Luna had simply been following along the rest of the group, lost in her thoughts. She was confused by the whole situation. They were saying that Ylissean soldiers attacked them, weren't the Shepherds Ylissean too? It didn't make any sense to her at all. She looked around, weary from all the walking, and the weather. For her, the heat and sun wasn't as bad. But nevertheless she still didn't like it. She was more used to cool windy areas, the desert was the exact opposite. Eerily silent, save for their "merry" band. She quickly located a tree, walked over to it and plopped down. Her legs were screaming at her to rest.

Luna continued lost in her own thoughts, until someone sat next to her. The fully robed girl offered her water. Truth be told, Luna hadn't really gotten too thirsty. But she smiled and accepted it anyway. After taking a small sip of the canteen she handed it back to the robed girl. "You know, you'd be a whole lot cooler if you took that robe off. " She said mimicking the action of taking it off. And maybe I would be too if I turned into a dragon. She thought to herself, before quickly dismissing the thought. They'd be a lot easier to spot with a dragon among them. That wouldn't be good. She shook her head, breaking herself free from her thoughts once more she looked back to the woman beside her. "Oh yeah, what's your name miss? I'm Luna, nice to meet you." She smiled as she introduced herself. She wasn't sure why, but the woman seemed rather trusworthy.

---

Brandt let out a sigh when the girl agreed to a short rest. He frowned when she mentioned the heat killing them. He wasn't going to object, after all he wasn't fond of sleeping out here. He just needed to stop moving for a minute. He was about to sit when suddenly the girl got down on her hands and knees and began digging. "W-what?" He furrowed his brow trying to figure it out. Moments later it finally hit him. "Ah, I get it. The underlying sand will be cooler than the sand at the top. That's very clever." Before Brandt followed her into the newly dug holes he quickly scanned the horizon in every direction. "Nothing, just sand, sand, and more sand. Same as it was last time I checked." He said the last bit letting out a bitter sigh. He shed his coat and tied the sleeves around his waist, as to keep it out of the way. He walked over and unceremoniously dropped into the nearby hole.

Brandt sat silent for a moment. Then looking over to Kalina he nodded. "Thanks for the digging, grand idea." He sat up in a slightly less relaxed position, deciding he should be a little cautious. "Alright, next up is finding something in this Gods awful place." He mumbled to himself. He sat thinking of what they needed, a town, food, water, and many more things would be nice. The more he thought the less he wanted to rest. If they didn't hurry they could get stuck in the desert at night. That wouldn't be good. But regardless, he let his exhaustion get the better of him. He decided to rest a little longer yet. Fearing he might drift to sleep he tried to get some kind of conversation started. "So, how's it going?" It was a weak attempt at best, but it was all he could manage aside from discussing how dire their situation was.

As Tim paced around nervously waiting for news of where they could find more Water, he was approached by the darkly dressed man. The man asked him for a sip of some of his water. Tim hesitated at first, as he didn't have a whole lot of water left to share. Still, this guy looked like he really needed it. He couldn't just stand here and deny water to a thirsty man, what kind of Shepherd would he be if he did that? "Oh.. O-k, um..." Tim dug through his bag, and pulled out his canteen once again, and held it out for the Dark Mage. "Here you go... Um... I don't have a lot left... But... it's something."

Just as he offered his canteen, another woman approached the two of them, and offered some of the water she had brought. Tim felt his face flush when he saw her. Although he wasn't sure if it was this woman's revealing choice of clothing, or the desert was finally getting to him. She was probably a dancer, or was just prepared to travel in this heat, but Tim wasn't used to seeing another female wear something like that. "Um... uh... I-I-I'm Tim... eh..." He stammered nervously. Keeping gaze his down, as he nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

Excel had noted that she seemed to be retracting away from him. He thought about his appearance. Was he looking ill or something? Or had he done something to encourage animosity? His sword arm dropped to his side and he raised his eyebrows at the mention of Darrian. It certainly was a name familiar to him. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them. ”Yeah, I know him!” A small smile formed on his face. ”During my time in Ylisse, I heard of him a couple of times, he’s the exalt or something,” Excel felt a bit of a strain on his arm already from holding this blade of his. Not too long after saying, he sheathed his sword back onto his waist.

