Closed Broken Wings (Sira)

[Turrin]

Time Stamp: 50th of Winter, 513AV Location: Wind Reach Who: Sira 7th Bell in the Morning Walking to the fire line, Turrin held his short bow in his left hand as he eyed the target ahead of him. It was only sixty feet away. All his focus was on this shot, and he needed to make hit inside the second ring from the center. Otherwise, the night of practicing would be a complete failure with majority of his shots either completely missing or hitting between the third and fourth ring. Turrin widened his stance the way the young Avora hunter named Marrin showed him with his heels and toes completely parallel to each other and away from the target. Bending his knees slightly, Turrin pulled a arrow from his quiver and placed it on the bow string. The Endal lifted his short bow till the metal tip of the arrow lined up with the center of the target. Slowly, he pulled back the bow string to his cheek and readjusted his shot till it lined up with the bulls eye. Taking a deep breath, Turrin released the arrow on his exhale. The Endal watched it soar towards the target until it hit it with a loud thunk. Turrin looked at the target and noticed the arrow was sticking in the target in between the third and the second ring. Slumping his shoulders, he realized that he failed his personal goal of hitting in between the second. Putting his bow up against the wall, Turrin waited for all the other archers in the Top Notch to finish their shots before he retrieved his arrow. When all the other Endal took their shots, Turrin walked out to the target to retrieve his arrow, but along the way, he overheard two Endal's talking. The lean, but muscular male said to his female walking next to him, “I have been told those Dek Licking vermin killed two Endals getting into the storeroom.” Turrin raised an eyebrow, but he continued walking in silence, so he could try to listen in on their conversation. The female who was silent said softly, “Seriously? I thought Dek weren't normally armed. How were they able to kill two trained Endal? Most of them can't barely lift their arms over their head. Let alone wield a weapon well enough to kill two armed Endal. It doesn't make sense to me...” The Myrian pondered her question herself, and he had to think the Dek must have had help. Suddenly, he a dark thought popped into his mind, the Despised. It had to be! How could a Dek manage such a feat without help. It was his chance to help clear Syveris name, and he wasn't going to allow this opportunity slip between his fingers. Turrin looked at the two Endals and asked, “What was the flight of the Endal?” The two Endals both turned on him and the male said with a smirk, “Why should I tell you half-breed? Did anyone ever tell you eavesdropping was rude. Besides, War Hawks are only good for one thing, dying while the Swift Falcons do all the work!” The Myrian knew the man wasn't apart of the War hawk flight, so he wouldn't understand the loyalty that the War hawks had for each other, but he wasn't going let Swift Falcon insult his fallen War hawks either! Turrin closed the distance between him and arrogant Swift Falcon and got into his face and said calmly trying to control his anger, “I don't care if you insult me, but nobody insults my flight or my fallen brethren.” The male puff up his chest and looked up at the towering half-breed and said simply, “Petch you, War hawk!” Turrin knew that Swift Falcon would expect a punch, so he lift his head back and swiftly brought his head down on nose of the Swift Falcon. Turrin knew it was cheap shot, but he neither care about his honor at the moment. The shorter Endal stumbled back holding his nose, so Turrin stepped forward with his left foot, lifted his right knee to his waist, and thrust the ball of booted foot into the stomach of the Swift Falcon. The bloody Inarta stumbled to the ground holding his stomach, and the half-breed looked at the wide eyed female Endal and apologized with a nod of his head, “My apologizes, but do you know the flight of Endals who were murdered?” The female Endal looked to the red haired man on the ground for a few ticks, back to Turrin, and said simply, “They were both War Hawks.” Turrin gave her slow nod and said with a smile, “Thank you for you help...” Without saying another word, Turrin spun on his heels to retrieve his short bow and head back to his shell of aeries. *** 8th Bell in the Morning Turrin, I want you to make sure that you are polite to her. I heard that Endal Sira hasn't been herself as of late. Aponivi, I will be fine, but I will keep my tone civil with her. Unless, she isn't civil to me than I won't promise anything. Turrin wasn't sure how Aponivi would know about another Endal, but he figured the wind eagle must have been gossiping with the other wind eagles. The half-breed just shook his head not at the warning. He knew most of his peers of his caste had a been habit of being either overly arrogant or down right cruel to the lower castes, so when Aponivi told him that she had been out of sorts as of late. He shrugged it off. The Endal wasn't scared of his peers, and he wasn't going to let some moody Endal intimate him. Besides, he had a job to do, and it was Aponivi's suggestion to ask her to get her involved in the case. As he made his way to Sira's aeries, his golden eyes told everyone around him that he wasn't in the mood to be bothered, but he adjusted his talon sword scabbard to his side and continued walking down the stone hallway.

