The 38 Lands (Jiskastya X LeighaMoscove)

[Jiskastya]

The great castle seemed to glow in the bright light, less pure than a blinding white, but still so radiant as to make someone unused to the sight avert their eyes from its glory for a second. Sanja had experienced such an experience earlier in the week, when her weary feet had finally touched the bottom steps of this great monument.

It had been a long climb up the steps, but it seemed to her, with every step, the weight slipped off her shoulders. She carried herself with more pride, seeming to wear the dirt of travel with the grace usually only associated with royalty.

Finally, she was beginning. Her old life, a life of being constantly scorned, shunned, treated as a freak, was coming to an end. All she had to do was pass this test, and she would be on her way. And there was no doubt in her mind that she would pass. She had made it this far, and she certainly wasn’t going to be turned aside now.

She hadn’t cared about the narrow face watching her with greedy eyes as she stepped into the archway. All of her heart and soul was focused before her, on the beginning of her journey to life.

Now, however, the grand city sprawling before her did not seem so grand. The test had taken more than she would have believed, and if this was only a sample of what was to come, well, a small part of her almost wondered if she wouldn’t have been better off staying in the little village she had never called home, hundreds of miles away from her present location. But she had time now, plenty of time, and her small doubts were crushed under the pure joy of knowing that, no matter what, her life had now changed forever.

She whirled about suddenly as she sensed the figure creeping up behind her. The same man who had been watching her enter the cast almost a week ago now stumbled to a halt, eyes wide with surprise. He had been too far away at the time to see before, but now he was forced into the sudden realization that the person before him had no face.

Well, perhaps that wasn’t completely accurate, he acknowledged. She wore a mask, completely solid, and it was made all the more unnerving by the fact that she had turned around before he could even get within twenty paces of her. He had wanted to be closer before he had started talking, wanted to make sure that the person wouldn’t run away, and ruin this perfect opportunity, but there was no going back now. He would have to make the best of it.

He put on the winning smile that had charmed so many before, silently wondering whether or not this woman could even see it, and whether it would make any difference. Just in case, he put an extra note of honey in his voice. An old friend, coming to talk to someone they held dear in their heart.

“Did you do it?” he questioned excitedly. When that elicited no response from the cowled figure, he continued. “Did you pass? Are you on your way to the grandest adventure that anyone could ever begin?”

She nodded slowly, her covered eyes seeming to stare right through him. She had faced many such people before, people who knew when there was a potential advantage to be gained, and who only cared about their own person. This sleazy little merchant had no good in store for her, but there was little he could really do against her. He jigged out a little step, a wide grin splitting across his face.

“Oh my, oh my.” he giggled. “It has been far too long since someone has passed the first test, and now two, in as many weeks.” He paused to giggle again, trying to gauge some sort of reaction from the stranger. She held perfectly still, not even a small intake of breath to show that this knowledge held any surprise for her.

She had known that someone else was in the castle, being tested like her, but she hadn’t dreamed that the strange man would pass as well. But there was something in the excited and harmless looking merchant’s face that made Sanja pause. Why was he even bringing this up? A part of her told her that the best thing to do at this moment would be to simply walk away. Leave the merchant where he stood, a dumbfounded look on his face. And maybe that would be the best course, but a small amount of curiosity had been piqued within Sanja, and she saw no reason not to see it out to the end.

“What do you want, exactly?” The merchant flinched as Sanja spoke. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the incredibly melodious voice that issued from behind the mask. A part of him hadn’t even been sure that she could speak, what with her face being covered by a mask, and everything below her nose covered by the cowl. But her voice was beautiful, and the merchant suddenly longed to rip the mask away from her face, and behold the angelic face that must accompany such a voice.

It was an easy enough impulse to beat back, however. She had passed the test given by the High Court, so she was not innocuous. If they believed she had even a chance of being able to complete the quest than she could surely eliminate one simple merchant without even batting an eye. No, it was time to move on, and propose the offer that was the whole reason he was here.

