At A Loss

[Kaeldorn]

Yashia met up again with Cirion, who was talking to a few others nearby the entrance to the Sundren Comfort. She was wet, cold and tired, yet she did still need to have her talk with the man she sang her song for. Her attention was caught by other things again when four members of the Legion - one visibly high in rank - conversed about the disappearance of their officers. Possibly at the hands of Naga. From what they caught, a recent patrol had gone missing in the Sharahan Hills. Despite her condition, Yashia gathered her things and went with the other adventurers; Andy, Mithrilia, Cybil and Cirion to investigate.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first glance. That wouldn't be the first, and likely not the last time either. A little deeper into the hills, the party was attacked. Again by that same, or a very similar looking tailed assassin with the skill to disappear at will. More than once someone came close to meeting the end at the edges of his razor sharp blades, but luckily enough their healing and protection of one another prevented such from happening. Yashia called quickly the futility of attempting to slay the acrobatic attacker, that he would only return not much later. That pressing on wasn't a risk worth taking until someone came with an idea on how to stop this lightning fast reptilian humanoid. Once retreated back in surroundings filled with Exigo troops, they were soon left alone.

Yashia briefly informed those yet unfamiliar with what she knew of the nature of this supposed Yuan-Ti, but she was far too drained to stay here for much longer. The two fallen paladins together went home, to Yashia's room at the inn. Where they could be alone. Finally...

[Kaeldorn]

Once they'd gotten comfortable, sitting side by side on the couch with easy clothing on rather than the armor they wore on their excursion to the hills, Yashia had to take a moment to collect herself. Fatigue was trying to take her, while it was focus that she needed to say this the right way. Cirion had promised her his full attention, that he usually gave her in some other way, though now he was there to listen.

She leaned forth to hold both of his hands, symbolically telling where she felt she belonged, despite what she was about to tell him.

"Cirion," she began. "I want you to know that no man could ever make me happier than you have. Please, bear that in mind when you hear what I've got to say."

What was supposed to be comfort seemed to work adversely. Cirion swallowed nothingness. His muscles grew tense. The blonde lunged closer to him, until her head was resting at his shoulder and she couldn't be any closer to him without provoking intimacy. He was afraid, she felt it. And it pained her, but there was no going back. She didn't want to go back.

"... Do you remember a while back, when we went into the mountains to gather flowers for Annie and Os?"

He gave notice that he did, and Yashia proceeded. "I came in contact with the priestess because I asked if she knew a way to help me with my pregnancy, or lack thereof. She said that, if I would aid the goddess in gathering the symbols of a 'fruitful' relationship for another couple, that I would surely be blessed. But even though we've tried at least two or three times a week after that..."

She drew in a deep breath. What she was going to say would likely be obvious to Cirion already now. Yet to emphasize, it had to be said. "... I still feel nothing. I've come to accept that I will never be a mother. It's not that I do not want it, but I'll have to live with it."

Yashia held him close to her in an embrace, hoping that he would find some rest. That he would not get dragged away in dramatic depression. That was not what he did. He resorted to the other wrong way of taking this. Denial. "Yashia," he spoke quierly, "We still have a chance, I believe you and I still have a chance for children of our own."

"No, Cirion. I'm not going to try for it anymore. It will only lead to disappointment for both of us. Let it rest..."

"There is something else." Yashia spoke up again to cull his further resistance. From the quiet he gave, this time it did seem to work. She had to tremble slightly, nervous about it that her next statement would shake him even more. It was him who had asked her to be open to him about her worries, though. And open she would be.

"You know I've felt a need to change recently, to stand more for the world around us than just myself." She waited for his acknowledgement. A nod was enough. "... Redeeming myself is the way, I've decided that I will set my heart to return to the ways of a warrior for the Divine."

The idea disgusted him. The Sunite looked away from her with the thought that everything would go back to the stressful unanswered desires of old times.

"No, Cirion! Please. I'm not leaving you. I can't become a Knight of the Aster again. I've broken vows against the Order."

He was confused. Genuinely confused. And Yashia took her time in granting him a caring touch from his cheek down to his neck. Trying to tell him it would be okay beyond just her words.

"You have given me faith in a new power, my love. It may be a long and hard road, but every step of the way I will still be yours."

With a slow but sure motion, Cirion turned to her and laid his head to rest on her shoulder. "Why couldn't you just say? You want to take up a position as Sune's paladin, instead of making me worry like this."

"Because..." she had to sigh again, "The song I sang to you today, it had more meaning than just to tell you how I feel for you. The plans we had will be made impossible. And even if I have to wait a lifetime for it, we can't be completely united for as long as I'd serve as Her Knight."

"But you want us to marry, I want us to marry... If we couldn't have children, then I'd at least wish to be maritally bonded to you. You and I, we both wanted to be truly together. Even the priestess said needed to make sacrifices if I truly loved you. But one of them - marriage - that's no longer a sacrifice. Not to me."