[Sira]

Turrin was lucky that Sira was anywhere near her aerie as he made his way toward it. Between working with Kovac, and the countless hours of extra hunting and training that she was putting in, Sira was rarely ever at home anymore. Ever since Sira gave up the search for Aidara she kept herself constantly busy. Every day she would work herself to exhaustion, even on her days off, above and beyond the requirements that were expected of her, and when possible she would spend the night away from home, either out in the wilderness, or in the bed of some random stranger. Anything to keep her mind off of her lost love.

There were a few reasons that brought Sira home. To bath, to change her clothes or get other things she needed from her aerie, but rarely anything else. The aerie was far to large for just one Endal, originally designed to house up to 3 mated pairs of wind eagles and their riders. Now it housed a lone Endal who spent most of her time in the dwelling in human form. Sira hated being home. Everything about it reminded her of Aidara, Natalie, Sairque, or Catabasis. All of them were gone now, either dead, missing, or of their own accord.

Luckily Sira was home that day. Had Turrin arrived a bell earlier or a bell later he might have missed her, but at that exact moment Sira was home, changing out for fresh clothing and gear. Sira had not heard of the dead Warhawks. She wasn't around enough to pay attention to day to day gossip. She of course knew about the search for the Despised, but in truth, Sira had had her fill of gods already. Zulrav was just another angry deity pushing around mortals who could do nothing to stop him. If she did find the Despised she would report him only to get Zulrav out of their feathers, but she could care less about the god's vendetta against whoever the man or woman might be. She wasn't even happy with her own goddess, though she could never fully turn her back on Priskil. They were simply not speaking to each other at the moment, or rather Sira wasn't speaking. Priskil rarely replied to begin with.

Sira was busy checking over her saddle when Turrin arrived. A dek was waiting on her, ready to move the saddle after she was done with her inspection. It had been a gift from Aidara, designed perfectly to fit Sira's body, and commissioned from one of the best saddlemakers in Wind Reach. Though the memory of Aidara pained her, she could not bring herself to part with the saddle. It was too perfect.

It was the dek that noticed Turrin coming down the hall and alerted Sira to his presence. The information brought a frown to Sira's face, and reluctantly the woman came to greet the other endal. When she spotted him the first thing she noticed was the golden eyes, similar to her own, followed by the other physical features that marked him as not fully Inartan. Sira was not quite as racist as most in Wind Reach, being of a different race herself, but she still generally did not trust anyone from outside the city. She only vaguely recognized Turrin, though she could not recall his name. She knew the names of every eagle in the city though, even those she did not commonly socialize with, and she was fairly certain that he was Aponivi's rider. When she addressed him she made no effort to hide the irritation in her voice.

"What?"

[Lavira]

The aggressive regime Sira had Kovac on when it came to hunting meant she rarely got to see him when she was home. But then, it had been that way all season. When their schedules did allow for a break they could share, it was normally spent in bed resting, checking gear, or in Vira's case working with Qeeta to get her ready for hunting in spring. Her leg was almost fully healed by now and the golden eagle had only just begun to tolerate Vira handling her.

The only reason she was home right now was because Mohya and her mate had gone flying, Vira having the day off, sort of. She had planned on heading over to the Enclave to hook up with the training class they were hosting that day. The announcement had been something about unlikely food sources, and she wondered if that meant mushrooms and roots they could find in the lowland forests.

The young woman stood at the entry to their home, going over a few things in her head with her hand on the door. Braziers smothered, Qeeta fed, bed folded, clothes hung, gear cleaned, windows washed...The list went on for well over a chime, the compulsive woman finally finishing and satisfied with it all to head out. Before leaving, though, she grabbed her katinu for the few pathways that were exposed to the winter-embraced exterior. Her vinati was long-sleeved this time, wolf-fur collar rubbing at her neck and the long sleeves of the material hugging her slender arms.