“Want?” he said, acting aghast. “Want? My dear lady, I don’t want anything. I am here to make you an offer.” He paused, grinning, expecting one of the several usual reactions that came with such a statement. Curiosity, dismissal, anger. She offered nothing, and he continued on, slightly flustered, but quickly slipping back into his winning mannerism.

“My caravan will be leaving in just a couple of days, loaded with luxury items for the court of Ortak, the god of Partnership.” He paused, head tilted sideways. “But, alas, the road is fraught with dangers, and no one wants to help poor Pijavic on his road.” Once more he paused, waiting for the offer, or the dismissal that was so common at this point. He was greeted only with silence.

“But you,” he continued, trying to prompt some reaction. “You might just be heading in such a direction, and, by yourself, it could be a journey of many weeks. But, such a fate need not come to pass!” Sonja shifted slightly, impatient, already able to tell where the merchant was going with this, and wishing he would simply get a move on.

“If you came with me,” Pijavic hurried, sensing his audience’s impatience, “for the simple fee of protecting this caravan, a week could easily be shaved off your journey, not to mention the comfort of warm meals and a set camp, and the companionship offered by conversation from good friends.” Little of that was actually true. he doubted that traveling with the caravan would cut any time off of her trip, it could very well lengthen it if the caravan got bogged down anywhere for a length of time. The people that were traveling on the caravan would also have little interest in talking to the strange, mysterious woman. But there would be a warm, if simple, fare provided along the road.

Sonja was no fool. She knew that the merchant was only looking for a free bodyguard. But she had no reason to refuse, for the harmless little man would not be able to do anything to her. And the guards that patrolled the borders between the lands could be a harsh lot, keen to extract anything they could from a lone traveler. She could sneak by them, but they would offer leniency to a merchant that was as well off as Pijavic, leniency that Sonja could turn to her advantage.

Pijavic was growing wary of the woman’s continued silence. Despite his attitude, he was unwilling to relinquish such a fine prize, and one that he could likely take advantage of without severe repercussions. She did not seem particularly intelligent, but that she was a fine fighter would not be doubted if anyone knew that she had been blessed by the High Council. He was about to start talking again, but bit off after a single syllable as the hooded figure spoke.

“I’ll come,” she agreed softly. A wide, and honest, grin split Pijavic’s face. That had been easier than he had dreamed.

“We leave from the west gate at dawn in two days,” he crowed, before turning and quickly scampering away. That should give him enough time to work on his other target. This was going to be such a profitable journey.

[LeighaMoscove]

It would be an insult to Braden to claim that he'd been surprised when a man walked right up to him. There was only one word that he could think of to describe this man, and it was 'gross'. There was no real reason that Braden could think of to say such a thing about a man he's just met, but the smile looked a little too forced for Braden's taste, and, judging by the hope that gleamed in the man's eyes, he seemed to be expecting something. Even though Braden hadn't been shocked, he hadn't been expecting it either. What the gross man wanted, Braden couldn't tell, but he did not particularly like the idea of waiting for the man to ask. Maybe if he could excuse himself before the man spoke, he could avoid the man's next statement.

Just as Braden was about to stand up, the man chirped, "Hello!" So much for just avoiding the man, did Braden look like the type that you could just shout a friendly greeting at? Perhaps the man thought Braden would respond in kind, but instead Braden's temper flared.

"What?" Braden snapped. The look in his eyes could only be described with one word, murderous. This caused the eagerness on the disgusting man's face to fall. The temper Braden held could only be compared to a dragon's, but he looked human enough. With golden curls cropped off at the ears and baby blue eyes, the man would almost dare to say that Braden looked innocent. Judging by the look in Braden's eyes, he just realized how wrong he was. The sleazy man would later reprimand himself for thinking such a thing. Anyone would could complete a quest and was about to depart on such a journey had to be far from innocent.