He short-endured silence fell between them. Yashia waited, and Cirion went on after a while. "Since then, other women have had 'things' for me. Some to a point where I felt like they tried to sway me away from you. I didn't answer their calls. None. Because I want to be with you, and you alone. And now... I'm going to sound selfish, but I want you to devoted the same way."

The fallen one aspiring to return to a better life was put at unease. She gulped, and avoided looking directly into his eyes now. Had she gotten him stuck into the same selfish sack of misery she had finally managed to pull herself free from? It was hard to believe. She had to test the waters. Offer him freedom she had claimed in her darker times. "If you feel that you need to be there for them in ways that I couldn't have taken before, then I can live with that. It would even allow you a chance of having a family still... But I will be yours until the end, and you will be the only one I'll completely give myself to."

"Stop that. I was told by a High Priestess -"

"She most likely said that because she sensed that I would be destroyed emotionally if you gave yourself to any other." Yashia interrupted. "I've grown stronger now, and come to realize it's not up to me to decide what you should and shouldn't do."

"I feel that you're not believing what I say, when I mean that she said it about true loves in any case."

"But then, doesn't it make sense for me as your true love, to want to see you happy and your wish of having a family to be fulfilled? To not want to restrict you in making the dreams of others come true, as I know you enjoy doing - which has only stopped because of my selfish restrictions?"

"I was told by another that you believed such." He said softly, shaking his head. "I thought you believed me when I said I only want to be with you, I loved only you and my greatest dream is a life with you, only you. Is that so hard to understand? You don't chain me down. You don't hold me back. You made me happy, more than any other could."

"I do believe you, I just thought... I thought giving you the freedom to have both would make your life more complete. But if you only wish to be with me, then you can forget all the things I just said. Because that's a wish I will gladly grant to you. And make true."

Yashia shifted her position to take a seat in his lap. From there, giving him a hug to reinforce his faith in her feelings for him. It seemed to work out alright, as both of them calmed down in a short while. Out of energy and preferring to find rest together rather than stress.

[Kaeldorn]

Rumor started to spread about a rise of the Bloodmaim Orcs in Mossdale forest, and their forces arching around the defensive base of the Alliance; the Arbiter's Stand. What was going on there wasn't exactly clear, especially since Nocte was the rumor mongerer. Still, the disappearance of the remnants of Genum's Cube from Alyrian's possession were a sure cause for worry. This was something larger than any individual though. The Legion would call to arms soon if it was deemed necessary.

Other rumors made its way around as well. Supposedly, a powerful being had been captured by the Thayans and brought to their Enclave. Their encounter with the long gone Aleister a short while ago was, to them, the first. The planetouched fire priest of Kossuth, one and the same who had saved Yashia's life on the night stars rained from the sky. As well as being the victor in a duel against the legendary Snow Hawk, inevitably leading to the samurai's untimely claim of his own life.

The fiery man provided them with warning that whatever it was they had was something extraordinary, faster and stronger than any mortal, and that only the top leadership of the Enclave would likely know more. Something he himself admitted not being supposed to state to anyone. His loyalty to his nation was for some reason put to the side a moment to warn Yashia, again. He seemed to care little for Cirion. But for Yashia, who wasn't even really all that close to him in mindset and ideals, the genasi held a strange respect.

When days later Cirion brought suspicions to Yashia that the being may well be Syran, a lot of question marks were raised. It was highly unlikely that he was actually overpowered by Thayan forces. But why would the vampire sergeant of Colibrus, with mastery over other people's lives, let himself be captured? One who had brought Mithrilia in danger of becoming one of his kin for motives yet unknown, and months before that toyed with Hano's free will?

Then Tao came to mind. If Syran was infiltrating to get a hold of the most powerful diviner in the valley, that could lead to a catastrophe. Vision and control combined. Yashia had been about to go to sleep, and thus asked Cirion if he would attend Lauan to this possibility, so she could bring it to her superiors. The Sunite was scared to death that if he was not taken seriously, Lauan might do something to him. She hated him, he believed. Not without reason, but Yashia found it all to be blown out of proportion. Especially since there could be a lot at stake.

Nothing she said would bring him to think otherwise, that the risk was one worth taking. Until finally she gave up in irritation, and told him she'd do it herself in the morning. Then all of a sudden, he was ready to get something arranged. Albeit not entirely for the right reasons.

Had he changed so much that he now only cared about her and himself, like she had before? The conclusion to their discussion did not make her sleeping much easier.

[Kaeldorn]

In the coming days, it began to look more and more like her guesses weren't at all far from the truth. Through another who approached her - Brooke, a woman Cirion had befriended, she knew - asked if there was anything in particular Yashia wanted as a wedding gift. A wedding gift. Cirion was still going around telling people of their former plans. He didn't want to accept, and plainly ignore the things they had talked about earlier. All to preserve the image he had formed inside of his mind. A dream, one that she wanted to make true, but couldn't wholly commit herself to without casting aside her self-centered existence. She had to talk to him about it, but what kind of talk did she get herself into...


For several nights on end, they did nothing but talk. Cirion was depressed, thought that he wasn't enough for her and that she didn't return his feelings for her.