It was as she opened the door, stepped out, and turned to pull it to that the young woman spotted Turrin turning a corner further along the family-aeries. She remembered the older rider from Alori's party, the man having a funny way of talking and a funny way of acting. His noble-attitude was so very un-Inartan it was funny. Yet, he had proven his worth during the late-season squall that had erupted on the mountain, causing some significant damage, including to Kovac and hers home. However, Turrin did not live in this quadrant of the Endal Aeries; it was exclusive to families. Where was he going?

"Hey Turrin!" She called out, hurrying after him now and rounding the corner, "Turrin, wait up."

He had stopped in front of an aerie a few doors further down and knocked, shortly after which a face appeared. It was Sira! The teen hadn't seen the kelvic since they'd met in the ranges in Summer, and she'd seemed quite friendly then; but the curt tone that she gave the War Hawk was pretty different. Vira drew up behind the man, giving Sira a kindly smile, trying to offer friendliness where it seemed to be lacking. "Morning Sira; I didn't know you lived down this way."

Folding her arms over her abdomen, she turned her gaze to Turrin instead, "Hey, when you're done...with whatever, I'm heading over to the Enclave. They're having a food class today and I've got some time. Do you or Sira wanna come with me?" The offer extended to the kelvic, just in case. She had been in the aerie all morning and had, likewise, not heard about a death at the stores yet.

[Turrin]

Turrin thought he heard someone call his name when he finally made it to the door. The endal shook his head thinking that he must be hearing things. The half-breed knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. Aponivi told her that she should be here, so the Endal crossed his arms for a chime until someone answered the door. When the door opened, he was greeted by a dirty face of a Dek. The man looked down at the floor and asked in a timid voice, “How may I serve you endal?” Turrin let out a breath and suggested to the man, “Word of advise Dek. You should look up. Otherwise, you might run into something.” Turrin quickly asked his question, so he didn't confuse the man, “I am looking for Endal Sira. Do you know if she is in her aeries today.” The Dek found the courage to look into his eyes and said softly, “Yes, she is in the aeries. I will get her right away.” Turrin gave the dirty man a slight nod and said simply, “Tell her Endal Turrin Aponivi is here to talk to her.” The Dek nodded and closed the door. Turrin stood outside the door patiently. He was starting to wonder if he should check on Syveris to see if she was doing alright. The Endal made sure to do it everyday ever since Sulrav named her in the last town meeting of the fall. Suddenly, the door opened, and Turrin put on a smile, but it quickly faded when the golden eyed woman started to talk. Turrin stiffened for a moment at the lack of proper respect. There was no civilized greeting between them. Even in barbarian cities like Lhavit, they at least gave their names before getting down to business. The Myrian wasn't at all surprised the Endal's reaction because most Inarta seemed to lack even the simplest shred of civilized behavior. Turrin wanted to show her distaste for her behavior, but he doubt it would help his cause, so the large Endal just stared into her golden eyes and was about to say something, but he was cut off by a familiar voice, Lavira. He met Lavira at Alori's party, and he was impressed with the young scarred woman almost immediately. She seemed to have a energy about her that seemed to bring people together. It was a good quality. In time, the teenager would be a fine Endal, but at the moment, she was still learning her place in the Endal circles. Still watching Sira, Turrin didn't didn't turn around to properly greet the young woman, but he couldn't help himself, but smile when she offered to accompany her to the Enclave for the survival lessons. He shook his head and swore under his breath realizing it was today when he realized that he forgot. Turning his attention away from Sira, Turrin gave Lavira a nod and said softly, “I would love too, Lavira, but..I have business to attend to first. Maybe some other time.” Turrin looked at young Endal and realized that she should here the news too. He didn't want her to be caught off guard with people murdering endal on the loose. The Myrian said softly to Lavira, “You should stay Lavira. This concerns you and your sister Alori as much as it concerns Sira.” Turrin gathered from the party that the two endal were basically sisters, and he wanted to make sure that her family was safe too. Crossing his arms, Turrin glanced to Sira and Lavira and said with a frown, “Last night, food thieves raided the food storerooms, but in their wake, they left two Endal dead.” Turrin shook his head and continued, “I am not really sure how the food thieves could overpower two train Endal's since most of the thieves tend to be Dek or Chiet, but I have my suspicion that the Despised might involved in their deaths.” Turrin tapped the top of his sword hilt with his finger and said softly, “Besides, the two dead Endals were War hawks, so I guess I want to find the murders and bring to them justice.” Turning his attention to Sira, Turrin said with a nod, “I heard from Aponivi that you are quite talented with a talon sword since I don't have many friends with your skill with a sword, I wanted to ask you if you could insist me in bringing these murders to justice. I understand if you say, no since you seem busy.” Turrin was being a little overly diplomatic since his first impression of the golden eyed endal was less than stellar. He just hoped it changed for the better for both their sakes.

