Wind rattled the branches of a massive oak tree as it gusted ahead of a thunderstorm, pushing the branches against the window the tree grew in front of with a high squeal. A distant rumble of thunder sounded, carried on the back of another burst of wind and Aneira knew that they would be in for a storm before the night was out. She stood, head tilted slightly to one side, and regarded the oncoming storm interestedly with cool gray eyes.

Aneira Vallier was a tall, slender woman with hair the color of pale gold. Her hair hung loose and wavy to the center ofHer back, with shorter fringes framing a long oval face. She had heard some say that she carried about her person a rather classic beauty, but she didn’t see it herself. When she looked in the mirror, she just saw... Aneira. Nothing more.

Long crimson skirts swishing around her as she turned, the young Lady of the Vallier steadhold couldn’t help but give a small smile as she met the gazes of the three Young men standing in a loose circle behind her, armor glinting in the torchlight, each with a hand ready on the pommel of their swords. Despite the stiffness of their stances, each man returned her smile with a brief one of their own, for even though they were the Lady‘s personal guard, they had also become her friends in the course of their service. And she encouraged such behavior. After moment, she sighed, Starting down the hallway.

“ I think it’s time to retire to bed.” She then murmured thoughtfully, listening to the men fall in to step beside and behind her.

“ and I think that’s a good idea.” One of the men responded. He stood to her right, dark hair cut short and his face clean shaven, taller than her by a hand’s breadth. His own green eyes littered with momentary amusement as the Lady glanced in his direction, soft laugh escaping from her.

“You would.” Aneira replied in kind, voice light.

As the four figures continued heading down the hallway towards the Lady‘s Chambers, the wind continued to buffet The outside of the building, rattling windows and trees, guttering torches where it manage to sneak in through a drafty crack. Yet despite it all, a figure stood just on the lip of one of the windowsills, watching The woman and her entourage with narrowed eyes, Ignoring the oncoming storm entirely.

They were almost entirely covered with black cloth from head to foot, the only skin showing as slits just around their eyes. And as they confidently stepped backwards off of their perch, absorbing they’re landing on the balls of their feet, they looked towards a secondary figure standing nearby that was dressed in a similar fashion. With a nod of confirmation, the two headed off around the building, crouched low.



“Allow me, my Lady.”

The guard to Aneira’s left stepped forward as they reached her chambers, twisting the handle of the door and pushing it inwards. He had just turned to smile at her when it happened. Hands reached out of the darkness of the room, grabbing the unsuspecting guard around his face and shoulders, a knife sliding across the man’s throat and dropping him to the floor with a look of surprise in his dark eyes. Quick as thinking, the man to the right of Aneira drew his sword with a hiss of steel, leaping forward to plunge it into the chest of the assassin as they started to emerge from the room, bloody knife still held in an upraised hand. They fell with a gurgle, clutching at their chest.

Feeling as if she had suddenly been thrown into a nightmare, Aneira stared in open mouthed horror at her fallen Guard, her dying friend. A clash of steel on steel caused her to start painfully, head jerking up to see The captain of her guard dueling a second assassin. She heard a noise from behind her and the guard that had been at the rear of the formation stepped into view, his own sword drawn.

“Run Tannith!” The Captain abruptly growled at the other soldier, panting lightly as he parried a blow meant for his gut from the assassin.

“ But Sir..!” The young man began to protest.

“Run! Take our Lady and run! That’s an order!” The captain shouted in return, screaming in pain as the assassin‘s blade caught him in the thigh.

Tannith hesitated for only one more heartbeat before he whirled, One leather gloved hand closing around Aneira’s wrist and pulling her into a run, a low curse hissing out through his teeth.

“ don’t stop running! We have to make it to the stables!” He huffed, ice gripping at his heart.

Air puffing from her mouth as she ran, Aneira barely managed to get an affirmation out of her mouth, the word broken on her lips. It was only at that moment that she realized she was crying, hot tears streaking down her cheeks. She blinked several times to clear them away, but to no avail. They just continued to fall. And she continued to run.

The pair soon made it to the stables, running through the wind, and Tannith threw Open the door before her, pulling her inside. There were no grooms attending the horses at that moment, which was good, because it meant it didn’t slow them down as the soldier hastily saddled two of the equine shapes, the horses snorting with alarm and tossing back their heads, but otherwise making no move to get away. He grabbed a pair of emergency saddle bags, throwing them over the beast’s backs before fitting both with bits and reins. Tannith then moved hastily over to Aneira, putting his hands around her waist and lifting her into one of the saddles. She quickly pulled her skirts up, freeing her legs until she could sit a stride the saddle, gathering the reins into her hands and directing the mare towards The open doors. Tannith quickly mounted his own stallion, nudging the horse in the ribs and prompting him into a sprint, Aneira’s mare leaping quickly forward to follow after.