Excel did wonder why she wanted to know though. ”Are you a friend of his or something?” He looked back in the direction that she came from, before turning his back to her. He examined the landscape, thinking about where Plegia would be.

Kalina looked up at Brandt as he registered the point of digging the holes. It made her smile inwardly, but that smile faded when she realized just how animalistic that was. I’m sure it came across as very peculiar…. she thought, still watching him as he found his place in the hole next to her. Kalina began to frown as she continued to observe his mannerisms. Brandt was trying to keep the mood light, but his erratic, jerky gestures suggested an inner conflict. She knew what he was thinking: here he was, sitting awkwardly in a hole in the blazing heat, with no food, water, or shelter, with a girl that has hardly said two words to him. On top of that, it was likely if they didn’t find these resources by the time the sun fell, they would die.

Straightening her shoulders, Kalina turned her body so that it faced Brandt. Softly, as was her nature, but with her face set, she looked at Brandt and responded, “We need to find water, at the very least.” Kalina struggled to find how she wanted what she needed to say next. “I…There….,” clearing her throat, as it was parched and made talking hard to do, she continued more confidently, “You have done everything you can to ensure both of our safety and lives. Whether I should trust you with this information is a moot point, as you will see for yourself shortly either way. I just want you to know, I will not harm you….and I will return.”

Blackness began to creep in at the edges of her vision, until all she saw was an empty darkness. Her body fell over gently against the sand, and just as soon as it hit the ground it moved in a fluid fashion, as if a current of water ran through her. The whole process was very quick, taking at most thirty seconds to complete the transition. There, panting lightly, stood a snow leopard in Kalina’s place. Its blue eyes searched Brandt momentarily, the essence of Kalina permeating through, and stepped forward to smell Brandt for an awkwardly long time. Once satisfied, the leopard bounded away in the sand.

She had never seen sand before, and trying to grip the substance with her paws was very difficult. It tired her quicker, already panting heavily from the immense heat. Her thick coat was not suitable for these conditions, and she knew she would need to be quick before overheating. His scent was strong, and it would help her find her way back to him in this vast wasteland.

After an hour or so of trotting along as fast as she could muster and seeing no sign of food or water, she started to turn back around to head back to Brandt when she heard something. Faint…very faint…but unmistakably the sound of music, mixed with shouting. Her ears twitched, and her body went rigid. Standing very still and straining to listen, there was no mistaking what she heard. Faster than she even thought she could muster she leaped up the sand dune that lurked beside her until she reached the top and paused abruptly.

Not too far off, there was a town.

She practically slid all the way down the dune and raced as fast as she could back to Brandt, focused on following his scent. She pushed herself far harder than she should have, but they were desperate and she couldn’t fail them. As she approached she noticed that Brandt seemed slightly slumped over, his eyes shut. Panic rose in her chest and she raced forward until she was on him and then pounced.

Kalina shifted back into her humanoid form as she hit Brandt, the sand not providing any traction to stop the collision. A plume of sand flew up into the air, and before she even looked to see if he was hurt she whipped around and grabbed him by the shoulders sternly.

“You may not die, Brandt,” she said authoritatively. “There is a town not far off with everything we would need. You may not die.”

Brandt's face became stern as Kalina became fidgety and nervous. He nodded to her at the point she mentioned needing water. They were in unanimous agreement. He then began scanning the horizons checking for anything new. Still nothing but sand. "Well, I guess we bet-" Just as soon as he began to stand up Kalina started acting very odd. Moments later she fell to her knees and changed from a girl to a white beast in seconds. He stared at her silently, deciding his next move. He smiled, and faintly chuckled. He was actually incredibly happy at this revelation. He looked at the snowy beast, looked like something he'd see back in Ferox. And truer still, this information proved how much she truly trusted him. "Actions son, always ring truer than words!" He could hear his father's voice in the back of his head. One thing him and his old man agreed on. Beast, human, or both, this girl was one who trusted him. And he trusted her in return. He looked at Kalina and nodded. "Alright, I'm counting on you. We're in this together, so we have to get out of this together. I hope you find something of aught. I'll be here, when you return." And with that, she bounded off.