[Sira]

Sira's eyes soften when she noticed Lavira was with the man, though she was unable to bring herself to smile. Before the winter she had met Lavira once at the archery range, and it was a pleasant memory. Since joining up with Kovac she had seen more of the woman, though they did not really have time for socialization. Mostly it was just Sira dropping Kovac off at the aerie, she rarely stayed for more than a few chimes. Most days, after she dropped Kovac off, she went right back out into the Unforgiving to try to get a few more bells of hunting in before it got too dark.

Lavira's offer was not overly tempting. Sira kept up with the training classes, but unlikely food sources were unlikely to be of any value to Sira, unless it was something she could bring back to the mountain. Sira spent most of her time hunting in Wind Eagle form, and generally required much larger portions of food than a human did. Unlikely food sources were unlikely to be very filling for a large Wind Eagle. Before she could answer, however, Turrin began to explain why he had come.

The news was a surprise to Sira and her face hardened even more, if that were possible. People stealing food? Killing Endal? It was.. it was unacceptable! She almost offered her help right then and there, but Turrin wasn't done. He mentioned the Despised, and the fact that it was War Hawks that were dead seemed to prove that the killings couldn't have come from simple Chiet. Sira waited until he was done before she answered.

"I can handle my blade," she responded first. In truth, Sira herself was more suited to be a War Hawk though she formerly flew with the White Owls, and since taking Kovac as a rider, temporary though it may be, she mostly flew with the Swift Falcons.

"You've got a point. It would have taken a lot of Dek and Chiet to kill a pair of trained Endal, more so if they were trained War Hawks. That would have made some noise, somebody would have heard. They must have had help from someone who knew what they were doing."

Sira opened the door the rest of the way, moving to allow Turrin and Lavira in. Her aerie was huge, probably one of the largest in the city since it was originally designed to house multiple Endal. It was decorated with all sorts of finery and lavish furniture, Addy had spared no expense in making their home look exactly the way they wanted to, but everything in the aerie seemed to have a very fine layer of dust on it, as if it hadn't been used in a long time. When Sira was home, she only bathed and went to bed. She hadn't called anyone in to clean the place in some time. It wasn't dirty, but it was like walking into a ghost house, almost.

"Come in, make yourselves comfortable, I just need to gather my things. Today is my day off, so I'm not needed on the hunt. Besides, these Dek, or Despised, or whoever they are need to be taken care of."

Sira wouldn't be long. There would be enough time for Turrin and Vira to talk between themselves and decide if she was going to come or not. Sira's gear was laying on the dresser next to her bed. Her bow, old and worn from use but still in good condition, she considered leaving behind, they weren't good in close quarters, but decided to bring it just in case. They might end up tracking the murders into an open area, and the bow would come in handy then. Sira grabbed her quiver and checked it, ten arrows inside, before closing it up. She used a climber's quiver, one with a closeable lid so that they wouldn't fall out in flight.

Finally was her sword, a finely crafted piece of work. Sira nearly died in acquiring it, kidnapped by a madman in the unforgiving, she used his own weapon to kill him and escape. The Endal traced her fingers over the emerald eyes of the wolf's head engraved into the handle. The blade had seen her out of plenty of jams, it's magical edge never dulling. It seemed it was time to put it to use once again.

"I'm ready when you are," Sira said, coming out of her room fully equipped and ready to go. She looked between Vira and Turrin, wondering if Vira chose to come or not. Whenever they were ready, she'd follow the pair out to wherever they needed to go.

[Lavira]

The news of a murdering band of Chiet or Dek came as a surprise to Vira and she frowned at Turrin as he shared it. She'd heard of a few incidents like this over the years before but they were usually swiftly taken care of; but now, working as an Endal, the effect seemed to hit closer to home. Yet, like Sira, Vira was not a War Hawk. While loyal and honorable enough, Vira followed the Swift Falcons path as well. Healers were preferred for White Owl duty, and a healer, Vira was not, at least not in the same sense that people associated.