Across the courtyard, through the front gate, together they escaped the steadhold, the storm at their backs.

Out in the empty land between the city and the forest beyond sat a collection of shadows against the orange flames of a fire. Beyond them was a large cart that curved up on a set of wheels, the entire thing looking more like a boat on the land rather than a travelers caravan. Beyond this little could be told in the dark skies of the storm. Four bodies sat gathered around eating while they could before the storm would force them back into the small tents they had set up to try and weather the storm.

At the sound of hoof beats did they lift up from the fire and gaze out into the night for the source. The group waiting as they saw the pair of horses nearing them. Slowly the leader of the group walked out to greet the travelers, the others waiting closer to the warmth of the fire.

At the crack of thunder did enough light shine on the strangers face. Before them was the black fur of a dog rather than the skin of a man. Two long pointed dog ears sat on either side of his head as he looked up at them. A set of golden eyes and a long muzzle looking back at them as the strange man stood before them. Below he wore a simple set of robes an almost sandy tan color of fabric and a few bands of gold around his upper arms, this being where the human half took over and dark skin replaced black fur.

His arms crossed he gave the pair a look over, "Welcome to our camp!" He called out over the storm, his words being of their own language but his accent was foreign, from a land they couldn't place. Having to nearly shout over the sound of the approaching rain and thunder, "Do you need a place to rest for the night?!"

At first, Aneira hadn’t been sure of what she was seeing in the dark, flickering on the edges of her vision. But as the horses drew closer, she blinked and the flickering resolved itself into a fire. She started to wonder if lightning had already begun to strike the land when she noticed a few shadows moving around the flames, figures gathered around them. She pulled up on the reins as soon as she realized this, her horse automatically beginning to slow. She heard Tannith give an impatient huff, but he too slowed his own mount.

One of the figures stood up, stepping forward slightly, silhouetted by the light of the fire. Guiding her mare to stop a few feet from the stranger, she had just opened her mouth to call out her own greeting when there came a crack of thunder and a brilliant flash of lightning and she found her voice trapped in her throat. For in that instant, she found herself looking not into the face of a man, but a beast. A dog with fur black as pitch with brilliant golden eyes. But then she saw the figure fold his arms across his chest and she blinked in further shock. Not a beast, not entirely. But some sort of man with the head of a beast.

And then the man, if that was what he was, spoke. His words were accented oddly, though clearly spoken in common. He welcomed them to he and his companions camp and offered a place of rest for the night. Aneira felt a momentary shudder shiver through her body and she quickly shared a look with Tannith. She subtly nodded her head to him, signaling him to take the lead.

Lifting his voice, the soldier called back over the storm. “ we thank you for the welcome. And we would gladly except a place to stay for the night. I wouldn’t want to get caught out in this storm. Thank you.”

"you are very welcome my new friends. Come and warm yourselves by the fire, we shall share what food we have left for the night." The crossed arms drew a wide gesture waving them over to the orange glow of the flames. Turning on his heal the man lead the pair of travelers back with him.

The others around the fire sharing the same as the man before them bodies of humans with heads that of a beast. The one coming closer to them was a great beast with a row of teeth reviling under green scaled skin. The head of a crocodile, the man marched closer as well and offered a hand to the guard as either a hand to hold the horse still or better help the man from his steed. Even in the dim light of the fire could they see the muscles move under the best man's skin, accented that he wore no shirt only a simple set of shorts.

The first, with the head of a dog, turned to help the woman from her horse as well. His eyes seeming to capture the light of the fire as he looked up at her. The steady orange glow looking back at her as if the beast's eyes burned with the flames as well.

Behind the pair stood two more of the beast men. The first also bearing similar black fur to that of the dog and himself seemed to have similar features. Yet where the muzzle of the first turned into that of a dog, this others turned into a far thinner piece the mouth of the strange anteater, a creature only recorded by explorers and brought back to the land. The narrow face and strange protrusions behind the ears of the man lending a far more dark and deformed image rather than the dog-faced man seeking to help her.

Lastly beside the flames stood the female of the group, a long white dress hugging her curved form as she stared back at them. This female bearing the head of a cat, with large icy blue eyes that looked back at the pair of strangers. She was the one holding a bowl as well, the large thing holding a rather sweet smelling porridge of some kind that was likely the dinner of the beasts before the arrival of travelers.

The horse beneath Tannith snorted with nervous agitation, shuffling his hooves a little as the strange crocodile man approached. But with a reassuring pat on his shoulder and a firmer grip on the reins, The soldier got the stallion to settle. He then dropped to the ground, adjusting his sword as the sheath bumped against his thigh. After getting his bearings, he glanced quickly over towards Aneira, fiercely protective of her still.