"I had hope for something more. Why is it that dreams, wishes of mine... everything I hope for doesn't go the way I had imagined it?"

"Fate can be cruel that way, but we still have our lives ahead of us. Cease the day, and make the best of it. And to me.. the best includes you."

Time and time again she tried to convince him of the truth that his meaning hadn't changed to her at all. Sometimes he responded.

"Your choices, they're what may end what we have. I don't truly want to leave you. Just, I can't help but feel... hurt by you."

"I... I can leave you alone for tonight if you think it will be easier on you."

"To tell the truth, I want you close by... You could hurt me, intentionally hurt me, but I'd still want to hold you close."


But then an hour or a few hours later he had completely changed his mind again. Sinking into deeper and deeper emotional ache.


"You love others too, what there is between us is just something stronger, more meaningful. And I know you don't really want to lose that."

"I don't love them in any physical way, no more than simple friends, especially since I want to marry you. When you become a paladin, our love won't be the same anymore. It's part of the expectations as Sune's paladin."

"That's something stuck in your mind, romance doesn't necessarily imply... - But you seem to forget that they often choose a single individual to devote their heart to from afar, whether or not that person returns those feelings. I don't see why it would be problematic to change the afar to really close."

"It doesn't change anything, I still wish for the marriage. This'll create more problems for our future. This right here is only the beginning of such. I... give up, I don't even want to bother trying anymore."

[Kaeldorn]

But he didn't give up. Neither of them really gave up in trying to have things the way they believed best. Cirion's greatest grudge seemed to be her wish for redemption. To become a paladin again, something that had left him with naught but bad memories.

"Yashia, What I feel about all of this is that you're seeking to regain your status as a paladin, that is all you seek and wish for. Nothing else matters anymore."

"... You don't understand."

"Understand?! You'd rather throw away what we have, what we could have, just to become a paladin again!"

"I'm doing it partially for myself, but more so to strengthen my confidence in myself to be there more for the people around me. You, on the other hand, are making demands now, something I've stopped doing to you because it was more than unfair. I just don't know how to deal with this... I'm not throwing anything away. My feelings for you are unconditional. I am happy with what we have now and I want to keep it that way, while at the same time becoming more satisfied with myself because of the way I can be there for others."

"But it won't work, I'd know. You don't seem to want to listen to me while I have gone through so much trying myself. It can never work, even for those you tell to that there is a limitation. There are reasons why Sunite Paladins stand as guards to holy sites and the clergy, because we end up causing too much trouble and problems left out on our own. What I'm saying is, things end up too messed up out on our own and... I just want the marriage, but you only seek to become a paladin, they're barely even close to Sune's own teachings and guidelines."

"They are different because they choose to act based on a code that has proven over many years to cause as little grief with as much love and joy as is possible... while most followers of Sune think solely from their own feelings and thoughts. My judgement has failed that way so often before this, I've come to realize that I really need to adhere to those guidelines to create happiness, Cirion. Or would you rather have me set course to how I was for a while? Desperate and confused?"

"You're wrong, the code can cause much more grief. It is going to ruin our relationship, break us as it's beginning to do with my spirit. The code can be helpful to some that need guidance, but a person can accomplish much in life even by their own ethics."

"But I can't. All I accomplished is to make you worry about me, and I even got you to take your own life."

"You know what? We're practically married, its perfectly normal for us to be worried about each other. Only a strange, messed up couple wouldn't worry about each other. Taking my life, any man in love would have done the same. Especially if he caused her to die in the first place, he would do all he could for her. To stop her from even more suffering one the Wall of Faithless or worse. I know, I admit it. It was my fault, I was the idiot that caused you to kill yourself. I was the fool to even think of my actions in making two happy at the same time."

"Cirion, you're taking this entirely the wrong way. Of course we should look after one another, and I want to keep doing that. But structurally shredding my will to pieces by selfish desires I'm too scared not to see fulfilled was my wrong-doing. Your... 'attachments' to Cybil while keeping me in the dark may have been wrong as well, but what I did as a response was far worse."

[Kaeldorn]

"Yashia, you're a woman I loved because at the time I didn't see you as a person trying to be a grand and mighty heroic paladin. I loved you as a woman who was down to earth, with natural feelings."

"I am not trying to be a hero! I just... I want to be dependable. Someone people can rely on, know that they can lean on my shoulder when they are feeling bad, and talk to me. Or ask me for help when they suffer. Cirion, please. Can we talk normally about this? Without all the accusations?"

"Normally?! You're talking about giving up on our marriage. I worked to become a man you'd love and marry as your own. I changed myself for you, I haven't even so much as tried to kiss another woman. I proposed to you, with all my heart set on marriage. But right now, I dont' feel you care one damned bit. I gave up my old ways, learned how to become more for you. Yet this is... Look, forget it. I'm sick of all my wants, wishes never becoming true. I change myself for the one I love and get told its no good. I'm going downstairs, if you want to see how much its takes for me to pass out from liquor, then watch me down at the bar."

