As the heat Of the day finally began to loosen its grip On the land, The birds having their last go at a Serenade, Kaylia Was finding that the dip Of the sun Into the horizon was increasing the amount of tightness In her shoulders with every degree. The death of the sun as it gave birth to the night Was always something that had made the muscles in her stomach tight and her nervous agitation increase, even if she couldn't remember why that was. Her stallion snorted softly beneath her, turning his black head to lip At one of her sleeves In a concerned sort of way, dark eye Focusing for a moment on her face. One corner of her mouth twitched up and she gratefully scratched at the side of the horse's nose. "I'm fine. Look where you're Going before we both end up in the river." The horse whickered softly as he turned forward once again, as if listening to his rider. The improbability of such a thing helped Kay feel a little better as it made her smile widen briefly.

The two had been Traveling all day, Taking a delivery of horses out to A small farm between Glayde Village, a large town nestled at the base of the Ochre Mountain range along the eastern border of the kingdom, and the domain of a fishing population bordering the edge of a lake called Vista Shore, having met the owner of the ranch the day before in Marivienna City, the largest city in the northern providence of Liodia Kingdom. And although She had made it out with no problem, she had foolishly thought that she could make it back to Horse Grass Ranch where she currently lived by nightfall. She hadn't been Expecting the monster That had exploded from the surface of the river, inexplicably shooting Something that looked like a rock the same size as her head in her direction. Her horse hadn't been too keen To stick around and find out. She had barely glimpsed what she thought looked similar to a hunchbacked frog for part of a second before she was more concerned with gripping the reins and holding on as the stallion turned tail And headed in the exact opposite direction of the way she had wanted to go. Sighing Softly, Kaylia gently patted Storm on his shoulder. She didn't blame her partner, she probably would have run in the opposite direction had She been given the choice Herself. But It did put them into an interesting situation, one that quite logically didn't sit well with her. As her thoughts were tugged Back in that direction, she found herself wishing all the more fervently that she hadn't been thrown into a situation that put her so off course.

First, there was the unsettled and rather nervous agitation that she felt when the darkness came. But secondly, Kaylia had overheard several conversations back in the city about farmer's crops beginning to fail them, shriveling and turning black as if scorched, where as they had been healthy and flourishing only the day before. Even their animals health seemed to be declining, getting sick, and weak, driven to insanity and attacking their owners unprovoked, only to die hours later gagging on black bile or being overcome by throbbing dark boils that seemed to be consuming their bodies. Rumors had even begun to spread, always uttered with Wilde eyed expressions and nervous gestures, about how even a few people were beginning to come down with strange illnesses that not even the most skilled medicine worker could heal. The strange and frightening rumors had begun to produce shadowy images in the woman's mind, to the point where she thought she saw half crazed creatures crawling towards her behind every bush and hill, intent on her death. The idea was silly and childish, part of her understood that, but her uncertainty of why she feared the night so much added fuel to the wild and unfounded imaginings.

Kaylia pulled up on the reins As she came level with a pair of short scrubby Looking trees, swinging her leg behind her and sliding down from the saddle. After Removing the bit from Storm's mouth, determinedly ignoring the way her hands shook as she did so, and putting it and the reins into a pouch on his saddle, She dug around in the bags until she produced a hobble, hooking it around one of the stallion's front legs before unfastening her bedroll and beginning preparations for her camp. When she finally had her bed to her liking and a small fire crackling in a comforting way, Kay went to Storm and unlatched his saddle, allowing it to fall to the ground before collecting a brush from within another pouch and beginning to rub her partner down for the night, forcing herself to concentrate on every motion she made to keep herself from allowing her thoughts to slip back into nightmares.

Naked steel glittered against skin in the fading light of the day. With a practiced slice, the main artery in the neck was cut and bright red blood pooled onto the fallen leaves. A smile played at the corner of Garris’s cracked lips at least until the red turned to black and began to slowly ooze out of the wound.
The ranger scrambled back, only just barley remembering to wipe the blade off on the dead deer’s nape.

<<Food?>> The comment was internal. It felt warm and soft like rabbit fur. It tingled at the back of his neck the way Ra’s touch had as she caressed him at their farewell. Garris looked at his companion. Cainmere was no bigger than a large dog but she had the litheness and built of a wolf. Her dark fur seemed to swallow what little light the sun had left to give but her violet eyes shown as bright as ever. They had traveled together for a little over a week but she had rarely spoken. She must be as desperate for a meal as he was.

