things she didn't know. She guessed she needed to wait until he explained himself. It wasn't polite to ask someone all of the sudden. She wouldn't share her history that easily eather. She sighed. She had to sleep. If it was during day, or during night, she didn't mind. But she had to. A big yawn escaped her muzzle. But she didn't want to go sleep yet. This was more interesting.

[Ardan]

Ardan He chuckled at her attempt to appear threatening. Not because it was pitiful, but because it was almost adorable. A tiny, white cat growling at a large, black panther. "As am I," he answered. Curious. She was familiar and they were from the same place. "My family was chased there. Only myself and my grandfather made it." He unsheathed his dagger and displayed it to the cat. "This was his. Expertly crafted and built to last generations." And when I die, it will go with me.

[Engghaen]

She smiled. "My mother died giving birth to me and my father still lives there. "

She jumped up and walked to the tent. She disappeared, and when she reappeared she was carying a dark wooden shortbow. She put it down next to Ardan. "This is my mother's. Was my mother's. I'm hunting with it since I started travelling. Curiously, I've never met my nephews, or aunts... Our family wasn't very... How to put it... Social. So I still don't know what happened to my other family members."

The cat didn't know why she had just told him that, but she knew she had. And he had to deal with that. It was her history, she thought.

[Ardan]

Ardan heard her, but just barely. It was infuriating him, the question of how he knew her. He knew those eyes. There was no question, he had seen this person before. But when and where? "You know, you look really familiar. I feel like I've met you before." --------------- OOC: I believe it is time for the flashback, eh?

[Engghaen]

Yes. Yes, she did recognise his eyes, too. "I do too..."

An old memory drifted up, from back in Syliras. It was... Surprising.

---

She yawned. Was this really the best moment to be tired, she thought by herself. She needed to go to the market, and her father had asked her to... What again? Oh darn. She had forgotten what she needed to do. Great.

She walked in a steady pace in between the many salesmen. Carpets, no, glass, no... Rope..? Did she need rope? She stopped and the man murmled a greeting. The girl didn't hear him. Rope, rope... Eventually she haggled a bit and bought 50ft of rope, while she didn't even know she needed it.

Next, she thought. Let's see... Daggers, no, dresses, no... Darn! What did she need again? Then she saw a stand of vegetables. She'd probably need one of the arsenal of different things there. She rushed to the stand, bumping up to a handful of people. She answered their questioning gazes by some quick replies and worked her way though them.

Her hands were already packed full while she tried to remember what she needed again. Buried in her thoughts, she bumped up to someone and everything she had in her hands fell out. "Oops... Sorry.. Erm.." She bent down and started to pick up the diversity of things. Stupid of her. Clumsy. The girl looked up to see who she had bumped into. He was about 30, black, sleak hair and green eyes. She looked away.

[Ardan]

Ardan was spending some time at the market with his grandfather, as he often did. Strangely, this time he wasn't scoping it out for potential theft. He was honestly just looking around; maybe he would buy something this time. It was his birthday, after all. Suddenly, he bumped into someone. He hadn't been paying attention, and looked down to see a girl who couldn't have been out of her teens. He kneeled to help her pick up the things she dropped. As he did so, the thief managed to get a better look at her face. Pale skin, raven hair, and bright blue eyes. "Look at what you've done, boy!" chastised his grandfather as he stood. The old man hit him in the head with his walking stick on the head. "Apologize for your idiocy, damn fool!" The old man often scolded him like this, but it still irritated him. He looked at the young girl, smiling. "I apologize, milady. I was not paying attention."

[Engghaen]

The old man which had been stading behind him hit him on the head. So.. I guess they know eachother..? Oh, right. They'd come to the market together. Sure.

"No, I'm sorry, I mean... I wasn't paying attention. I just tried to remember what I needed again." She sighed and scratched her head. Why did she forget these things so easily?

She stared at the man. Then something bubbled up in her mind, which had been a mess. "Parsnips!" she exclamated, then held a hand for her mouth. She giggled because of her sudden action. "I need parsnips." she said. "But I keep forgetting what and how and how much and... It's busy and my hands are fully loaded and people don't look out and I need to pay attention that I don't get robbed and-.." She stopped when she was realising she had just told too much to a random stranger.

[Ardan]

Ardan was slight taken back. This stranger had just given him a lot of free information. He was going to reply, but something caught his eye. A beautiful, ornate, golden statuette of a cat. He looked to his elder, who nodded solemnly. He thief passed the girl without speaking, and approached the statue. Kleptomania, my only weakness, he thought as he observed the gold. He might not have even fenced it.