The booze. Looking into the bottle to find relief. Something he had done a while ago as well, for almost completely the opposite reason. She came to stand before him to stop him from leaving the room. Drink was never the answer, both of the arguing couple realized that. His breathing became heavier. And again, his mind swayed. Uncertainty taking over.

"I'd give everything to change, and I actually did change, you're the one woman I've changed myself for..."

Yashia nodded slowly. "And it's not going unnoticed now, Cirion. The way I've seen how you have tried to better yourself for me... I am touched by it, and I love you all the more for it. I just want to see you happy, that is my wish. And if that would only be possible if I sacrificed my wishes to be with you myself and only love you from a distance, that would be worth it to me. You can go if that is what you really want, but please... don't throw your life away."

He slightly tugged to his right, not looking at her. "I want marriage now, that is I want. But I want it only with the woman I love, and without seeing her marrying me just to make me happy. Its ruined, all of it. None of this will ever be right. I wanted to change for the woman I had loved... but she then changed as well..."

"I want to talk this out with you, I know you are in pain and I want to take it away," Yashia quietly said to him while giving him an embrace. "We just need to find a way how, together."

[Kaeldorn]

Together was exactly what Cirion wanted. And Yashia wanted the same. A long time they took to talk it out, and eventually Cirion caved. He promised Yashia that he would let her walk the road she set for herself at the expense of his own happiness. But that was not part of Yashia's intentions. She too made amendments and promised that she would still marry him, and would try to find another way if need be. He slipped on her finger the ring he had intended to give her as the ceremonial symbol. Of engagement now, and marriage later.

Later... that they could go with it at a later age was what Yashia hoped for. Cirion let it shine through however that he really would rather not wait, afraid that with time the meaning of it would die. She ended up torn, and much in the same situation as she had been before finding that new sparkle of hope. That something to aim for to improve. Oh well. At least he was happy.

[Kaeldorn]

The loss of a goal made Yashia strive to return to her roots and seek further there. If perhaps something could be found there that would embrace her as she was to give her life a spin for the better. The wanderer went to the woods of Viridale, where she met with red blade Andy and a dwarven warrior named Klausus. The two rather out of place adventurers expressed a need quell the clan of orcs within the forest, as it was on the rise and their warriors had been seen attacking travellers.

Helping friends, and helping the people as a whole as she used to do. In an environment that she knew. Not something to walk away from at all. Something was still missing from the times of old, though. Another friend she needed to call in. Disappointed that her attempt seemed to have little reaction, she was about to move on. Then, suddenly, a howl was heard from a distance, and a wolf quickly scurried over to her.

"Shadowbane! Here boy..." She bent down and welcomed the beast to her, patting and stroking his furs. He had aged somewhat, and looked a little more rough around the edges than he used to, but it still was clearly one and the same canine. "... Haven't seen you in a while. Shall we go for a hunt today?"

A cheerful bark on her companion's part assured that that was exactly his intention. So on they went, now not with three, but four. A few times they stumbled upon danger. Viridale had grown wilder since she had last been here, and during their time together, Yashia also noticed that Shadowbane had adapted his behaviour to it. He had almost been domestic before, though now he was different. The way he dealt with his prey felt 'barbaric' to her, for as far as wolves can go in terms of barbarism.

Nonetheless, their cooperation was a success. After which Yashia and her wolf with the others sought sanctuary in the druids' glade to rest some. Also there, unexpectedly, was Cirion. A pleasant surprise to Yashia, but not so much for everyone else. He soon claimed all of her attention again, as was usual, and at a small distance stood Shadowbane. Alone. He barked a few times, but none paid any heed. He began to growl softly, the hairs on his skin standing up straight to show his dismay.

It wouldn't help, it all went unnoticed. And when Cirion laid his arms around Yashia to kiss her, to touch and steal his mistress from him again, that was the last straw. Shadowbane barked and growled loudly, and darted straight towards Cirion to bite him in his leg. The teeth dug deep into the Sunite's heel. He cried out in pain, and the eyes of all present fixed on the attack, filled with confusion. Cirion tried his hardest to avoid the wolf's enraged bites and claws, but inevitably was inflicted more than a few scratches.

"Yashia! Do something!" several people called.

Perigo, the hin wizard sitting nearby, took it upon himself to act first and cast a spell to try and control the situation. The attempt failed, and the beast leapt atop the little man. His fangs ready to take him by the throat.

"Shadowbane, stop! Stop it! Back!" Yashia shouted in panic at her wolf to call him off.

It worked... He let go of Perigo, who didn't rise in shock from being confronted with a threat to his life. The wolf backed away. Not to Yashia, but away from the clearing. Growling, he backed off from the group. Standing on his own. Abandoned. His ears hung low. Angered, but most of all sad. One final time he barked, and then he turned around and ran. Going his own way.

Yashia had been really close to her wolf for a long time, but in the past year she had been grossly neglecting him. In favor of being with Cirion all the time in places where one of his kind was not allowed. The direction her life had taken broke her ties to the natural world. The bond of a ranger and her companion was one of mutual loyalty, and it had been betrayed. This loss struck her hard. Perhaps harder than any before that. She still deeply cared for her furry friend, but would she ever get any chance to show that to him again? It was highly doubtful.