After some time had past Brandt had stuck his axe in the ground and tied his coat to it. It looked rather ridiculous, a poor makeshift flag. He really didn't know if it would help find him or not. Regardless he had to do something, lest his weariness overcome him. It seemed his lack of sleep the past week was finally catching up to him. The only thing staving it off before was his constant motion. He thought about moving on, looking for something himself. But then he thought otherwise. What if Kalina came back and couldn't find him, she might end up searching the entire desert for him. He shook his head, sending away those thoughts. After a little more time had passed, he found himself sitting against the shaft of his axe. His thoughts becoming muddled and blurry. His vision became darker and darker, and finally, it went dark.

It felt as if only seconds had passed before Brandt was awoken by a blast of sand, a sudden jerk, and shouting. It was rather confusing all at the same time. "Wha- I'm up, I'm up!" He barked in retaliation. It took him a moment to realize it was Kalina. She seemed to be telling- no, ordering him not to die. Whether it was the heat, his exhaustion, or both. He simply laughed at the thought. "Ha! Me, die? Trust me Kalina, It'll take a whole lot more than some sand and sun to take this warrior down." He said confidently as he rose. Truthfully he was very thankful she had returned. At some point he had considered she either left him, shriveled up, or got taken down by bandits. He frowned and shook his head. "Alright, so did you find anything?" It seemed she was very exhausted, as she only nodded and pointed in a single direction. "Great! So if we go that way we'll find something? Onward ahead then!" He shouted triumphantly, even though he had no idea what they were heading towards. But at this point, it didn't matter to him. Anything was better than blank desert. He helped the now exhausted Kalina to stand and began trudging along in the direction she pointed.

Kalina’s eyes brightened as she saw Brandt come back to himself, pleased to see that he was not dead. However, there was a delirium about him that worried her. Her head was spinning slightly, the running in the heat finally catching up with her. She was happy that all she had to do was point and he got her meaning, because she honestly didn’t know if she could even talk with how dry her throat was.

Trudging along behind Brandt was extremely difficult, every step felt like she was about to collapse. Kalina did not say a word, though, she preferred to suffer in silence. Praise the Gods she thought as the town came into view.

“There” she nearly whispered, “up ahead.” Her heart fluttered, but whether it was from being elated they were so close or because she was about to faint, she couldn’t say.

Once they finally reached the town, Kalina walked past Brandt to lead, mainly to slow his pace. The main street was fairly crowded today, a few heads turning and taking notice of them, but most continuing to go about their business. Carts lined the streets filled with fruits, meats, jewels, weaponry….pretty much everything but water. Kalina didn’t think it possible, but her mouth began to water, which made her mouth feel like cotton. She turned back to look at Brandt and gave him a brief smile, then turned back to try to look ahead of the crowds.

As she scanned ahead she noticed a few blocks away there was a group of men with swords waving around in the air, yelling something she couldn’t quite understand from where they stood. Strange she thought, apparently someone is in a bit of trouble . It didn’t concern them, however, and she noticed the sign for the town tavern. She turned back around to Brandt and pointed to the sign. “Water,” she said, smiling, and with that grabbed his hand and pulled him along towards the tavern.

It took a considerable amount of effort for Zaino to pause just before the blade of his sword would've cut the red-haired woman's hands into two, glaring malevolently down at her frightened face. Another Shepherd? But I'm the last one... He squinted hard, trying to push himself to ignore those words and kill her, only to fall to his knees from the emotional scarring that the massacre did to him. The sword dropped out of his hands and landed beside his knees as his back recoiled, writhing in the torment that all of his wounds and suffering from that night brought.