She would have fit in for her gentler personality, though! An efficient hunter and excellent falconer, the teen's kind spirit and forgiving way had slowly begun to win the respect of her fellow fliers. Even Nash had begun to loosen the reins on her, allowing the woman to work more and more without his overbearing eye staring down from above. The Flight Leader meant well, but his brusque persona and hard core tactics put the strain on the youngest of the team.

Where the other two thought it unlikely that some of the lower castes could pull off a killing like this, Vira had worked with them far more closely. The one-eyed rider shook her head at both Sira and Turrin. "I wouldn't disparage their strengths. There are many in the ranks who used to be Endal as well, remember? They may have lost their bird, but they haven't lost their mind or strengths. It wouldn't be impossible for one to overpower another, if they do a job that allows for that." Her thought went to the ex-Avora Kovac, Marrin, and she had seen removed from his caste and put to work in the mines. He had been a blacksmith; while not of great renown, the smithers were still powerful individual, and in order to utilize that strength without putting others at risk for such...unwelcome attentions, Kaden had dropped him into a miners position, digging coal and ore all day and sometimes all night.

"Let me go back and grab my staff and I'll come with you guys." She might not have the same level of skill with her weapon as they did with theirs, but she had strength in other things which they might not. "Be right back." And with that, the teen turned and hurried back out of the aerie and to her own home. She had noticed the dustiness of Sira's home and part of her haste to leave was to keep her own compulsions at bay.

Vira hated messiness, and while Sira's was not messy, that subtle presence of dust had triggered her compulsion. It was better to avoid offending the kelvic Endal by scrub-scrub-scrubbing her home without permission, and just go take care of her own business first.

Back at their own home, Vira went to the bedroom to grab the steel staff and hunting knife along with a piece of parchment and coal for notes that might be needed to be recorded. She heard a door open in the Commons and came back out. The little girl had appeared from the spare room beside the mew-room where Qeeta was kept, her hair messy from sleep. The teen went towards her and knelt, cupping her cheek and smiling. "Hon, I'll be back in a while, alright? I'll send a chiet up with your noon meal, if I can. Will you be alright?"

The child had been unofficially adopted by the Endal when she'd appeared some work-periods ago in the corridors. Vira knew the child was doomed for Dek work, and her concern demanded the youth be scooped up and cared for in a way the Yasi quarter could not provide. Unfortunately, the child had been silent since Vira took her in, only nodding or shaking her head and sometimes hugging her. It was the vacant expression she often had that made the teen worry for her, wondering if it were seizures she suffered so frequently. Nonetheless, the girl was given a kiss on the brow and a hug of reassuring strength before the woman got back to her feet and left again to meet the others back in the hall.

"I know you guys want justice, but we really shouldn't mete our own just because they killed an Endal. The Valintar and masters are there for a reason." She looked to them both imploringly. "Let's just track them down and bring them in." Her attention went to Sira briefly now, hoping that the kelvic might see her stance. Vigilance did not mean one had to be a vigilante. "They're probably scared now, anyways; we don't know anything about the Despised or how he's using these people...maybe they're just puppets to him?" The staff was rest against her left shoulder for the moment and her stance was even, waiting for them to take the lead.

[Turrin]