[Kaeldorn]

One more time on that very same day did the wolf come back to see Yashia, but Perigo was the only one who saw him. The old hin's physical wounds had already been taken care of, and now the blonde wanderer tended to Cirion's bite marks on his hand and shin. Shadowbane made no effort to attack or make any noise this time around, and while the old Perigo trembled in fear from his traumatizing experience with the beast that was more than twice his size, it left again in just as much silence as it came. Hearing afterwards of his reappearance and departure, Yashia only felt more guilt. That did not go unnoticed by Cirion, who was then willing to let her go.

For hours and hours Yashia sought, tracking through the viridale and its surroundings. Yet whenever she thought to have found a trace, the hope faded again within mere moments. It was as if he didn't want to be found anymore. The sun set and made way for the moon, only for the former to rise once more. Still nothing. She tired so much that it made little sense to try any longer. Perhaps more fortune another day. She'd promised to meet with Cirion after her search was over, though. Thus she headed back to the city and arrived completely exhausted at the Sundren Comfort. When she discovered that both of their rooms were deserted, she entered her own to get some sleep.

Late in the afternoon, the one who had now also fallen from being a true ranger walked back into the grove, where she found a worried Cirion waiting for her. Miscommunication must have caused them missing eachother, although that mattered little now.

"I thought you'd bring ShadowBane here, so he'd not feel so lonely." spoke Cirion to her in some surprise. "He is... well, will basically be part of our 'family.' "

She sighed softly, eyes tracing the ripples made in the water. "Couldn't find him. Anywhere."

"He is your friend, he'll return to you soon. Give it some time." The Sunite ex-paladin tried, but it gave little comfort.

The couple was distracted when another entered the clearing. An elven woman whom Yashia only recognized vaguely in appearance. Also a ranger of sorts, but one who was probably closer to nature than what most would call the civilized world. "You two ok?" she asked in a high-pitched tone. "You look pretty stressed."

"My... My dog ran away, I suppose I could say."

"Out here in the woods?" the elf questioned them again. Looking between Yashia and Cirion respectively, not caring much who would be the one to give an answer. "Need some help finding him?"

The man was the one who did. "Yashia has been trying to locate him and..." His eyes were cast back on the woman he wished to marry, not having the heart to say that she failed. "... I guess If you could find him, that would be great."

The elven woodswoman continued without much empathy, only eagerness to do something. "I'm a good tracker. Not the best, but still pretty good. I'll go take a look, can you give some kind of description?"

Yashia nodded a little bit before turning her attention to Lasala'ariira again. "Well, he has gray fur with some white spots under his belly. Average-sized for a wolf. He likes to hunt unusual prey, like goblins... and goes by the name Shadowbane."

"Ok, I'll go search for him. Stay here, and I'll come back to you when I find something."

Off she went, and left Cirion and Yashia behind in the grove. To reform a bond of the separated.

[EndsBeginning]

A dark-skinned, dark-haired wood elf moved with nimble steps and sure footing across the forested lands of Viridale. She didn't have much in common with the human woman who had sent her on this mission, except one aspect. Something that, besides curiosity, did drive her with will to succeed. She'd once had a wolf companion of her own, that was now lost to her also. Illiaraia... her trusty canine had given her life to ensure her mistress' escape from an ambush of brutish Stonegarb Ogres inside their caverns on the outer reaches of Viridale. Lasala could do naught but accept the sacrifice, for not having chosen so would have made it all in vain. A deep regret still weighed heavy on her heart even to this day. Seeing such a bond of another shatter and thinking of the grief caused by it - even if there was no death - wasn't something she wanted to let happen. She'd never forgive herself if she didn't take this chance at redeeming where she had come short in the past.

Before she had even really begun to search, the elven ranger already stumbled upon a possible mark. Three goblins, felled not by the weapons of your average bypassing adventurers, but with teeth marks at their necks. The depth and pattern of them were just fitting for the fangs of a predator of the type she sought. It wasn't completely unique that a wolf attacked the littlest pawns of Mossclaw, but these didn't look like they even gave much struggle. And their bodies were wholly left intact after that one bite that meant the kill. Their lives claimed as it were an instinctual, calculated task. The blood smelled fresh and the bodies were still warm, so whatever did this couldn't be very far away.

Carefully exploring the area around it led her to find some tracks on a muddy branch from the main path. Not far away from a wooden palisade fortress, Grimaxe Stronghold, Lasala knew. The traces died down in the underbrush. That wasn't as unfortunate as it could have been, as the place provided a good lot of cover from the two orcs she heard conversing in an awful tongue that sounded more like a bunch of barbaric grunts and groans than a real language. Something she couldn't quite grasp the gist of, nor would she ever be interested in learning.

Their 'talk' was soon over. One headed back to the fort with a snort while the other ventured into the woods past Lasala's hiding place, looking rather pissed. She decided to follow him carefully, trying not to be heard. Despite the prowling, hunting moves he adopted on his way, eventually the orc gained distance on her. Causing a need to speed up her own movement. Alas, the hearing of the monstrous excuse for a humanoid didn't fail him. Neither did his eyesight, that uncovered the ranger's hasty attempt at hiding behind a fallen tree.