Stepping back a bit, the man put on another fake smile and said, "You shouldn't go on such a quest alone! I understand that you are beginning the journey to complete the quests of the gods?" With a glare, Braden let out a deep growl. So the man had been following him. To say the truth, Braden had seen the man once or twice, but he had never thought that someone as bad at hiding as this man was would have the courage to follow him for any length of time. None of that mattered now. If he could leave now, maybe he could avoid ripping this man to shreds.

"Not interested."

"Wait!" The man shouted and grabbed Braden's arm, which caused Braden to growl again. "I haven't even finished yet! I'd hate to see a charming young gentleman like you begin a long trek such as this on your own! I'm sure that you wouldn't want to go on your own either, so I figured you could guard my caravan while we went to the court of Ortak, the guard of Partnership. If you decide to make this trip with us, a week will be knocked off of your long journey! On top of that, we can provide great meals, warmth, and companionship!"

"Not interested." Braden shrugged the man's grimy hand off of him and tried to leave again. The whole speech the man gave sounded too practiced for Braden's liking, and he couldn't trust anyone that had to practice what he was going to say before making a deal. That just showed that he was hiding something, no matter how small. His escape attempt had no luck, for the man grabbed him again. He had half the mind to grab the man's hand and break his wrist just to show the man not to mess with him, but the man interrupted his thoughts.

"Would you deny a pleasant man like me such a courtesy, even after you hear that there's a girl making the same dangerous journey that you are? She will be joining us, and maybe you two could be friends?" The gross man doubted that someone with Braden's temper could befriend anyone, especially not someone as creepy as the lady from earlier, but he hoped he would buy it anyways. The look that crossed Braden's face showed otherwise.

A glance over Braden showed that he was tense. His rigid posture seemed to make the word 'tense' seem to be like an understatement. Blood was dripping on the ground from Braden's clenched fist. It jut goes to show how much he was reeling in his temper. The other hand was clenching and unclenching to reveal, claws? That seemed to frighten and confuse the man simultaneously. He hadn't noticed Braden's claws before, but maybe they hadn't always been there? Either way, the man did not want to see what Braden would do if upset anymore. He only wanted his free guard. He met Braden's gaze, only to be shocked more. The baby blue eyes seemed to almost glow from behind Braden's loose golden curls. It was hard for the gross man to hold Braden's piercing gaze.

"What about the guards patrolling the the borders? You know that they'll rob you of every bit of gold you have. You look like a wise man, so I know you understand that it would be easier to go in a group such as my own." The slimy man tried to appear cheerful once more, but it was getting less and less believable with each fake smile. The thought of striking such fear into the man's heart made Braden smirk, regardless of how easy it was.

He didn't want to admit it, but the man had a point. There was only one thing to do, accept the gross man's offer or delay his journey even further in hopes of finding a more favorable group to join, which probably wouldn't happen. "Fine."

That one word perked the man right up, and he scampered off in fear of getting hurt as he shouted behind him, "That's great! Meet us by the west gate at dawn in two days!"

Now that the sickening man was out of site, Braden brought his bag back into his place. It seemed hat he wouldn't be leaving as soon as he had originally planned. By the time he was home, his appearance had gone back to normal and his claws were no longer there. Once he had made it inside, he released his temper and punched the wall a few times, though not with his full strength, to release the last bit of his temper.

[Jiskastya]

The two days allotted to Sanja passed with a certain level of innocuity. She was granted a small amount of respect for having passed the High Council's test and received their blessing, but a lot of the charm that it had first had to a girl who had never lived in a big city passed as she saw the true fetid nature of a large portion of the city. Away from the tourist corridors and glowing streetlamps, in the dark shadows where Sanja felt most at home and was able to blend in, life in the Capital City was no different from life everywhere else int he world. People starved, and dealed anything in the shadows that would make them even a taste of money. Sanja's purse, which had never been particularly heavy, grew even lighter at the ridiculous prices the innkeepers charged to those who were clearly foreign to the city.