The Lady hesitated for a moment as the man with the canine head offered her a hand, but mentally shook herself and excepted the offer, placing her hand in his and allowing him to help her from her horse. She hastily brushed her skirts into place before dipping into a curtsy. “ I am La-...” she paused a moment, a shadow of fear and uncertainty passing through her before continuing. “Aneira. And my companion is called Tannith. With whom do we have the pleasure of sharing company with this evening?” She then inquired politely, trying not to show her surprise as she looked around at the different figures, though she couldn’t help but twist her hands into fists at her sides.

Moving forward, Tannith stepped into place at her side, one hand reflexively resting on the hilt of his sword. Silently, he thought a better question might be what they were Sharing company with, but he surreptitiously bit his tongue to keep that particular question from escaping. Best not to be rude to a yet unknown entity after all...

The man bowed kindly to her as he helped her off the horse, his arm easily moving her along. The men or beasts before them both returned a bow when she curtsied. Still, their eyes didn't fall as they bowed, rather keeping their heads up as they chests fell, a rather strange costume.

"Welcome, Aneira and Tannith!" the Dog-headed man spoke first, "I am Anu," the crocodile-headed man stepping up next this Anu, while the dog man's hand landed on the other's shoulder. A hardy pat from them as he smiled, the lips of his dog-like face curling up in a kind of a strange site, "My friend here is Bek! Then there is Ba, and Se."

Anu's hand waved, the pair behind him bowing as they names said. The cat woman being called Ba, and the strange one known as Se. None of the group seeming hostile, but Se's eyes seemed to be fixed on the sword that rested at the guard's side.

"Please, come and warm yourselves. Take of the food we have." Ba spoke up, lifting the large bowl up into the light with a kind smile on her face. Her words kind and soothing, like the call of a mother to a child. Her words even in this seeming to invite peace to them, as the image of a smiling cat greeted them with food at the ready.

As each name was offered, Aneira’s grey eyes rested on the faceOf each humanoid, still somewhat unsettled. The immediate shock at seeing such strange faces on obviously human bodies still giving her hesitation. She had never heard of such beings in her life, And by the way Tannith was acting equally unnerved, she was certain that he was having similar miss givings.

Eyes finally resting on the woman with the head of a cat, Ba she reminded her self, Aneira finally relaxed her shoulders a little, though her hands remained in tight fists. Trying not to let her worry show on her face, the young woman finally stepped towards the fire, lowering herself onto a log that had been either pulled closer or been there to begin with. She heard more than saw Tannith follow quickly on her heel, taking a seat next to her on her left. She glanced quickly at him out of the corner of her eye, Long enough to gauge the stiff set of his shoulders and back, before carefully putting a smile on her face.

“Anu, Bek, Se, Ba.” Aneira repeated, inclining her head to the owner of each name as she spoke it. “ your hospitality and friendliness is greatly appreciated on this night of storms.” She went on to intone, perhaps a little stiffly, her formal training coming out strong under the strange circumstances. As if listening to her words, a gust of wind suddenly buffeted her back, tugging at her long pale hair and forcing her to pull it away from where it tangled on her face, twisting the strands together and pulling them forward over one shoulder.

The group moved in closer as well, Ba moving to sit on the right of Aneira with the large bowl. "It is always to greet others as you would wish to be greeted," the cat woman smiled as she offered them the food, "I hope you enjoy what that we have." The bowl holding a simple porridge that smelled softly of honey.

The other free took seats across the glowing flame from the pair of humans. Anu was at the center, with Bek and Se on either side of the jackal. He dog-headed man smiled as well, "Indeed I am glad that we can offer you something in such weather." His hands waved over at the large cart that they had been behind them, "We hope to share some of the goods from our land, would this be a good place to start trade?"

The other two nodded along at this, leaning in a little to watch the pair of humans. Nothing seemed to be amiss with the group, and none seemed to be anything but hospitable with the strangers. Still at a time or two Tannith could catch Se glancing at the weapon on his side, the fact that none of the beat men carried a weapon might lead to why the sword at the man's side be of such a concern.

Aneira, at last, accepted the offered bowl, uncurling her fingers to do so.”wise words to live by.” She responded with a gentle smile, hesitating for a moment before she took a bite, using a spoon to scoop some of the porridge into her mouth. To her great surprise, she found that she loved the flavor. “ thank you. It’s delicious.”

