Twin Dawn

[Red Nail]

Lambron’s eyes went a little wide as the new arrival stepped forth with the challenge. Blood spoke to his people. Even washing the blood away still left an impression on the people it stained. Pavlose could hear the blood of his brethren on this girl; it spoke of coolly efficient death. He stood a little straighter in her presence and behind him his taggling gripped Pavlose’s scabbard tighter in his hands.

“I have been to other countries during each decade that the meaderin of Adrani become dormant in our nation’s politics,” Pavlose answered truthfully and with a hint of pride, “I have seen how easily humans forget that they need us to tame their demons and cull their enemy’s armies. A show of charity goes far to remind them of their needs. This is a show of charity. Elion needs to see how useful we are to him just as his father and mother have seen before.”

“It is true that this is a paltry situation. Gaueko may be famous in these lands, but he holds no power amongst the demon hierarchy. I will break him for Elion and the rest of you to see. That is my answer.”

Marius looked on at the exchange in surprise. Everything he’d heard about the meaderin said that they spoke in smug riddles and half truths. He’d never heard of one giving and honest answer to anyone except kings and queens. He had to wonder what made this girl an exception.

[Hauser]

The tension in the air was stifling to Gerich. The hall consisted a wide range of spectacularly different people from what he could see, and feel. He had, honestly, expected more upstanding and patriotic gentleman like himself and not this rag-tag bunch of misfits. Since when did women have any right in waging war anyway? he asked himself. As far as he was concerned, women were good only for seeing to the needs of men, they were servants, not warriors. He decided he would not share this opinion openly; he did not want to exacerbate the situation any further. His primary concern was ensuring the King had a reliable and powerful group of volunteers at his disposal. Well, that, and having enough skilled volunteers that would enable them to come out of Gaueko’s lair alive. In his mind there was no pick or choose here; they needed everyone and anyone that could prove useful, even if this meant adopting this rather distasteful Meaderin.

Itching his beard nervously, the mercenary stepped forwards, half facing the demon knight. Addressing the others, he gathered his confidence. “Let us not be so hasty in our judgements. I for one think that High Lord Pavlose’s services are invaluable against Gaueko. My suspicion is that the King will employ the volunteers to personally defeat the demon and his closest servants of evil.” After saying his piece, he half nodded and took some paces back. He tried his best to ignore the stench of old blood that lingered about his nostrils and attempted to maintain a neutral face.

[Red Nail]

“You would be correct in your assumption,” replied a new voice from the door to the throne room.

In the now open doorway an elven man clad in the blue robes of a king looked over the volunteers. His continence was that of a king as well. Only in his green eyes would anyone have noticed the haggard worry that had settled deep in his heart.

“If you all would follow me into the throne room…”

Just as quickly and quietly as he had entered, King Elion retreated back into the adjacent room and waited for the group to follow. Inside the throne room seemed small to those used to the spacious grandeur of other kingdoms. At the end of the room a pair of comfortable chairs sat before a smaller version of the flags hanging from the ramparts. In the chair to the right sat an elven woman that looked even younger than Elion, but she had a matronly air about her that also made her seem much older. Countrymen of Corthir would have recognized her instantly as their queen, Alasse.

Alasse stayed in her seat and hardly moved except to note the arrival of Pavlose. Her eyes instantly filled with contempt, but she held her tongue as any of her station would. Pavlose’s eyes flared in response, but Alasse never looked away. All the while Elion seemed to be oblivious to the meaderin lord, but stiffened a little as Alasse and Lambron engaged in their personal battle of wills. Whatever was being said between the Fair Ones, no one else was going to be privy to it.

Once the volunteers that decided to continue on were inside, the doors to the main hall closed behind them. Elion dropped all pretenses of nobility at this point and fell into his chair while he rubbed his eyes wearily. Marius wasn’t surprised to see Elion like this. Since the mantle of king had been forced on the younger elf, Elion relished the moments that he could cast off the burdens of his title and be himself.

“I’ll be candid with all of you,” Elion began, “I expect that by tomorrow evening many of us will be dead. Gaueko has made a direct threat against the kingdom and there is no way to ignore the new kind of threat he poses. Earlier today he somehow managed to take control of my sister, Nessa, and bring her into Misty Vale against her will. She was injured and just barely made it back to Corthir.”