”You don’t want that,” he replied and pointed to the carcass at his feet. Her nose twitched slightly then she uttered a pained whine. He understood her exactly. Everyone would go hungry tonight. Loosening the water skin at his hip, he rinsed what little blood was still clinging to his knife and replaced it back in its sheath. ”It does explain a lot though.” Garris continued. It explained why there was very little game to be found in the area. Not, mind you, that he had time set traps or to go out of his way for tracking. They’d been lucky to stumble upon the deer, or at least that’s what he thought an hour ago.

Garris sighed and fished around in his travel sack for the correct parchment. As he unrolled it, the scrollwork glowed faintly under the ever dimming light. ”The next town should be in a day, maybe a day and a half’s walk away.” he announced.

Like most things that came out of his mouth, Cainmere seemed to meet his words with indifference. He could have been talking to a tree for the good it did him. Wallace, the master ranger Garris served under and the original owner of the creature, had assured Garris’s of the beast’s intelligence and capabilities. As of yet, the Cainmere had offered no advice or even hint of suggestion and the only thing she seemed capable of was frightening off the local farm girls. Still, he supposed, a quiet companion that didn’t complain was perhaps better than no companion at all.

”I’d rather press on further while there’s even a little light left.” Garris said, taking off in the opposite direction they’d come. Cainmere, as usual, plodded silently behind.

They hadn’t been traveling for more than an hour when the familiar scent of wood smoke stung Garris’s nostrils. The wind carrying the smell came from the west and even though it was a little out of their way, the thought that someone generous was cooking a hot meal was far too tempting to pass up. If not food, well perhaps the owner would at least be willing to trade information.

It didn’t take Garris long to find the source. A small fire was crackling away in a small clearing. On the opposite side, someone was grooming a horse. Like him, they seemed to be traveling alone.

<<Food.>> This time the word was more a statement that a question. From where he stood in the shadows he didn’t see any cooking utensils near the fire or smell anything besides smoke coming off it. ”I don’t think so,” Garris whispered back, not bothering to hide his disappointment. ”And you can’t eat the horse… or the girl.”

Deciding there was nothing better to do, Garris took a breath and stepped out of the shadows. ”Hello there.” he said, trying to muster up his friendliest grin, ”We were just traveling through when I saw your camp fire.”

Kaylia wasn't one for screaming. And perhaps that was a good thing, especially when the voice spoke unexpectedly out of the darkness behind her. Her heart leapt, her stomach muscles contracted with panic, and she dropped the brush from her hand as she world around to face the speaker, her now free hand flying to the hilt of her sword as she did so, but not so much as a whimper escaped her lips. She stared for a long moment at the stranger looking at her from over her fire, and scrutinized him briefly with a swift pass of her eyes, before his words finally seemed to penetrate her sudden and inexplicable panic. Glancing quickly down at the dancing flames automatically, she forcefully pushed back her irrational fears and worked her mouth into a small smile that quirked The corners of her lips. For she more naturally reacted with friendliness towards others, not paranoia or fear. There was no need to jump down someone's throat just because they surprised her...

"Well," she managed to laugh, "you gave me quite the scare." Quickly retrieving the fallen brush, Kaylia straightened with an unconscious step backwards, Storm's flank consequently bumping into her shoulder.

The stallion snorted once, finally lifting his head from his bit of grazing to swivel it around to peer curiously at the newcomers, sizing up any possible threat. Reaching up to cup her hand against one of her horse's cheeks, Kay followed his gaze to the animal that had stepped into the clearing at the man's side, noticing it for the first time and unable to help the nervous flutter in her stomach at the sight. Wolves, after all, were not something any livestock handler liked to see. But the creature made no move towards her or her horse, as if it was no more than a trained dog following its master. Perhaps, that was exactly what the canine was,a companion to the Hunter. Turning her green eyes back up to the human, she adopted another timid smile.

"Was there something I can help you with traveler?" She asked helpfully, deciding to continue the conversation on a more friendly note. "Perhaps I can offer you a bit of food? I was just about to start some soup..."

Garris’s face took on a guilty appearance as he watched the woman shy at his words. He hadn’t meant to frighten her. Perhaps next time he ran into someone In the middle of the woods near dusk, he’d remember to stomp around and make a little noise first so they’d hear him coming first. As she moved. Garris noted her clothing, her horse, and the way her eyes ran over his companion. At least she hadn’t wailed when she’d spotted the cainmere, like some of the other females he’d met on his travels.