The orc did not charge, instead threateningly raising his axe over his head and whirling it around. Lasala, understanding of his 'technique', realized that the orc all alone would never be able to do her much harm in an area they both called home turf, yet she still knew it better. She nocked an arrow, and with a carefully aimed shot struck him right in his pelvic area. A bouldering yell emanated from the brute's maw as he was falling to the ground in pain, with all the might in his arms pulling the projectile out.

Observing her surroundings like only an elf can, Lasala made certain he had no allies nearby before approaching the crying orc to question him. Asking in common if he knew anything of a wolf that had recently been harrassing Mossclaw troops. All he did was shout more things at her that sounded like cussing in Orcish, to which she aimed another of her special orc-slaying ammunition, giving one final chance to keep it relatively friendly. Only if he calmed down and answered her questions.

No reply in words ever came. From a prone position, he took a hand of thick muddy substance to throw at his attacker. The move was swift, cunning and unexpected yet not very effective. The gooey muck stuck on her padded armor, though other than that and smelling badly it did little. A second throw with a rock Lasala quickly intercepted by nailing his wrist with a second arrow sent flying from the stretched string of her bow.

Again she asked, yet all she got in return was cussing in orcish. And more things thrown at her. In this case, the broken shaft of the arrow he ripped from his bleeding arm. A third missile struck true, all but incapacitating the brute's attacks as both his hands twitched from blood loss of their respective wrists. Blood that started to form small pools under him. A final time Lasala uttered... "What do you know about the whereabouts of that wolf?!" The orc shakingly pointed at her chest and shouted loudly, angered and in pain, only to fall back with strained muscles. A groan left his maw.

[EndsBeginning]

Somewhere in the distance, Lasala heard a bellowing sound. Repeating several times. A warhorn was what it sounded like. The elf released a finishing shot to put the orc out of his misery for even existing, and with a spell to aid her she quickly fled the scene. Towards a nearby river to do some cleaning of herself, hoping that it would prevent the orcs' scent from making her the prey rather than the hunter.

Scent? That was it! Suddenly it struck her that the scent she had just cleansed herself from was all too familiar. Droppings, reeking of the digested diet of wolves. With greatest caution Lasala returned to the place whence she came. The soil was fresh with many heavy boots, and some large bare feet all around the corpse of the orc she left behind and that still lay there. It had moved slightly, probably kicked some to make him roll over, but was abandoned to be consumed by 'predators' of carrion in the woods. His fate was of little concern to her though, and she searched on. Very soon and in very close vicinity - the same direction as the orc fort - she stumbled upon another dead orc. This one was not nailed by arrows and actually shared wounds in a similar place to where Cirion's leg was bandaged, as well as the three goblins she found initially.

Whatever attacked it, likely her own mark, had not come out of the fight unscathed. A trail of bloody prints from a wolf's cushioned feet led away. The beast had been running, quite possibly with a limp from what she could measure in her hurried following of the tracks. They ended in a ground under the trees that was thickly covered with bushes. Lasala very slowly pushed the branches aside to make her own path through them. And there he was...

A male wolf lay crippled in his cover, one front paw numb and withdrawn. He bared his teeth and growled softly to the unknown infiltrator of his resting space. Lasala tried to come closer using her skills of wild empathy, making soothing noises and trying to appear confident and unthreatening. She had moderate success. And once close enough, she cast a basic spell to cure him of his wounds. It seemed as if it was recognized and the effect of her magic understood, because his defensive reaction diminished. A potion was shoved out of her hand by Shadowbane's snout as it wasn't trusted, but more mundane healing treatment got him back in reasonable shape within a couple of hours.

Lasala sat there with the wolf for a while. Both of them resting. She had helped the animal and possibly saved his life. Still, she had to be sure. "... Shadowbane?" she said softly. The wolf's ears moved straight up, and in canine expressions with a tilt of the head, Shadowbane looked at her questioningly. Wondering where she got the name from. "Yashia sent me, she has been trying to find you," Lasala answered as her hand went on petting the wolf. The answer unsettled the beast. He snorted, rose to his feet and scurried off.

The ranger then headed back to the glade to let the lonely mistress and the man she was with know of her findings. It wasn't the news she wanted to come back with, but anything is better than nothing at all.

[Kaeldorn]

Meanwhile, back in the glade...

Yashia and Cirion talked on in solitude, as they often did. The latter expressed that he felt like being a weight on her shoulders more than a fiancé, or even a lover should be. He would accept her choices and wait for her for as long as he had to. Yet there was one thing he still needed before he could commit himself to that decision.

"We can wait until then, years from now when you are ready for marriage. But I'd like to hear what it would sound like if you called me your husband."

She uneasily though still warmly smiled back at him. "You mean I should call you my husband here and now? Are you uncertain that I'll keep my promise to you, or is it just that you want to know what it feels like?"