"Liar," Zaino croaked as the rest of his body hit the ground, directly taking a face full of the hard ground. He couldn't move an inch, for every movement only served to generate more despair. Failing his duty as the lone survivor of the Shepherds, considered the protectors of the realm and dealers of justice, he couldn't struggle any longer. His body had given in, and as much as an energy lingered within his soul, it couldn't do much. He was done for, and this woman knew. She would kill him now, just like they tried, but the difference between her and them, is that she would succeed. "Make it quick, witch. I've yet to join my fellow Shepherds in the afterlife.."

---

"Ah, that time of month. Bummer." Xerxes teased his friend, though maintaining his stone-cold expression. He was never the type of person who smiled a lot, and only very few times had Darrian witnessed the corners of his lips curve to create such an odd formation. He was a bit shocked to see his friend frown, as if he seemed tense about something, but he paid no mind to it. It was a first for him to see Darrian look like that, but he knew it wouldn't have lasted long.

It was, until Darrian mentioned his 'failure', that Xerxes felt a hint of anger seep inside him. He balled up a fist, scoffing. "Me? I did my job. Killed an entire army on my own before I even brought my men in," he sighed, turning to the feminine sword-thing that joined the two. He stiffed a light laugh from its appearance, turning back to Darrian as he blinked at his statement about entrusting him in concluding the hunt. Why did he just say you twice? "Anyway, even if some got away, they'll only die tired. I doubt there are still any out there, at least, from my end."

Rachel smiled at the girl, Luna. "It's true I would be cooler, but this coat is my mark. The symbol that shows all of my training wasn't pointless." The tactician accepted her canteen back, gratefully taking a swig herself. With a smile she thought I like this girl, so full of energy even in the crippling heat of the desert. And then took another measured swig.

Rachel gave a cursory scan of the perimeter, apparently the Dancer had joined the Priest and Dark Mage, and Kai still wasn't back. "She shouldn't have gone alone...." She muttered to herself. Her attention returned to Luna to answer the girl's question, and to return one of her own. "Well Luna, my name's Rachel. Tell, me what are you doing with the Shepherds? How long ago did you join?"

As he answered her question and sheathed his sword she took her own grip off her swords and shook her head at his question. "No, you could say we had a..... disagreement." She replied with as she studied him a bit more. If he wanted to kill her with a trap surely he could have done it by now. It's not like she could have put up a struggle with her current state, so maybe she could trust him with telling him about her group, of course she had to make sure first and if they had to play the question game then by all means, she would question him for as long as she needed to.

She walked a little closer just to show she wasn't afraid or she was calming down a little bit. "Then you must know what happened to the Shepherds? If not they were purged, most were wiped out but few escaped. Do you work for Darrian?"

Rushing down the main way, Myyt was gaining quite a bit of ground on his pursuers. He smiled again. "What amateurs," he thought, "wearing such heavy armor in this heat is a death sentence!" Looking back to see his pursuers bend over to catch their breath, Myyt clumsily bumped into someone, nearly knocking them to the ground. Luckily for him, they were a very soft someone... like a fluffy pillow to soften his impact.

"Hey! Watch where you're-" Myyt started until he saw that he had nearly toppled a lady (and no slouch for that matter), "Oh my! Excuse me ma'am." Myyt said with a shallow bow, but just enough to reveal the tell tale glint of a golden hilt hidden in the folds of his clothing. Before he had a chance to continue, a bellow rose up from the exhausted guards, as they shouted dark curses and bloody oaths with renewed vigor at the young thief. "Well, as much as I do love the outdoors, perhaps we should get inside?" Myyt said hastily, sizing up the dusty and tired travelers. "Don't worry, the innkeeper here loves me!" With that, he began to rush towards the direction of the inn.