“His message and intent were clear. Before the pain overtook her, she said that Gaueko wanted sacrifices. Gaueko wants specific people, you in particular Marius, as well as lordship over Corthir. If he can take anyone he wishes from the kingdom and control them, even me, then Corthir’s days are truly numbered. I will not let us, any of us, become puppets for Gaueko’s amusement. At dawn we’ll head into the Misty Vale and hunt the dread wolf down. My knights and soldiers will create a perimeter behind us to kill any gobkin or other monsters that try to get past us and into Corthir.”

As Marius heard this, he felt a pang of concern for Nessa. He might not have had the same affection she held for him, but he did owe her a great deal. He even considered her a friend.

“How is Nessa?” Marius asked while Elion paused.

Elion nodded in understanding and motioned towards the rooms above, “She’s resting right now. Gaueko’s attack nearly cut her leg in two. Her flight from the vale only worsened the wound. The most disturbing part has been the infection that has taken residence in the wound. She’s showing fever symptoms similar to those caused by gob-blades, but instead of killing her it’s keeping her unconscious and trapped in agony.

“After we are done here you can visit her if you like. The rest of you may go about your business. If you still wish to accompany me then you have my eternal thanks and a sizable reward. Those that don’t wish to get involved after hearing the whole story… I ask that you hold your tongues. If news of Gaueko’s new power reaches my other subjects then I fear that panic will rule the day.”

[LoStorico]

Roniira followed the elven king through the doorway, making sure to keep her distance from Lambron as he too followed Elion. Her animal instincts told her not to trust the Fair One any further than she could fly him and she had learnt long ago to listen to her instincts, especially when they were this adamant. As they enter the adjoining room, Roniira took in her new surroundings with a feeling akin to awe. The throne room my not have been overly large, but it certainly deserved its name. Flawless marble pillars reached skyward, holding up the domed ceiling high above and resting their massive weight on the black obsidian floor. She swept a hand over the pillar nearest to her, careful not to scratch the pristine surface with her serrated claws.

She did not miss the looks given between Lambron and the Queen, Alasse, and she felt the intense desire to know what was being said between the two, though she held her tongue and kept her curiosity in check. While most of her kin hoarded gold, jewels and other such objects, Roniira hoarded knowledge and her thirst for it was insatiable. She loathed not being privy to information, but she knew threatening the queen of Corthir, until she learned what had been said, would definitely not be appreciated.

Instead, she focused her attention on King Elion’s words. If nothing else, she admired him for his honesty. You had to respect a leader who told his prospective soldiers straight up that it was likely they were going to be killed. Though she had the uneasy feeling that something wasn’t right. That someone at some point hadn’t told the entire truth and, although she was quite certain that Elion had told the truth as he knew it, she couldn’t shake the feeling. Pushing the sensation to the back of her mind, she weighed up her options. On one hand she could risk injury and death for a king she did not consider herself a subject of, though she had come to think of Corthir as a home away from home in recent years. But was that enough of a reason to defend it?

Her other option definitely seemed more preferable at that point in time. She could just leave Corthir to its fate. She could leave and resume the travels she had ceased almost a century ago. There were plenty of coastal towns she could settle in, though none as close to the sea wall as she was now. Considering the two paths that lay before her, Roniira’s dragon pride took over. No, she decided, she had already been forced to live away from one home, she would not be forced out of another.

She looked up and caught Queen Alasse’s eyes on her. Staring back, Roniira bowed her head slightly, not breaking eye contact. She had suspected for years that Corthir’s queen knew what she really was. Roniira shifted her yellow-eyed gaze to the young king. ‘I will join you on your quest, King Elion, but, should we survive, I would ask for no reward. I want but one thing: access to the vast library I know is hidden within these castle walls. If you cannot grant me that, I’m afraid I will have to leave you to your fates.’

[Candi]

The King broke the tension that was beginning to mount in the waiting chamber. With his sudden arrival came an invitation into the aptly named throne room. Finity kept near the meaderin and positioned herself against one of the marble pillars, casually leaning against it. She, like the others, listened silently to the kings plea for assistance. She was not unaware of the series of looks that accompanied a silent discussion between the king and his queen, though she dismissed them as irrelevant. He behaved in a rather unkingly manner, not something Finity found unusual. Most monarchs she had met with relaxed when discussing such matters in the company of those who would fight for them. She felt it good practice as it was important for the warriors to realize the one they were fighting on behalf of was also a normal being alike themselves, not some superficial monarch who lived worry free behind their shimmering palace walls.