"What it feels like to hear," he answered quietly.

They had been embracing, but now Yashia withdrew her hands from around his back to hold on to his shoulders and retreated just far enough to allow him to see her face as she spoke. "I love you, Ciron, and always will. Times may change but my heart to you can't, because it belongs to you. I will marry you one day so that we can be husband and wife. United in marriage as we both desire."

"I feel the same way," he replied somewhat shaken. "Which is why I can live with our union being postponed."

Yashia saw Cirion, despite his happiness to hear her proclaim her loyalty to him again, he was also saddened. "... You may kiss the bride," she added with a comforting smile, after a moment of silence.

She didn't have to tell him that a second time.

[Kaeldorn]

A few more folks came by and kept them company for short periods of time, to depart again not much later. An overly, almost unnaturally cheerful Juney, a frustrated Lauan who was annoyed with what she perceived to be Yashia's melodramatics and a few others. Mostly strangers passing through the woods.

Some hours passed until finally Lasala came back. Her face was mostly expressionless, and she greeted them with a blunt and simply "Hello."

"You returned." Cirion spoke up for both of them as Yashia noticeably sought for any appearance of Shadowbane behind the elven ranger and only gave an equally short greeting back. "How has your search been?" he inquired.

"Well I did see Shadowbane. He was wounded and I did for him what I could in terms of healing. After that he looked fine enough to survive on his own if need be. He took off when I mentioned you, not willing to follow me here either."

"Oh," said Yashia softly, being struck with more confirmation of her fears. Well... at least he is okay now. Thanks to you."

Lasala's eyes sparkled with curiosity winning over care. "Did something happen?"

"It's rather that something did not happen." Yashia sighed. "Over the past months I didn't take any effort to see him at all. Not went out for walks in the woods with him like I used to. I left him to live by himself, and let him down again during what should have been our reunion, not giving the attention that he deserved in favor of..."

Yashia looked at Cirion, pained, not wanting to say it. Regardless of everyone knowing already. Lasala was affected too now. She opened her mouth, possibly to suggest something, then decided against it and shook her head. The blonde, once roamer of the woodlands, remembered the elf briefly bringing something up in a past meeting they had. "Didn't you also have a wolf companion once?"

"Yes," Lasala spoke with a tremble, a fragile piece of her brought to surface that immediately made her almost cry. "But she's no longer among us. I was trapped in the Stonegarb caves. Hurt, and carrying the lifeless remains of a fallen companion. They blocked the passage outside, so Illiaria drew them away for me to make it. But she didn't herself."

"I... I'm sorry. It's quite a loss. More than many people can imagine."

The elf nodded, and sunk to an uncontrolled sobbing as Cirion spoke his mind in Yashia's ear. "I'm unsure if I should really bring this up. Though, don't you think that giving her the chance to find and take care of Shadowbane herself would be... for the better?"

She nodded slowly to his words, thinking the same. For herself it was hard to give this up. If it meant he and Lasala could have a better life, however... "Shadowbane needs someone who looks after him. He deserves it. If you find him again and he still hasn't returned to me... then I want you to look after him. Maybe you both can give eachother some comfort to restore a part of you that was lost."

An emotional elf looked up. Her feelings mixed of sorrow and happiness. "Thank you," she said softly. She realized what it meant to Yashia, and that only made it mean more to herself too.

The human woman's turn had arrived to hang her head low. And Cirion's turn to make her feel better. "Giving others a chance to find friendship at the expense of your own... A true act of love," he whispered to her. "You have a kind heart, and all the ways in which you show it make the world that little bit better to live in."

What he said to her did cause her to smile. Even with all the hardships life had to offer, living it the right way made it worthwhile.

[Kaeldorn]

Much time to grieve Yashia didn't receive. And actually, she didn't really want to either. She had to accept that this was likely for the better, move on, and focus on the things she could influence positively.

Unfortunately, those things often seemed far too few and far between. Several days later, an attack was made on the Trading Post again. This time by a giant of a man with an equally gigantic sword fully clad in plate armor. From the shadows and seemingly out of nowhere, he was supported by magic that caused any trying to stand up against the thug to lose their mind and swing their weapons in craze at anything or anyone close by. Attempting to fight directly was no use. Whilst Yashia and Cybil sought the source of magic, chaos ensued and the giant walked freely smacking anyone in his path to the ground without even bothering to see if his targets fell. A nightmarish horse appeared through summoning and with the help of her own magic, Cybil and Yashia noticed a figure jump into hiding behind one of the many wagons there.

They tried to keep the black-robed, bald man where he was to put a stop to all that was happening. The sword-wielding warrior simply left, and none of the group had real proof of the wizard's involvement. Only suspicions, and no authority to apprehend and bring him in for questioning. Powerless, as was often the case.

Someone arrived on the scene who did have some newfound powers, but of an entirely different sort. Alyrian, under a spell of invisibility which Yashia saw through thanks to the True Seeing Cybil had cast on her earlier, watched from a short distance to see what was going on. The elven warlock had recently returned into the picture when the Cube was stolen from him. He went through swift changes, and presumably some sort of hunger for arcane power arose within. He was arrested at the Thayan Enclave for attacking and killing several people, including one of their knights. He disappeared from their cells with no trace of him to be found, and now he was here.