Turrin saw the intensity in Sira's eyes when he told her about the death's of the Endal, and he was pleased that she decided to help him. He listened to his fellow Endal's input and said softly, “My thoughts exactly.” When Lavira gave them her insight in the matter, he listened closely to her suggestion that they could be ex-rider or Avora. It was thought that made Turrin's blood boil because their actions regardless of left two of comrades dead. It was treacherous action that should be dealt with swiftly. He just hoped the Valintar and the Master will give them a traitors death. The half-blood dealt with a traitor in the jungles of Falyndar, so he knew first hand the feeling of betrayal. Turrin just hoped these two have the stomach to do what is necessary in the end. The Myrian said respectfully with a nod to Lavira, “Lets just hope your not right, Lavira, and it just a few Dek that got lucky. If it is fellow ex-rider or trained Avora like Honorary Endal Kovac. We will have fight on our hand.” When Turrin entered Sira's aeries, he was amazed at the size of the luxury of her home. He was kind of jealous because her home was spared the damage caused by the fall storm, but the grand home seemed to fall into a state of neglect since their was a fine layer of dust everywhere in aeries. It looked abandon accept for the sad eyed Inarta. Holding open the door for Lavira, Turrin looked at Lavira in the doorway and wondered to himself if she was uncomfortable coming inside, but she quickly told him that she was going to go get her staff. Before she left, Turrin said loud enough to hear, “Thank you for coming, Lavira.” When Sira told him to make himself comfortable, Turrin walked in her home, took off his boots, and left them by the door. Walking into living room, he sat down on the couch and noticed their was quite a collection of dusty books on the book shelf ranging from medicine, history, and geology. He stared at the books on medicine, and he was curious because Sira didn't seem like the type of person to study the healing arts. Sira had a demeanor of a hunter; however, healing could be a hobby. As Turrin sat on the couch, the Endal got the feeling of uneasiness because he wasn't quite sure what to do since Lavira left. Sira was in the other room getting ready, and Lavira left to get her weapon. All he could do was sit and stare at a cobweb in the corner. Standing up from the couch, Turrin went back and put his boots back on as he stood by the door. Eventually, Lavira returned and Turrin opened the door for her and said with a nod, “Welcome back.” The half-Myrian stood there for a few chimes as he sorted through his plan of attack for searching for the murders. Turrin knew that before he head to the crime scene. He needed to know how the two Endals died. When Sira returned and said that she was ready, Lavira gave her opinion at how they should handle the murders when they catch them. Turrin lifted his head and listened to her in silence. She suggested that they should be simply apprehend them and let the Masters deal with them. Sound plan enough, but suddenly, she mentioned that they might be scared and eyed the girl for a tick. He was sure if they were Deks or Chiet puppets. They might be scared of the repercussions, but if they are trained warriors or hunter that choose to kill two Endals for food. They will definitely not be scared because they knew exactly what they were doing. Turrin lifted his head and said simply, “We don't know enough facts to know who we are dealing with at the moment. If they are common Dek who just got lucky than yes, we can use fear to our advantage in the case, but if they are trained hunters and warriors who have killed before. They will not be scared to kill again to stay alive.” Turrin adjusted his talon sword on his side and said plainly, “When you kill another person, it tends to get easier and easier because you start to loose the part of your soul that questions your action. You become callous to protect yourself from the fact. You just took a life that wasn't yours to take.” Turrin paused to let his words sink in and continued, “You best remember what I told you if someone comes at you trying to take your life, Lavira. It might save your own life or someone you care about.” Turrin knew that they might be facing danger eventually, so he wanted Lavira to know all the dangers. He made a promise to get him to Lavira safely during the storm, and he would be damn to fail Kovac if he allowed Lavira to die on a mission that he was leading. The Endal didn't want to be the person to tell Kovac that he was responsible for getting Lavira hurt or killed. Turning to Sira, Turrin suggested, “I think the best course of action is to see how our victims died first, so we know what the kind of person or people we are dealing with than we head to food stores and question witnesses. Unless either of you have any better suggestions than we shall leave to the Infirmary?”

[Sira]

Sira came out to find that Lavira had already returned. She conceded to the fact that it could very well have been ex-Endal or Avora, or even chiet who had been training to elevate themselves that could have done the killing, but there was one thing she did not agree with, at least not entirely. Had Aidara still been in her life Sira may have thought differently, but the healer was gone, and Sira had grown cold.

"You haven't been an Endal for very long, Lavira. The Valintar and the Masters are busy people. The law is clear in this. If a Dek, Chiet, or even Avora kill an endal, added on top of that the theft of food during this famine, then they will be put to death. We have the authority to do what must be done, and I won't hesitate to do it if the situation calls for it. That is our job. We're Endal. We do what must be done so that the rest of us can survive."

Sira listened to Turrin's suggestions, nodding her head. He was right, they both were actually. Before any judgement could be made, the facts needed to be gathered. They needed to find out exactly how the Endal were killed. Was it with weapons, were they trampled, bludgeoned with rocks, thrown off a cliff? Once they found out the exact details they could use them to track down exactly who the culprits were. If they could question them and it turned out the Despised was in fact behind it all, then maybe they did not have to die.

"When we figure out who the killers are we can question them. If they are being controlled by the Despised, they might be able to lead us to him. If they aren't, we may have to kill them."