The merman engaged the king in a casual discussion of some interest regarding the kings daughter whom had been apparently abudcted and possibly poisoned by the one called Gaueko. There was mention of gob-kin blades. They were vile critters in Finity's experience, and the particular coating they used on their weapons was one to be avoided. She had not known of any to survive the bite of their weapons. Give ample time and supplies she may be able to concoct a temporary relief, at the very least. With some luck a full fledge cure.

Once the king had finished speaking the crowd began to buzz a little as friends discussed the possibility of death and the importance of defending the kingdom. Finity overheard a pair of men toying with the idea of seeking out Gaueko and selling information to the creature. The Hunter simply grinned inwardly as she casually strode over to the men and threw and arm around each of them. Smiling broadly she spoke to them without making eye contact, "If I were you I would stay away from the beast, for if he doesn't kill you I am sure much worse things than death would come to you for the crime of treason." This was followed by a brief moment in which she made eye contact with each man and her strangely coloured irises bore holes into the souls of the would be criminals.

Moments after this a voice called over the low chatter:

‘I will join you on your quest, King Elion, but...

The rest of the female's words were of little importance to the hunter. She had decided to stay on the promise of wealth and apparently each was announcing their desire to assist. Apparently this Gaueko came with an army, or at least enough force to threaten a kingdom, and as much as Finity preferred working by herself she also realized that sometimes that's not a viable reality. The more who verbally accepted this task the more courage it would give to those teetering on the edge. And the more warriors on the battle field the more bodies that could accept blows in place of Finity's own flesh.

The Hunter pushed to the front of the crowd and stood before the king's throne, "My name is Finity. Mercenary, Assassin, Hunter and Alchemist at your service. I will fight for your kingdom against this Gaueko, and if you permit me an audience with your incapacitated daughter I may be able to create a potion that will at least alleviate her of some of her suffering."

[Red Nail]

“Accepted,” Elion said while rising to grasp the hands of both women.

Behind him, Alasse gave her son a bewildered stare that Elion seemed to register and ignore. His body took on a new amount of vigor as some of the other volunteers that found their way in late also joined. His glow escaped through his eyes as he looked over some of his new recruits.

“You didn’t have to accept, but I thank you none the less. The rest who have yet to decide… Well… I’ll have your answer in the morning. Remember that we’ll be riding out from the gates at dawn. If you need to catch up, then the knights in the town can direct you. For now I have some business to discuss with Lord Pavlose in private.”

The doors to the throne room and great hall swung open to let a refreshing sea breeze blow into the room. Many of the volunteers murmured and some of the younger ones laughed among themselves, singing their own praises on the way to the pub for the night. Others, the more intimidated ones, slinked away to their homes to keep to themselves as the king asked. Marius looked at Finity, not quite sure what to make of her. She had an impressive resume if everything she told Elion was true.

“Come on,” he said, trying to gauge her with his instincts, “Nessa will be up on the second floor. I’ll show you the way.”

With that, Marius was off. His path carried him back into the hall and up a secondary flight of stairs. The white marble steps continued up for much farther than should have been normal for just a trip to the second floor and he passed several doors. The doors were actually a trap that had been designed to deter attacking forces by making them search false rooms with automatically closing doors. These attackers would then be picked off via arrow slits by soldiers already in place behind a space between the wall of the castle and the wall of the room.

Defending guards would be placed at the doors to lure the enemy in. Once inside the door would swing shut and lock behind them, cutting them off from the rest of their forces. This made the true second floor known to only the most loyal of guards and personal friends of the royal family. After the fourth set of doors, Marius opened another nondescript door into a well-lit hall. The second door on the right led to Nessa’s room.

When he entered, Marius wasn’t prepared for what he saw. Nessa was still clad in her traveling clothes. Her right leg was bare and uncovered by her bloodied bed sheets. The wound on the leg was indeed terrible; the ragged flesh was filled with puss and swollen tissue. It pulsated rhythmically with the beating of her heart. Each pulse of her heart caused her to thrash with pain that even unconsciousness couldn’t abate. Beyond the wound the swelling was just as bad with blackened blood vessels streaking through her leg.

All around Nessa attendants and healers applied salve to the wound and used potent mixtures of manifestation and draw powers to try and heal the wound. The wound, however, continued to swell and pulse unabated. Marius kneeled down by his only real friend in this land and took her hand. He knew that she was going to lose the leg, if not her life.