Garris tried not to seem too desperate when the woman suggested soup but he couldn’t stop his stomach from growling loudly. ”Soup would be wonderful.” he said and offered a wide smile. ”I’m told I’m decent at chopping and peeling vegetables. I’m afraid I don’t have much to offer to the meal. Just some raspberry wine I picked up in the last town and some news from my travels thus far.” The former had been one of the many odd gifts his Master had imparted to him before Garris had headed out on his journey. He wasn’t sure why the old man had thought it was important and as they days went by Garris had begrudged the weight the small bottle has added to his travel sack. Now, though, he was glad he at least had something to offer. Showing up to a person’s campsite and offering them a handful of freshly gathered acorns just wasn’t the same.

“My name is Garris Vernucia.” he announced and offered a short bow. ”I am an apprentice ranger from Kendalaia. And this,” Garris continued gesturing to the wolf-like creature beside him, ”Is Cainmere. She’s a cainmere. I… uh… didn’t name her. And you are?”

"...Kaylia Vandilla." The woman responded after a moment in which she studied his face, something about the way he had responded subtly relaxing the remaining tension in her shoulders. She smiled again, still a little tentative, but felt comfortable enough turning her back on Garris and the cainmere. She still wasn't entirely sure what the creature was exactly and she didn't feel quite comfortable enough to reveal her ignorance on the matter just yet. Crouching down, Kaylia produced a bag of vegetables, a seasoning pouch, a small knife, and an empty water skin from One of the saddle bags. "And if you're offering to skin some potatoes and onions, I won't keep you from that pleasure." She chuckled, handing over the bag and knife and fishing out a cooking pot and setting it down near the fire.

"there are a couple of carrots in there that you're welcome to give to Storm, my horse, and, um, ...Cainmere if you'd like. Or you can cut them up and throw them in the pot too." She explained, silently wondering if the wolf like creature would rather have some of her dried trail jerky instead. Well, if she found out that the cainmere shunned One of the carrots, she would offer the meat. Dropping the seasoning pouch next to the pot, she halfway turned away from the fire before adding, "i'll go get some water from the river and start cooking as soon as I get back."

Walking away quickly into the darkness, she tried not to make her movements a run as the fluttering panic that was always on the edge of her emotions in the dark threatened to overrule her actions. If only she could remember why she was so afraid of the night, then maybe she could master the impulse... Resisting the urge to grind her teeth together, Kaylia found herself hurrying through her assigned task with unnecessary speed despite the constant reassurances to herself that there was nothing wrong and was soon back in the pool of light cast by her fire, breathing a silent sigh of relief. She carefully emptied the skin into the cooking pot and quickly located a couple of branches that would serve as spits to hold it in place over the flames. As she worked, she would occasionally glance over at her unexpected company, curious as she usually was.

"So, Garris, why did you decide to become a ranger? And how did you come to find a partner in Cainmere?" She finally asked, unable to stop herself.

Garris reached out and took the offered vegetables but gave the knife back to the woman. ”You keep it. I’ve got my own.” he said and reached for pouch on his leg. The knife he withdrew was about the same length and width as his ring finger, unlike the larger one he’d used earlier that day to slice the deer’s throat. Rinsing his hands and the produce off with water from his skin, Garris searched around in his sack until he produced a clean cloth. Settling himself on the ground, he laid the cloth over his lap and began peeling away the outer skin of the potatoes revealing the light silky texture underneath. It was difficult to keep his mouth from watering at the prospect of food.

“Alright.” the ranger said when Kaylia announced she was going to go get more water for the soup. ”Just shout if you need anything.” Out of the corner of his eye he watched her melt into the shadows of the trees. He wasn’t too keen about her wandering off in the dark. His gut told him she wasn’t a fellow ranger and he could only guess how she’d ended up alone in the middle of the woods after sunset.

Finishing up the potatoes with a speedy accuracy, Garris fished out the carrots Kaylia mentioned earlier. ”So do you want one?” he said in the direction of his silent companion, setting the other carrot aside for Strom, ”They look tasty.” Violet eyes regarded him, seemingly void of any emotion. A few moments later the beast stretched and lay down. Resting her cheek one a giant paw, her eyes fluttered closed. It was a clear sign of disinterest. ”Suite yourself,” Garris said, and began to peel the bright orange vegetable, ”More carrot for the soup then.” He wasn’t sure why the Cainmere had treated the food with disinterest; she certainly hadn’t scoffed at vegetables or even the occasional acorn before.

Kaylia appeared in the ring of light again, her water skin now full. Garris watched her work out of the corner of his eye while he peeled and chopped the remaining onions. The woman seemed a little flustered but unhurt from her excursion. It wasn’t until the newly peeled vegetables were back in the sack and he began cleaning up his area that she broke the silence.

”So, Garris, why did you decide to become a ranger? And how did you come to find a partner in Cainmere?"