Cybil only just whispered in her ear that her spell on herself had faded. Wanting no suspicions, Yashia frowned a little and walked over to the other side of the wizard, to stand with her back against the wagon he hid behind not long before. She watched him, but tilted her face slightly downward for a best effort at hiding any movement of her lips. "Alyrian, what in the Nine Hells is going on? I heard about the attacks at the Enclave..."

" ... you see me. Impressive."

"Coincidence. Circumstances had Cybil cast a spell on me."

"The ... incident at the enclave - that was over a yea -- "

A year ago? Strange, there really was something fishy going on. "No.. no it wasn't," she said. "What I heard about it was much more recent."

" -- but I've forgotten time seems to have travelled differently on this plane." He finished his line.

The pieces of the puzzle started to fit together now. He had come in touch with another being, not unlikely one like Phaedriel. He plane shifted from the Thayan dungeons to the Hells, and after that made his way back. Free, but not free.

" ... let's just say I was a bit lost that day, made the mistake of starting an 'altercation' within the enclave. I was captured, but escaped. Long story short."

Right. "You need help Alyrian. And not from whoever brought this new devil to you."

"Why was that Banite monster slaughtering the Exigo?" he asked before even fully absorbing her words.

Yashia blinked, not entirely sure what he was talking about. "... Banite monster?"

"New devil?" He responded, wondering what she implied before that as well.

"From what I've heard, it seems an awful lot like another has laid claim on your soul. After going through so much to liberate yourself from the influence of the last, that must be quite hard on you."

"You certainly have eyes and ears everywhere ... even within the enclave."

"I don't. Lots of people are spreading rumors, and the Thayans aren't afraid to let it be known openly if it helps them find you."

"They do know how to hold a grudge ... " He grumbled.

[Kaeldorn]

Cybil called for Yashia's attention regarding something of the matters at hand. The latter snapped away from her silent conversation. The Ilmatari favored curiously eyed Yashia for her odd reaction. "... What do you think we should do with this 'gentleman'?"

"We have no authority to bring him in. All we can do is keep him here and send for someone to bring a Sentinel or Legion officer to deal with the situation accordingly. Unless of course he'd willingly go to turn himself in."

The danger of anyone getting hurt seemed to have passed, and so Yashia somewhat hesitantly slided her scimitar back into place at her belt, the magical flames dying down as the steel was surrounded by the sheath. "I hate this," she resumed whispering to Alyrian. "I know inside that he was responsible, but there's nothing I can do to prove it."

"But it is not your will that is law, Yashia. You did the right thing."

The voice that answered was deep and hollow. It sounded unnatural, not his own. Her brow furrowed. So her guesses had been correct, he was under influence. "I know. If only I were consitent in doing it." she answered strongly. "So... what brings you here?"

The question could be intended for the ears of either one in the elf's body. It was the legitimate owner that answered. "Trade - though it seems I stumbled on something more interesting."

Yashia frowned, and nodded to his words. "Not every day that you see people rampantly attacking one another, I give you that."

"What of the banite?"

"I don't think I understand. What Banite do you mean? The dwarf?"

A while back, a dwarven priest had accompanied her and several others on an expedition into the Necropolis. They cleared the place of any hostile defenders they faced, but when most of them had begun to go on their way out Yashia noticed that the dwarf was praying at the altar that the Kelemvorite Doomguide had cleansed. Lady Mestra appeared with her Coterie, and commanded the intruders to be dealt with. That was when Yashia ran.

Alyrian quickly dismissed that it was the same, though. "That... giant human, slaughtering all the guards."

"Was he a Banite? I heard him say Lathander's name before he began to attack people."

"... interesting. Perhaps I am mistaken then." Contrary to what he said, Alyrian didn't sound convinced at all.

"It would explain his actions if you were correct. Still, same case as the wizard here.. no proof, no blame."

"Certainly, you are correct Yashia. Your understanding of law and order is admirable." The hollow voice sounded again, quickly followed by a sign of disagreement from the elf. "Hmph."

"I can see you two don't entirely agree with one another on the subject," concluded Yashia. The compliment had probably been intended more as a jab against Alyrian, she thought.

"Alyrian prefers that I do not speak so openly - do keep this between the two of us, miss Yashia."

"I'll keep to myself whatever needs to be."

"Clever words. Interesting indeed - I like you miss Yashia, I look forward to see what interesting deeds you will accomplish."

"Let's just say that in time, I've -"

The bald wizard was let go, and now they were interrupted by a no longer occupied Cybil approaching. Yashia ceased the movement of her lips and her speaking with it. Cybil had noticed that the woman at the wagon was talking to someone, and needed to satisfy her curiosity. "Would you and ... whoever, like to be alone?"

The deep, chilling voice whispered again, "Oh, no miss Cybil. It seems I was just leaving. Do be well, you two."

He departed, out of sight. The same way he had arrived.