The sword did not tear into her—it did not slash open the skin on her scalp, and it did not bring pain to her. When she opened her eyes, she saw her attacker sink to his knees. The black haired, violet eyed man deemed her a liar as he sank further to the floor, his face pressed against the sandy ground. What was wrong with him? He needs help. And he isn’t a bad soul. He’s just confused, that’s all. He’s lost in his pain. her blue eyes scanned over his body. It was unusually pale for someone who had been in the sun for so long. It wasn’t just because he was hungry and dehydrated… he was showing symptoms of poisoning.

”I’m not going to kill you.” Ambra told him, reaching out to him as slow as she could, as if she were speaking to a startled stallion. ”You’re hurt, and you’re going to die if you don’t let me tend to your wounds.” then again, what if this stranger just wanted to die? No… he was young, he had his whole life ahead of him. Ambra scooted closer and looked more closely at his body, her eyebrows knitting together as she thought. ”This is definitely poison.” she told him, her frown deepening. She hoped it wasn’t too late to save him…

”Show me the cut that’s hurting you more than it should,” Ambra told him, her voice firm. She was determined to help. She was a healer, after all. The red haired woman continued to stare at him, the frown remaining on her face. He’s going to be stubborn, Ambra thought. And he’s not going to let me help him. ”Listen, if you don’t show me that cut, you’re going to die a painful death. Is that what you want?”

---

Darrian sighed, running a hand through his hair as he thought. It was obvious that he was not in the mood for such teasing, but… he couldn’t really push Xerxes around as much as he wanted to. His eyes flicked back up to Xerxes when he spoke again, saying that the Shepherds would die one way or another. ”Are you really sure?” he questioned bitterly, narrowing his eyes as he looked back at the stained glass window. ”I find it hard to believe. One must not underestimate their enemies, even if they are weak.”

Yu walked up to them at that moment. Darrian glowered up at the other man, a snarl coming across his face. ”You better keep your trap shut. I’m not in the mood.” he told him.

Luna furrowed her brow. "Mark of your training? Whatever that means." She looked around, mostly at the other Shepherds, before quickly turning her attention back to Rachel. "Rachel? Oh, what a pretty name." She smiled as she remarked the last bit. "Hm, oh well that's..." She trailed off, how long ago had she joined the Shepherds. Her years of living alone, coupled with the fact she was a Manakete, made her a terrible tell of time. "I can't quite remember how long ago it was I joined, probably less than a year. No more than two I wanna say." She shook her head. "And let's see. Why I joined huh?" She sat silent a moment before finally remembering. "Oh right. It was because at some point I was getting attacked by a whole bunch of guys for no reason at all. And then these Shepherds came in and were all like, "Stay back you fowl vagabonds!". And then they rescued me, so I decided to join them to show my thanks!" She explained the entire situation making various animated hand gestures as she went. "So that about sums it up, how 'bout you?" She tilted her head slightly, Rachel had raised an amount of curiosity from the young Manakete.

---

Brandt had simply trudged along with Kalina. That is, until the town came into sight. "By the gods! Thank you dearest Naga!" He shouted gleefully. As they entered into the town he looked to Kalina and smiled. "Guess we're not gonna shrivel up after all huh? And it's all thanks to you!" He scratched the back of his head. "Y-yeah, it really is..." He mumbled to himself. This young girl had truly just saved his life, he shuddered to think what might have happened with out her. In any case, his mind somewhat went blank at the smell of food. His stomach rumbled loudly. He then also remembered how terribly thirsty he was, and made no complaints when she dragged him towards the tavern.

Before the sweet satisfaction of water was to be his. A young man ran straight into Kalina, in turn shoving Brandt as well. "Watch where you're going!" He barked at the man instinctively. Very swiftly, Brandt had dawned a harsher looking face. He began carrying himself more menacingly. He immediately noticed the glint of gold, coupled with the fact eh was being run down by guards. This man, was a thief. He silently allowed the young man to lead them into the tavern, not wanting to make a scene out in the open. After they had entered the inn he immediately turned to the young man and grabbed his collar. "Alright, what did you steal? And you're answer will effect the outcome of this conversation." He needed to figure out what it was quickly, lest himself and Kalina get stuck in a storm of trouble.