In all honesty, she viewed the coming journey with some optimism, despite the fact that she would be traveling with the parasitic merchant. For, once she was on the road, she was free, and he wouldn't be able to hold her to anything. As long as he proved useful, she would stay with him, and she would protect his caravan. After all, that was the conditions, and Sanja, for all her faults, was not one to break a contract, even one that was given only through words.

And so it came to be that, half an hour before the sun crested the horizon, Sanja found herself by the west gate, smal pack slung over one shoulder, bow and arrows over the other, two small but deadly daggers belted to her waist, and outfitted in full armor. Her head was still covered by the hood, nose and mouth hidden by the cowl, and the slver mask still was the only part of her face that could be seen. The men loading the several wagons that were a part of this merchant caravan retreated at the sight of this covered creature, muttering dark words and averting their eyes, desperately hoping that she would pass by without bothering them.

Pijavic looked around as his men's quiet mutterings reached his sensitive ears, and it didn't take him long to spot the source of the disturbance. He hopped down from the wagon, a wide grin splitting across his face. "Ah, good." he hummed. "You made it!" He scampered over, reaching out to touch her shoulder, only to find himself seconds later sitting on the ground, not entirely sure how he had gotten there. He blinked a couple of times, but spread a wide grin over his face, forcing himself to act as though this wasn't completely unexpected and humiliating. He had to maintain the rugged men's respect somehow.

"See?" He called. "With her on board, no one will be able to touch us!" Sanja dismissed his comment and moved away, settling back against one of the wagons, and watching the goings on with only mild interest. She would be glad when they were on the road.

[LeighaMoscove]

Most of the two days were spent relaxing. Even if he had grown up here, he couldn't say he would miss it. That didn't mean that he would particularly enjoy being around that man either. There was also the person that man had mentioned that was trying to also get the blessings of the gods. He was torn between enjoying the fact that he could get help, and hating the fact that he might get stuck with someone for any length of time. It was obvious that he didn't like people, but at least he had places to hide away from them here. If he was expected to be friendly or socialize at all on this trip it might be easier to just kill off the caravan and steal their valuables to get some extra cash for his journey. Braden figured that the girl the gross man had mentioned wouldn't be a hard fight, but the thought of killing them off would be a last resort.

It was that morning that Braden had packed up his stuff to get headed out. There wasn't much in his small home to pack up, and he was thankful for this. If the people had any hint of the amount he had, they'd break in for it. Needless to say, Braden loved his money and he refused to lose it to a poor conman that thought he could get extra money by breaking into his place. When he had left, he left the door unlocked knowing that anything else in there was virtually worthless, and he set off to the west gate. That was where the gross man had said to meet, right? He hadn't really been paying attention. All that mattered at the time was that the gross man was gone, but now he'd be stuck with the gross man in a caravan for who knew how long. The thoughts were not something he looked forward to.

There was no surprise in his face when he was the last one to show. He had spent most of the time wondering why he was even joining these people, but the thought of everything he could gain from getting these blessings was enough for him to change his mind. If joining them would some how improve his speed, even if it wasn't for long, then he would do it. He was absent-mindedly flipping his pocket knife open then shut again when he saw the encounter. By the gross man's reaction, it seemed the hooded figure he had just tried to touch was the other hoping for the same ending as him. While it was hilarious to see the gross man to get put in his place, Braden wasn't quite fond of people that couldn't control their temper.

Walking up behind them, Braden closed and pocketed his knife before muttering, "You know that only the dumbest would let their temper get a hold of them." During his own encounter with the gross man yesterday, he had almost don the same thing. Not that she needed to know that though.

"Great! You've shown up! I was worried by your lack of enthusiasm yesterday that you wouldn't be here, but it seemed that all of it was for naught!" The gross man chirped.