By her side Tannith was trying not to pay attention to the suspicious looks that kept turning in his direction, though he shifted uncomfortably once or twice. Instead, he focused on leaning in to try some of the offered food as well. For him, the sticky porridge only seemed to get caught in his throat. The adrenaline of their escape had finally worn off and an overwhelming grief was beginning to settle in. Despite this, he tried to follow Aneira’s example, sitting up straight, smiling pleasantly. But he couldn’t quite hide the sadness in his eyes.

Taking another bite of food, Aneira surreptitiously pressed one of her legs against Tannith’s, having glanced up at him and understanding what she saw as their gazes met. She too was beginning to feel grief creeping up on her, though she kept the emotion rained in and under control for the time being. She quickly looked too Anu as he took a moment to gesture at the cart behind him, speaking of offering goods to the locals. She considered the question seriously for a few moments. She wanted to get her self and Tannith far from the steadhold and any other possible attacks, but at the same time, she didn’t want to hinder any prosperous opportunities these people might have. If things had not gone the way they had this evening, she would have her self gladly excepted the merchants...

“ if you continue south from this place, there are several towns that would gladly welcome such exotic merchandise as you might offer. Those here in the north are a bit more superstitious.” She finally said, truthful in her statements. She didn’t consider herself superstitious, but those under her care had been known to balk at strange talismans or odd potions.

He nodded along at this, "I see, we have run into some of those before." He bowed his head to her at this, "Thank you kindly for this, we shall travel south." Lifting his head he glanced around at his companions, each time a set of eyes would meet the jackal's eyes would glow a soft gold.

Ba leaned in taking a spoonful for herself and smiled, "Superstitious indeed, the last group we met like that tried to call us witches." She smiled as she looked over at Aneira, the white fur of the cat shinning in the firelight. Sitting so close to the guests her dress reviled just how far the animal went on her. There just before her shoulders did the white fur end and light skin start, the animal only being at the head.

The others all soon taking a seat. Bek eagerly waiting his turn for some of the food. The large set man sitting partly back from the two, but his eyes a light green seemed to always be drawn to the clothing they wore. Out of all of those sitting before them, he was the one with the most ornamentation having four rings, three on his left and a single on his right. Perhaps a hint at his preferences in life?

The last pair of them, Anu and Se both work simple black clothing the pair far harder to make out in only the light of the fire. Still, with Anu so close to her, and in the light of the fire did his tattoo shine softly a strange cross with the top of it ending in a loop while the three other sides all swelled out at the end. The entire thing done up in gold that would catch the light at times.

"So what brings you out here, as you are?" Se asked he was the furthest from them, his eyes as black as his fur showed poorly in the light of the fire. Still, his head lay locked staring right at the queen in hiding, the darkness that hid him doing little to hide the fact he was suspicious of the pair.

Before Aneira could really respond to either statement, for she was somewhat surprised by the glow in Anu’s eyes she had caught sight of, her companion spoke up, his voice a little gruff.

“ witch is a pretty hypocritical thing for them to say, Especially considering that 90% of the people born in this country have the ability to wield one of the elemental magics.” Tannith spoke up at Ba’s statement, unable to help himself. His father had been one of those hypocritical people, though that was mostly due to the fact that he himself had not been born with any sort of elemental abilities.

Aneira glanced at him, surprised by the vehemence in his voice. He had always been the quietest of her soldiers, the least outspoken. Perhaps this night had pushed him a little too far...

Se finally spoke up, asking a question of both of them. Both soldier and Lady fell silent, both unknowingly freezing in place. As a pocket of moisture trapped in one of the branches in the fire suddenly burst open, popping loudly, Aneira flinched and Tannith blinked. The pair looked at one another, not quite sure what to tell these people. They still didn’t know the strangers very well and therefore didn’t trust them with everything that had happened.

It was Tannith that finally spoke, his voice hesitant now. “We are... escaping an unknown danger. To put it simply. But we wish not to speak more on the subject at this time.” He managed to say. He did not expect Aneira to suddenly grab his hand and give it an approving squeeze. He looked at her, meeting her serious expression before she gave him a nod.

Se crossed his arms at this, his eyes seeming to glow a little more in the firelight turning the red color into burning embers as he looked at the pair. The demonic looking beast man simply glanced in the direction that they had come from, "Are you guilty?" his words came softly, with a chill to them, no emotion in his voice as he looked back at the city that had nearly been the end for Aneira.

Anu moved slowly his own eyes reflecting the light of the fire, but in a more warm manner like the last light of a setting sun. "Do not pry into other's lives so much. We are to be kind hosts to them, not interrogate the two."

"Anu is right!" Ba cheered, breaking the spell over the group. The air growing lighter in line with the happier nature of the cat woman, "Do not worry about old Se. He's just old and cranky and needs his beauty sleep." Sticking her tongue out as a child would at Se as she spoke.