Only the natural residents of the horribly dry land felt perfectly at ease in the blazing desert sun. The air felt like molten metal to the untrained civilian, and each breath was labored and dry, scratching at the throat. It felt like the air was the same consistency as grains that constantly shifted underfoot. Only the sparse mountains were exempt from at least a fraction of the blasting radiation of the sun, and that's where anyone with an ounce of sense would hold up. And yet, it made it easy to track fugitives.

The waves of heat provided at least one boon to the hapless wanderers that tromped through the yellow sea of fire. Almost two kilometers distant from where the majority of the Shepherds were resting among the sparse trees that dotted the desert, three men of varying sizes lay within the shimmering natural cover. They were observing the group of exiles and fugitives as a whole, with the middlemost man(A heavyset man of most likely Valmese origin, clearly less than comfortable in the blistering heat) hefting a small telescope of interminable origin. The blonde man to his left seemed to be even less suited for the desert sun(Clearly Feroxian in origin, his furred cape soaked in pungent sweat), as he constantly muttered threats at the sun. The third and final man, however, seemed to be quite at ease with the entire arrangement. Black hair and dark eyes complimented impressively pale skin even as the heavy coverings of a Plegian Dark Mage covered most of the man's lithe form. He seemed to be basking instead of boiling in the heat, uninterested in the either the cursing of his blonde companion or the gasping pants of his muscular Valmese superior. Prideful braggarts, the lot of them.

Logan had been forced into this mission by way of an overly threatening man with a large knife and the promise of meeting the ever dwindling population of Shepherds. If the rumors were to be believed, the crazed Exalt of Yilsse had ordered the once-proud group of volunteers executed for high treason and conspiring against the throne, something that had been unheard of in the many years following the war against Grima. Hilarious. I don't suppose the populace believes that the Divine Dragon watches over them, too. He allowed himself a small snort of laughter, unheard over the heavy breathing of his compainions(The Feroxi swordsman looked like he was suffering from heatstroke), and turned his attention to the group in front of him. Interesting. They haven't died after being subjected to the blazing heat of the desert for days on end, which is more than I can say about the sorry fools who don heavy gear and waste their breath. The spellcaster tossed a pointed look at his obviously dying companions, noting that it was only their discipline that seemed to be killing them, as neither had made a move for the pack of supplies that lay only a few feet behind them. I'll give them five minutes before one of them collapses. Then I can go talk to the ones who don't seem to be as stupid. His careful consideration and planning wasn't needed. Moments after he settled in to wait for one of the brutes to do something moronic and kill themselves, the blonde man snapped. Logan carefully moved back as the swordsman hauled himself off the sand and glared down at the Valmese Knight, before saying something exceptionally unkind and making for the supplies. The man got two steps into his proud and haughty stride before collapsing face-down on the yellow sand, unmoving. The other idiotic savage didn't respond, instead focusing entirely on making sure the next harsh breath would come. It was almost too perfect.

A full minute later, Logan hefted the bag of supplies over his shoulder as he stepped over both of the corpses. A simple stab had been enough to finish the weakened men and take their mutual funds. He began the slow trek over to the Shepherds encampment, careful to be as non-threatening as possible(Even if he had just killed two men in cold blood).

Kalina could see the door to the inn, anticipation of the water she was soon to be gulping down quickening her step. Her focus was completely on that door, which explained why she didn’t see the man coming. The collision was as graceful as it could have been, and it pushed Kalina backwards and right into Brandt. She felt him stiffen and scorn the man who had just run into her, and when she turned to tell Brandt it was “ok” she saw the look on his face and thought otherwise. Kalina didn’t even know what to do. Brandt was quite obviously irritated, the young man that ran into them seemed in quite a hurry and yet very polite at the same time. She smiled timidly, at a loss for words…which was good, because her throat was still oh so parched. Gods, what does it take to get some water?