“So…” he looked back at Finity, “Is there anything you can really do for her?”

Meanwhile, down the throne room, Alasse rose from her seat and flowed past some of the hangers on and made her way to Roniira. Most moved out of respect, but others seemed to conveniently walk in another direction before she passed. She waited until she caught the dragoness’ eyes before projecting her thoughts with the same subtlety and grace that she had while she listened to her son speak earlier.

“I would speak with you dragon. My son may be free with his favors, but I can offer you a true reward. Come find me after Lambron has left the castle. I have need of someone with your kind of experience.”

[LoStorico]

She’d sensed him approaching long before she heard his footsteps on the gravel path. It could have been her imagination, but it seemed the air in the castle’s garden grew colder in his presence, as if the darkness within him actually affected the environment without. Roniira had situated herself in the garden nearest the stables so, as soon as Lambron left the castle grounds, she would know and waste no time in finding the Queen. She had expected him to perhaps glare at her, even send a snide remark in her direction. She had not expected him to approach. Already she was on the back foot and they hadn’t even begun to exchange words. From the corner of her eye, she could see him casually strolling through the garden toward her, his taggling trotting behind. She turned her back on him, a sign of indifference in any culture, and examined the exotic flowers in front of her.

‘I’ve yet to taste a dragon’s blood,’ he stated, coming to a stop right behind her, violating her personal space. Roniira stiffened. 'I wonder, would it taste of fire and brimstone?’ She turned to see he was wearing the same predatory smile from earlier.

‘I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about Lord Lambron,’ she replied, turning to look up into his pale face. Despite her impressive height, the Fair One was taller by a hand-width at least.

‘Don’t play coy with me, Dragon. I could smell your blood the second you set foot within the castle walls.’

‘What do you want?’ she asked, dropping all pretence.

‘A taste,’ he said simply, baring his long, white fangs. Roniira’s lips curled back in a snarl, revealing her own needle-sharp set of teeth. She brought one clawed hand upward, intending to throttle the life out of the red-eyed meaderin but Pavlose held up long-fingered hand and she paused. ‘Do you really think it wise to kill me in your king’s garden?’

‘He’s not my king,’ she growled.

‘Do you really think my people will stop to consider that before they attack?’ Loathing that she was the first to back down, Roniira took a step away from the haughty High Lord, forcing her anger down. ‘You see?’ Lambron spoke to his taggling, but his eyes didn’t leave hers. ‘Even the wildest beast can be trained. Though I think you have grown soft from your time among the humans, Wyrm.’ He gave her a mocking bow. ‘Until we meet again, oh mighty dragon.’

It took all of Roniira’s self restraint not to rip the self-satisfied smirk off his thin, white lips as Lambron walked away. The worst part was, he was right, she had grown soft. There was a time when she would have ripped his head from his shoulders with no hesitation and cared not for the consequences. Now, she couldn’t, in good conscience, cause a war between Corthir and Adrani for a half-threat and a few insults. The humans would say she had ‘grown as a person’, Roniira saw it only as weakness. Still fuming, the dragoness used a simple spell to locate Corthir’s queen and found her in a beautiful rose garden around the other side of the castle.

‘Queen Alasse,’ she bowed slightly to the regal woman, the action feeling completely foreign to her, but did not look down. ‘You wished to speak with me?’

[Candi]

The merman who had addressed the King in a way that suggested a personal relationship approached Finity immediately after the Kings speech.

“Come on, Nessa will be up on the second floor. I’ll show you the way.”

Finity nodded silently and followed him as he plunged through the crowd and out a door at the back of the hall. The silently climbed a spiral stair case and Finity began to wonder if he knew where he was headed. They passed enough doors and had climbed high enough that they surely over shot the second floor, unless he was mistaken about the actual level Nessa was contained on. As a safety precaution, as one never wants to rush into a room you have not seen, she had been counting the doors up to the one the finally went through. The walked briskly down the hall and into another room and Finity's finely tuned senses almost made her turn back in repulsion from the smell that hit her like a barbarian wielding a war hammer.

The princess was lain out in a bed and all around her nurses, priests and magicians were trying whatever remedies they could recall and imagine to no avail. Chants and runes of magic were being performed and inscribed, solvents and solutions were applied to the awful wound and prayers were made to every known God and many unknown to Finity. The merman went directly for the girls hand and knelt beside her, he seemed to plead to Finity when he spoke,


“So… Is there anything you can really do for her?”