When the gross man tried to grab him, Braden simply grabbed the man's wrist and growled, "If you touch me one more time, you can ensure that this caravan will burn."

The other members seemed to stiffen at his threat, but the gross man pulled his wrist free without much effort and chuckled to the rest, "It's okay guys! I'm sure the boy here's just joking. Right?" He had looked at Braden after the last comment, only to get a glare in return. The gross man didn't need another warning and scampered off before Braden could get pissed off just by his presence. He seemed angry with everything.

[Jiskastya]

A small laugh slipped from between Sanja's lips as she watched the stranger interact with Pijavic. What had he just muttered about not loosing one's temper? The hypocrisy was so incredibly blatant that all she could do was laugh. And it wasn't as though she had really lost her temper. All she had given was a lesson, one that would stick in everyone's head. She should not be touched. But threatening to burn down the entire caravan? Now that was temper.

She laughed again, quietly, the mask's sightless eyes seeming locked onto his every movement. Yes, this was the presence that she had sensed within the High Council's castle. This hot-headed hypocrite was considered qualified to begin the test? Then again, it wasn't a test of personality. The council relied on the gods to get that sorted out. She suddenly imagined him face to face with the goddess of compassion. What a ringer that would be! But, even after this short moment, Sanja was already beginning to doubt her wisdom of agreeing to come with this caravan. She didn't know how long she would be able to put up with his bloated personality.

At least he didn't seem like one to be particularly social. Sanja could only hope that they would be able to pass the journey in relative isolation, each left to their own business. Despite her trust in her own ability, she had no doubt that, if it came to a straight on fight, the powerfully built male would be able to crush her. Sanja wasn't ashamed to say that she trusted more to her abilities of stealth and assassination to get her through her trials than any level of brute strength. She could kill him quietly in his sleep, that she could see. But if it came to a straight on fight, her little daggers would doubtless do much against that corded muscle. Not if it was guarded against her. Maybe with a dab of carefully concocted poison... Silently resolving to take a few hours sometime soon to brew up a batch just in case of such an emergency, Sanja turned back to the caravans, watching the last few parcels, bags and boxes get carefully, or perhaps not so carefully, loaded into the back.

And then it was time to go. The gates began to slowly creak open as the first rays of sunlight breached the horizon, and so did the wheels of the wagon, the horses straining forwards, and the wheels making small complaining noises under the burden that had been loaded upon them.

Sanja set out with light steps, jogging up to the front of the caravan so that she could see the rolling hills before them. The land seemed endless at that moment, stretching on forever. Perhaps they would never reach their destination, but would instead forever be trapped in the land, winding their way along, always dreaming of what was ahead, but never noticing as they were pulled inexorably back towards where they started.

[LeighaMoscove]

Had the cloaked figure just laughed at him? Braden growled, but did nothing else. His temper had calmed down the moment the gross man left, and he was intent on keeping it that way. Besides, it may be easy to threaten a gross man that was eagerly looking for some free guards for his caravan, but he knew nothing about this girl. Getting into a fight without assessing her strength more would likely get him killed. It always helped to know what to expect when fighting people he just met. When the gate opened, he sighed. By the slow beginning of the caravan, he could already tell that this was going to be a long trip. MAybe it would have been better to go on his own and use the flight of his wings to speed up the process, but it was too late to decide that now.

Glad that the cloaked figure had run off to the front, Braden stayed in the back and followed the wagon. No one dared to bother him after the threat he made earlier, the one that the cloaked figure found so humorous, and that was how he liked it. Maybe he would change his mind when his mood swings, but all that mattered is that he was not to be messed with right now. If he remembered correctly, it would be a long road before they even got to their destination. As long as there wasn't any thiefs or the like, then the speed of their trip depended on the speed of the wagon. This also depended on the number of breaks that the men traveling with the caravan took, but he wasn't about to think about it. If they were too much of a hindrance on their speed, he could always throw a few more threats around to get them to change their mind. Not to mention the look he'd see on their face if he decided to change, which would be funny.