The ranger stood up and walked over to the fire, handing everything back to Kaylia except for the carrot he’d set aside for Storm. That, he delivered to the horse himself.

”Good question,” Garris replied, using his movement as an excuse to give himself time to think of an answer. ”I’d say it sort of found me. I’ve always been observant and curious. Plus I have a penchant for getting myself into trouble. You know, the kind of qualities you’d find in a person who is willing to brave the wilderness alone.” he paused meaningfully but before the woman had a chance to respond he continued on, ”Kandalia is a large town still surrounded by untamed wilderness. I got myself into trouble one to many times until my father finally gave up me ever being a blacksmith and handed me over the master ranger. As for Cainmere, well she was a parting gift. I’m sure you know there’s a kind of… sickness… going around. I was asked to investigate its effects on the surrounding countryside and then bring my findings to the king. Apparently she’s supposed to aid me in my endeavors… but most of the time all she does is that.” He pointed at the wolf, which for all intents and purposes seemed to have settled in for a nap. At the end of his talk, however, one eyelid opened and regarded him passively before shutting again. ”And what do you do, Kaylia Vandilla?” Garris continued, ”Surely you don’t always travel around in the woods alone, saving wayward travelers from their hunger?”

Emptying some of the spices and salt into the water as she waited for it to begin to boil, Kaylia retrieved a bag with a handful of dried meat strips in it before folding herself down into a sitting position close to the fire. From the looks of it, Cainmere hadn't been too excited about the carrots after all, so she dug out one of the dried strips and offered it politely to the canine as she listened to Garris's response to her questions. She tried not to let him see the blush that colored her cheeks at his hinting words that she had purposefully gone wandering alone in the woods. He didn't give her the chance to refute the assumption, continuing on with his explanation. She let it go, there would be time later to correct the idea. Instead, she listened to his words and the happy crunching noises coming from Storm is he excepted the offered carrot. That was, until he mentioned the sickness.

The rumors are true! Her thoughts tangled around that revelation, her numb fingers dropping the meat with her astonishment as her eyes widened and her mouth partially fell open. Hurriedly, Kaylia attempted to cover up her reaction, smothering The sudden urge to scream and closing her mouth with a quick snap. She wasn't entirely sure that she had hid her reaction fast enough. But Garris had moved on to asking her about what she did for a living, so maybe...

Clearing her throat and snatching up the bag of vegetables to begin adding them to the simmering water to try and focus on something normal that would calm her down, she answered as naturally as she could, though her voice sounded a little high even to her ears. "I mostly deal in the breeding and selling of horses. I live on a ranch with a family that took me in and I return the favor by helping out with the livestock. I was out delivering a team of horses to a farm and foolishly thought I could make it back home before the sunset..." She waved her hand at the surrounding darkness. "My being here shows how well that plan turned out."

Garris nodded at Kaylia’s explanation as he scooped another spoonful of the tasty soup into his mouth. ”You sure you don’t want any?” the ranger said turning to Cainmere, ”It’s been… a while since we’ve had anything half as good.”

The wolf sniffed at towards the bowl and slowly got to her feet. She took a few steps towards him. Suddenly her ears pricked and her head turned away from them as if she’d detected some sound. Without warning the Cainmere turned and bounded off into the darkness. She’d offered no word of explanation but Garris felt a sudden sense of unease across the back of his neck and he was suddenly reminded of the black blood pouring from the deer’s throat earlier.

”I’m sure it’s nothing,” Garris said to Kaylia, trying to explain away the canine’s odd behavior. ”She does that sometimes. Maybe she heard a squirrel or something.” Nevertheless, it was a few more moments before he looked away from the area Cainmere had disappeared to and even longer before he released his grip on the knife at his belt and started eating the soup again.

“We’re headed west”Garris announced after swallowing a few more spoonful’s, ”So if your ranch is in that general direction we could travel together for a bit.” The ranger considered for a moment. ”It isn’t that I don’t think you can’t handle yourself out here. It’s just that the woods… they don’t seem…” Garris stumbled as he fought to come up with a good explanation that wouldn’t frighten the woman. ”The woods are too quiet, if you know what I mean.” He finally continued ”And only a few hours ago we stumbled upon a deer that had been taken in by the sickness.”

The carved wooden bowl was comfortingly warm against the inside skin of her palms and fingers as Kaylia wrapped her hands around it, The smell of the soup curling up from the surface of the liquid in tantalizing curls of steam. She found herself taking several deep breaths of The fragrance, the combined use of her senses somehow giving her an inexplicable feeling of comfort. Scooping out a mouthful of broth and potato, The young woman then savored the flavor of the vegetables and rehydrated meat on her tongue, focusing once again on working the tension out of her shoulders that had crept up without her noticing. Cainmere's suddenly bounding off alone into the forest quickly shattered that attempt however.