His voice was desperate, as if she were his last hope to save the girl. Finity assumed at this point that he had some intimate connection with her and he wasn't simply this loyal to his King. That wasn't impossible, but a highly unlikely scenario.

Finity looked him in the eyes and spoke with her trademark honesty and sincerity, "I will see what I can do. She is clearly in pain and that I can surely relieve. The wound is not like any I have seen -- I would need a sample of the poisons you said this wound resembles if I were to try and do anything for it."

As she spoke one of the nurses strode over to her, a newly concocted solution held in a vial, "And who do you think you are? We here are the best healers in this country, and you think *you* can do what we slave to do!?" She was a pompous and chubby woman.

Finity simply nodded and smiled at her, "My name is Finity, and yes I am new to these lands. Perhaps a foreign touch is just what she needs."

The woman scoffed and turned back to her work, mumbling under her breath though Finity's ears easily picked up the words, "Stupid bitch thinks she's better than us.. What's the King gotten into these days, hiring foreigners to deal with the princess!"

Finity moved beside her as she was dressing the wound and whispered in her ear, "I think you are the one that thinks you are better than me." She leaned a little more forward to examine the bloody, pussy wound.

After a few moments deep consideration she pulled back and opened the bottom of her bracer to gather a vial filled with a glowing purple liquid. She moved around the room to the girls mouth and unstopped the vial. Immediately the nurse who had been giving her grief swept over her and grasped her wrist to prevent her from dousing the girl with the liquid.

"What are you doing?! Poisoning her!?" The nurse's face was beet red and she was huffing from moving her large body so quickly.

Finity smiled again, that innocent yet challenging smile, "It's a potion of my own design, I have been using it for longer than you have been alive--"

"Impossible, you look no older than twenty and I am thirty-two." The woman interjected, Finity ignored her and continued her explanation.

"It's a potion I designed to aid me during long combats. It goes right for the nervous system and numbs pain receptors throughout the body. It also increases adrenaline flow, but controls the heart rate to reduce bleeding for while under its effects you would be completely unaware of any wounds and without that control you would easily bleed to death and not know it was happening. In her circumstance this will help control her blood flow and wipe that searing agony off of her face." Finity lost her grin and looked sriously to Nessa's twisted face, "shall I then?"

The nurse looked very confused, she didn't know what she wanted to say or how to being saying it. Her lips started to part when one of the priests looked up from payer and laid his eyes on Finity, "by the Gods! Finity, I never thought I would see you again! What is this woman doing, accusing you of threatening the princess? Oh you old bat she's acclaimed in other lands for vanquishing foes and stopping pandemics. She's a regular hero, let her do her work!" The man smiled at Finity knowingly and resumed his prayer. Between the smile and the chant there was a slight wink.

The nurses hand fell from Finity's and she took a single pace backwards, but watched Finity like a hawk, prepared to strike if anything happened that she did not approve of. Finity simply leaned forward and used her gloved finger to part Nessa's lips and with the other slowly poured the liquid into her mouth. It seemed to swallow itself and the room froze for an instant as everyone's eyes fell on Nessa's face, still twisted in pain.

Finity stepped back and returned the vial to her bracer and knelt down to the merman, "about that sample of poison?"

The nurse was about to scream 'It didn't work you lying!' but at that moment the torment on Nessa's features subsided. Her face became that of someone sleeping peacefully even though the wound pulsed with the same ominous vigor it had before. The nurse checked her pulse and to no surprise found it had decreased but maintained a steady beat. She was impressed but would say nothing.

[Red Nail]

“Thank you,” Alasse responded, “For the respect you’ve just shown me and the restraint you had when Lambron approached you. I believe that you are the one that I need.”

She walked a short distance to a stone patio bordering the garden. Separating the garden and the patio was a marble handrail that the queen grasped with both hands to lean against. She looked drained and for the briefest of moments her guise as the queen matron faded and in her eyes was the worried look of a mother about to lose her children. As she stared at the unicorn banner that flapped above she gathered her strength again and regained her composure.