Cautious glances were being thrown his way. Despite the gross man's shrugging off his actions as a joke, these people though he would really burn down the caravan. He'd be more likely to rob it than anything, but that wasn't something he needed to tell them. For all he knew, his idle threat was the only thing keeping them from interacting with him. As far as he was concerned, isolation was the best course of action. The moment he got where he was going, he'd leave all of them in favor of his own quest, which he was intent on doing independently. Being buddy-buddy with these people would only slow him down, and they wouldn't understand his need to be alone anyways.

[Jiskastya]

The caravan trundled on with a certain sort of solid stoicism, making slow but steady progress to the west. Sanja spent most of her time at the front of the caravan, doing her best to avoid everyone on the caravan. It wasn’t hard. No one there seemed to have any particular desire to talk to her, and the only reason that she was here was because the merchant offered her a way to get through the borders of the different countries more easily. It wouldn’t be a hard trip.

She moved steadily onwards, maintaining a steady lope that she could sustain for hours. The break for lunch was brief, and then they were off again.

The caravan came to a halt about half an hour before the light would vanish from the sky, when the couds were stained a deep scarlet. Sanja jogged on a couple of paces before recognising that they were done for the day. So, she slowed down, pulling a few more steps ahead of the lead caravan.

The slimy merchant had promised her meals and shelter in exchange for her services in protecting the caravan. She had done just that all trip, although there had been nothing for her to earn her pay. Was she expected to help set up camp and cook the food? Participate in clean up? She laughed at herself then, realizing that she would be expected to do none of that. The quiet murmurings of the men, still easily detectable to Sanja’s sensitive senses, had made it perfectly clear that they wanted to stay as far away from the odd duo as possible.

As much as she might protest at having to be associated with the harsh man, she was glad that she wouldn’t have to help. It had been a long time since Sanja had been expected to do anything for anyone else. First, her mother had kept her away from everyone else, forcing her young daughter to become a hermit. And then, no one would have wanted her help anyways, had chased her far away whenever she had tried to do so.

And so, she settled a few feet away from the rest of the camp, slipping back into the shadows, waiting for dinner to be served.

[LeighaMoscove]

Braden walked up behind the girl, though he made no effort to be sneaky about it. Something told him that he would able to win a fight without the element of surprise, but this wasn't what it was about. He was more focus on his first meeting with her. He had kept a close eye on her after her actions earlier, and now he needed to talk. Although he couldn't really claim to be upset by it, he wouldn't call himself joyful either. Apparently, this girl didn't think he was serious, or if she did then she didn't care enough to respect him. Regardless, he doubted it was intentional. Only an idiot would intentionally disrespect someone they just met, but he was upset about it all the same. Now that he was within hearing distance, he spoke up, "Laughing at someone you've just met wasn't the wisest course of action you've made today, but I'm more surprised that you didn't lash out at the rest of the members for their murmurings."

While the people never let him close enough to actually be included, he had been close enough to hear what the said. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that they were fully aware that he heard too. He had rarely bothered to be stealthy in his presence, and he figured that these guys would be smart enough to not talk about him at all, especially when he was around to hear. It seems that they didn't take his threat as seriously as they should have, but that probably had something to with the way the gross man shrugged it off as a joke. Perhaps he'd show them one day that he's serious in every threat he makes, but today wasn't the day for that. If he was the only one protecting the caravan, he might have, but he didn't know this girl well enough to know if he could take her. She didn't seem like the type to use brute force, her frame wasn't built for it. That only left more sneaky attacks, and if it happened before he began to transform he doubted that he could handle that, much less catch it.