Eyes widening with surprise, Kay cast A questioning glance to the man sitting across from her, noting The way that his hand gripped the hilt of his knife tightly long after he had spoken words of reassurance at the unexpected behavior. Needless to say, she didn't feel the least bit reassured. Feeling almost as if something inside of her stomach was thrashing about in an attempt to escape, The young woman slowly lowered her bowl to the ground in front of her folded legs, swallowing against the taste of acid at the back of her throat. She almost missed Garris's next words as she struggled against the unexplained feeling of panic, though she focused just in time to catch his offer of traveling together.

"I wouldn't say no to the company." She admitted with a sheepish smile. "All the stories I've heard about this sickness going around has me spooked." And for good reason it seemed. A shiver of apprehension ran the length of her spine as she then listen to the Ranger recount his experience with the deer earlier that day, putting truth to the rumors that she had hoped had been nothing but superstition.

"so the stories are really true then..." Kaylia whispered, unconsciously rubbing her hands up and down her arms. The idea that the farmers and travelers hadn't been making up tall tales was rather frightening. ... What do you think is causing this to happen?" She asked, turning her head to focus on Storm as the stallion lifted his head from his grazing, ears swiveling this way and that as he listen to the sounds of the forest.

Somewhere in the darkened woods, a creature moaned unexpectedly, the sound low and mournful, resonating for only a few seconds, but seemed to take an eternity to finish. The sound made the hairs all along Kaylia's arms and the back of her neck prickle uncomfortably, her head instinctively jerking around as she searched for the source. But nothing moved other than the flames and her horse, the stallion tossing his head nervously. "do you think that Cainmere is alright?"

Garris nodded as Kaylia accepted his offer to escort her back to her farm. His eyes focused on her only briefly during the conversation however. He wasn’t look at her. He wasn’t really looking at anything. The light coming off their fire made him night blind, so instead he was focusing on listening to the woods around them.

Garris shut his eyes, straining to hear. Insects. A few night birds. Distant. A toad? No. Frog. Something else. It was just out of his…

”What do you think is causing this to happen?” The woman asked, interrupting his train of thought.

Garris sighed both out of frustration from being interrupted and because he’d been trying to figure out that question himself over the past week and had gotten nowhere. ”I’m not really sure,” he said, pausing briefly, ”It seems to be contagious between different animals, like hoof rot. But plants can get it too. No one I’ve met was sure whether animals and plants can get the disease from each other. It also seems to strike randomly. I met a farmer a few days ago who had lost all of his pigs. Without warning, one member of the group got sick. Up until then, noting was unusual with her. She hadn’t been any strange places and hadn’t eaten anything different from the other group members. As soon as he discovered her illness, he separated her from the group and had her slaughtered.” Garris paused again and shook his head, ”Within a few days, more members of the group were ill. On the elder’s urging the farmer kill the rest of them- healthy, sick, it didn’t matter. They were all afraid it would just keep spreading.”

That’s when they head it, the low mournful sound echoing through the air in the distant trees. Instinct brought Garris quickly to his knees. He was reaching behind his back to grab his bow and take an arrow from his quiver when he discovered they were not there. Looking around, he saw he had placed them against a nearby tree, along with the rest of his heavier belongings.

”Do you think that Cainmere is alright.” Kaylia asked, breaking the tension.

”I’m sure she’s fine,” Garris said, he voice sounding more sure than he actually felt, ”She’s strong and she knows to avoid the sickness.” Another pause. He waited to hear something else, but around them was only silence. Even the insects seemed unwilling to sing.

Walking over to his pack, Garris began putting his equipment back on. In a small pockets sewed into the side of his bag, he fished out a tiny cylindrical object. Pressing a series of buttons, he unlocked the device and studied it silently before closing it and putting it back in his bag. ”If you’re not too tired I’d recommend heading for that farm of yours now… Cainmere will be able to catch up with us later if she needs to.” Fishing in the larger pocket this time he pulled out the map from either. Just as before, the scrollwork lit up with a faded, but still legible internal light.

Walking over to Kaylia, Garris presented the map to her. ”We’re about here,” he said, pointing to the spot with his finger. ”West unfortunately is in the direction of that noise. I suspect we only have two options. One, we could stay here and hope whatever that was is dead and isn’t attracted to the fire. Or we could start out in that direction and try to skirt around it. I don’t relish the thought of traveling through a strange wood at night but I like sticking around here even less.”