Sira listened as Turrin spoke of killing and what it did to you. As a predator, killing was in her nature, but the side of her that was human did indeed feel pain when she did it. But as he described, it had become easier for her. She did not consider herself a murderer, everyone she had killed deserved to die. But she was a killer, that she could not deny.

[Turrin]

Turrin watched Lavira as Sira started to give her advice about a law concerning killing Endal, and he was started to wonder if he made a mistake about letting her come. Yes, she was a rookie, so her compassion could lead her to hesitate in a life and death situation. If they got into such a situation, Turrin didn't want to have to worry about keeping Lavira alive. Worrying about someone else is a good way of making a mistake and getting yourself killed. Turrin waited for Sira to finish her comment about the mission, and he looked at Lavira and said simply in Nari, “Lavira, I know you are eager to prove yourself, but I don't think you have a enough experience yet to join us. I appreciate that you volunteered though, Lavira.” The one eyed Endal just stared at him in disbelief at Turrin's change of heart, but Turrin was leading this mission, so he had to make the hard decisions. As young Endal walked away, the Myrian watched Lavira leave, turned to Sira, and said in Nari with a nod, “Lets head to Infirmary, Sira.” Turrin didn't say much as he walked down the inner warren to Infirmary. As they walked down the warrens, he noticed that the lower castes gave them both a wide birth as they approached them. Turrin got a few unsavory glances from a few of the Chiet. He figured the soar looks were probably the result of his current assignment to patrolling the warrens and being a foriegner. Turrin didn't mind because he knew not many of them had the guts to stand up to a Endal, so he paid them no mind and continued down the stone corridor. Turrin was mostly silent because he was thinking about all the possible ways a Chiet or Dek could kill two highly trained Endals. Most of them led to a conclusion that they must have been equally trained as the Endal's to best them, so Lavira could be right about the murders being ex-rider. Giving Sira a side ward glance, he asked without looking at her, “I not trying to be nosy, but what the name of your wind eagle? I asked because Aponivi seemed know you personally when he suggested you to come on the mission.” Turrin wasn't good with small talk, but he figured that he should at least communicate with the woman who would be watching his back. The Myrian thought it was strange that Aponivi referred to a Sira personally without even mentioning the wind eagle that she was riding. However, he figured that Sira's wind eagle mentioned her name to Aponivi, so the great white headed eagle might not of thought it was important to mention her eagle. Turrin rounded the corner saw a pair Deks sitting off to the side by the wall. He noticed one was severely hunchbacked with a deformed hand, and the other one was a young woman with wispy orange hair who was missing a foot. They both would fall into the category of Dek that would have to fend for themselves since they couldn't work the simplest tasks with trouble. The Myrian glanced at them and noticed that they were both pale and skinny. It looked like they haven't eaten in weeks. Being on patrol in the city every day, Turrin wasn't blind to the plight of the Chiet and worse the Dek. He lost count how many dead bodies that he had to carry out of the city because they starved to death in somewhere in the warrens. Turrin gave the two Deks a friendly nod, but the woman returned his gesture with a look of hatred. Turning his attention away from the two Dek, the Myrian looked at Sira and asked, “I haven't been outside since start of last season. How has the hunting been going this winter? Is it still shyke like last season?” Turning the next corner, Turrin saw the entrance to the Infirmary down the hallway, so he listened to Sira and continued down the hall to his destination.

[Alaia]

Turrin

Turrin :

Weapon: Short Bow	+1 XP
Unarmed Combat	+1 XP
Subterfuge	+1 XP
Tactics	+1 XP
Leadership	+1 XP

Lores

• Rumors: Dek killing two Endals
• Gathering allies

Additional comments

I really wish this thread could have been finished, it would have been fun to see in it's full. Regardless of this though I found Turrin's initiative towards finding out the truth and gathering forces to do so refreshing and enjoyable. Please update your post in the grade request thread to show this thread as completed.

Sira

Sira :

Tactics	+1 XP
Subterfuge	+1 XP

Lores

• Rumors: Dek killing two Endals
• Taking up arms

Additional comments

I wish this thread had been finished I feel you really expressed the sadness in Sira well in regards to her emotions and what she has been up to. Well written!

I will do my best to give you what grades you have earned! However, if there is something you feel I missed or anything you have questions on please don't hesitate to PM me and we can talk.