“My husband… Hendir,” she began, “He fought the gobkin and Gaueko much like Elion is about to. I realize that Elion might not be returning with you and as a mother it sickens me. But as King, my son has a duty to his people. This can’t be changed much like how you cannot change your curse on your own. I’ve known for a long time, as you’ve suspected, and I chose not to alert my husband or my son because you have been respectful of those that deserve it and because I realized that one day I might need someone with your experience.”

“Tommorrow will be that day. If my son dies, that means that Lambron will have lost the reason he joined this crusade in the first place. Like the rest of his people, he only respects legitimate authority and without my son legitimate authority is naturally passed to Gaueko. If I know him as well as I think I do, Lambron might try to ally with Gaueko and sacrifice the rest of you to it to gain it’s favor. I want to give you my official position as advisor to the king. If Elion falls then Lambron will have to defer to you or risk breaking the vows and beliefs of his people. And he would not dare risk such a thing.”

Alasse let this news settle in Roniira’s mind before continuing on, “I know this seems like a bold request, but the reward will be well worth it. I know of a being that might be able to remove your curse. In the dusktime version of the Snowfeast Mountains there is a lair of a powerful dragon. He is old beyond all reckoning and his domain has yet to be breached by the celindral that want to drive him off. Someday he will wake from his dispassion and most likely trek to join his true mate in the Bone Lands. His name is Pradu, Father of Wyrms and Steed to Kronnen. If you do this for me I will tell you where to find him.”

--

Marius watched Finity with the same suspicion as the nurse when she brought out the faintly glowing vial. Most potions he’d seen didn’t glow like that, and those that did were often poisons of one sort or another. It was a gamble to bring her here and if this harmed Nessa at all, Marius was sure that this strange girl wouldn’t be walking out of here in any better condition than the princess.

As he watched the exchange, a dissenting voice came from a man in the middle of prayer. Marius could only assume that the man was a priest.

"By the Gods! Finity, I never thought I would see you again! What is this woman doing, accusing you of threatening the princess? Oh you old bat she's acclaimed in other lands for vanquishing foes and stopping pandemics. She's a regular hero, let her do her work!"

Even Marius couldn’t argue with that kind of praise. He just hoped it was the truth. He tightened his grip on Nessa’s hand while it went to work and breathed a sigh of relief when it seemed to have a positive effect.

“Thank you,” he said, bowing his head to her out of respect, “This means a great deal to me. My name is Marius and I’m indebted to you as I’m sure Elion is. Take anything that you need. I’ll see to it personally that you don’t have any trouble from anyone else in this room.”

Marius rose to his full height, his threat directed mostly at the rotund nurse that had been the primary cause of his earlier doubt, “Right?”

A chorus of mumbled voices agreed except for the priest that had spoken up before. All Marius got from him was a knowing smile.

[Ellena-Rei Foxie]

Maranda herad the noise increase in the city. The city was always way to noisy. It wasn't natural. The smell wasn't either. But this noise was much louder. Trumpets played and even on the edge of the city she heard the words "war" and "Gaueko". War with that demon? Had the humans gone mad? Even wolves avoided him and normally wolves feared no-one.

Maranda felt a connection to the city of Corthir because once a hunter had saved her life. The royal family had decided to go hunting and she was seen. One of the princes decided she woulfd be good sport. but the Hunter had recognised her and stopped the Prince. The prince had been furious until Maranda had changed shape and thanked the hunter. The King had appologised and maranda's loyalty was won. Since that day Maranda had patrolled the borders with them in mind. That's why she had helped the Princess when she had found her.

Yet going to war she could not accept. It would be her land that got destroyed. They had left Gaueko alone for years. If they were going to war because of the Princess they were fools. By most standards she had gotten off lightly. Every creature knew what going to see the demon would cost. Maranda had to see the Royal family and tell them they were being foolish.

In wolf shape she ran through the streets, catching the wiff of fear. Human's didn't like her natural shape. They ran away from her. Some went to fetch guards but she was long gone by the time they got to where she was. The people scattering made her path easier. She lept over the fallen and ran as fast as she could. Though the ground was unnatural it felt good to run. As she got close to the gate she realised that the guards wouldn't let her in so she simply jumped over it. She had always been a good jumper. She landed and continued running, ignoring the guards calls for help.

She sniffed out the King and ran towards him, crashing through the doors to land amongst a group of very agitated hunters and fighters. She was too dazed to remember to change into her human form. She sat there panting staring up at the king. for a moment she had even forgotten why she had ran those miles to get here.