Continuing to walk, he took the liberty of taking a seat beside her seeming nonchalant. This wasn't a fight, yet, and he doubted it would turn into one. As long as he was away from a majority of the people, he could keep calm. None of the people here would appreciate it if he killed someone anyways, even if it was her. Slowly, Braden looked the girl over assessing her. Not a build for brute strength at all, but looks could be deceiving. No doubt she had some amount of muscle there based on what he saw earlier. Speed would probably be more her thing, and stealth based on the way she slipped into the shadows a moment ago. If he hadn't been keeping an eye on her, he wouldn't have known. It also helped that the dragon part of his blood slightly increased his vision. It wasn't by enough to really count, but it came in handy at times.

[Jiskastya]

Another laugh slipped out of Sanja's mouth. Perhaps not the wisest course of action, but she really couldn't help it. He was sitting near enough that he could likely reach out a single hand and hold her in place, and then proceed to beat her into a pulp. It hardly seemed to matter right then. If worst came to worst... well. She had other ways of fighting back.

"If you are still so deficient in personal strength that the mutterings of those who cannot touch you matters, then I am surprised the High Council gave you their blessing."

With no love or affection to build off of, Sanja had learned to rely on an acid tongue, to convince herself that she didn't need anyone else, that they were all fools. That their opinion didn't matter, because what they said was so simpleminded that she could never be friends with them. It was the only defense she had found, and it had come at a harsh price, for now the words of a friend, or even a neutral observer, were harder to come by than something insulting or biting.

But, truly, she did not get this character sitting next to her. One second he seemed hot-tempered, the next somewhat reasonable. One moment powerful and self-confident, the next more dependent upon others than most children. Was he really so self-conscious that the actions of others were all he could think about. By even acknowledging the fact that they muttered at him, he was giving them more power than he knew. Or at least that was the way that Sanja had taught herself to see it. Words were the easiest thing to fight off, because the only thing they could ever work on was the mind. If you had a strong mind, then their words didn't matter.

Especially when you could likely kill all of them in a matter of seconds.

[LeighaMoscove]

He let out a chuckle of his own. That hadn't been what he'd been expecting, and it irritated him, but he was also amused. The fact that she thought that she was better than him in any meaning of the word was laughable, and he wasn't sure whether he should prove her wrong with actions or words. It seemed that her main means of attack at this point was verbal, and he figured that a retaliation in words would be respected more than that of fists. While beating her to a pulp would allow him to release his anger, winning a battle of words would be more satisfying, since that seemed to be her strong point of the two.

"There's more to me than my fiery temper and brute strength, but I'm equally surprised that someone with a death wish and foul mouth could get a blessing from the High Council. They must really be desperate these days."

His thirst for power has caused him to push people away, and only keep those who could help him close. There was no way that a girl like this could help him. She'd die first, and chances are it would be by his own hands if she wasn't careful. As someone who wanted influence, he demanded respect from those around them, and was willing to tear down anyone in his way. Maybe a beating wouldn't hurt in the long run. His fists subconsciously clenched and unclenched as his claws began to form once more. It had been a big enough pain to listen to the others disrespect, but she was so close and so easy to hurt, at least he figured.

Silently, he had to chastise himself for thinking that. Killing her would do him no good, and certainly they'd throw him out of their group fearing that he'd unleash his anger on one of them, if not burn down the caravan as he had promised earlier. While he could exact revenge, it was more trouble than it was worth, so he silently agreed to reel in his anger and not hurt her, no matter how infuriating she was. The muscles in his back clenched from restraining himself, but he made no move to actually hurt her. There was no saying what the gods would do to his quest if he began killing people.

Influence required respect, in words and in deeds, and he was getting neither. Perhaps showing off his true form and at least parading around making a few idle threats would get him what he wanted. Certainly the gods would have nothing against that if no one got hurt, but chances like that shouldn't be taken. Weaknesses like his anger could only be used against him in tasks such as the journey he was on, and he could not take that risk, regardless of how easy it would be. Perhaps that was the whole point of this? It could be true that the point wasn't just to see who was worthy, but it could also be to go through some spiritual change that would make people better? The idea made him snort. Spiritual change was a joke.