Her shoulders started to slump slightly as she realized it would take them longer to get water when she heard the hurried man suggest they go into the inn. All she wanted was water, that was it, but the universe seemed to be working very hard at preventing Kalina from having any.

Just as the three of them entered Kalina was startled when Brandt grabbed the other young man by the collar in a very aggressive manner. His words made her gaze shift to the young man he was pinning, her head cocked slightly to the side, observing the altercation. Whether he stole something or not didn’t concern Kalina. She placed a hand calmly on Brandt’s shoulder in hopes that he would release the man and calm down.

"Get your hands away from me," Zaino tried to force his body back up into standing posture, only managing to roll onto his back and away from the woman. He flinched from the movement and the cuts across his body roared, feeling the stinging of his body coincide with the cut at his thigh. He was sure that the dagger had been coated in poison, and it was already well into his system... he would die in due time.

"I try to kill you and you respond by trying to help me?" Zaino choked on a mouthful of blood as it regurgitated and trickled down the side of his mouth, now shifting his efforts onto getting a hold of his sword which laid beside his feet. He had strained his body beyond its limits days ago, and without any supplements, his condition couldn't surprise him. "Idiot.." he said under pressure, his eyes rolling back and his elevated head falling back to the ground. He coughed again and his eyes closed shut, falling unconscious.

---

Xerxes was taken aback by Darrian's answer, having expected the complete opposite; total arrogance. "Hmph. I tore through hundreds of them on my own," he sighed, obviously not trying to boast. He had drawn Imperius that night, and on his own, he slaughtered more than his own group did in total. He hadn't been excited nor reluctant to do so, either; he had maintained his emotionless, nonchalant mannerism the entire time, as if he didn't possess a single amount of care for what he was doing. He was just carrying out orders.

"What makes you think that they're still out there?" It was then that Xerxes remembered that the other person was among them, muttering an ah in understanding. He nodded to his friend, leaning his back against the palace wall and folding his arms. "I see why, now."

Hearing Darrian tell him to keep quiet made a grin spread on Yu's face as he took another bite. Holding up his other hand and giving a thumbs up sign to show he understood, he could have been a smartass about it and spoke about keeping quiet but the king seemed more cranky than usual, so he decided to lay off for the time being. Finishing the Apple he put the core down on the table and rand his hand through his hair, they were seemingly talking about the escaped Shepherds and when Xerxes went to speak about why the king thought they were alive after boasting so much about his little feats, he felt like he was laying blame at Yu's feet which made Yu glare at Xerxes.

Yu tried to keep his cool but he didn't want to get blamed for what could not have even been his fault. "Hey, I killed plenty myself, and I don't remember seeing let alone letting one of the little pest run away from me, I even killed my own family who were in that little group of fleabags. If i could kill them, then I know for a fact that someone escaping from my sights is out of the question." Saying his piece, Yu settled back down grumbling to himself. "Why so worried about some weaklings anyway? They will just die off somewhere. Not like they are going to be a big threat when they are as good as dead."

Ambra flinched when Zaino told her to get her hands away from him. This one is stubborn, she thought as she watched him roll onto his back. He was moving around too much, and if he had internal bleeding (which she didn’t think that he did, but she decided that she should check), he would only tear his organs more. Even though that this man was hostile, she felt some pity toward him. It has to be hard, walking through the desert while you’re starving and thirsty and poisoned. Before she could tell him anything else, he fell into unconsciousness. At that, she began to panic. I have to get that cut checked out. But… where is it?

The red haired woman knew that poisoned cuts looked much nastier than normal lacerations. They usually looked especially irritated and red, and the skin around it would often be discolored. Ambra immediately got to work. She pulled back whatever clothing he had, searching for the gash that was affecting the man the most. He was covered in wounds. He must have been in serious pain. Pity began to well in her heart again, but she shoved the feeling to the side. It wasn’t the tome for that. Her fingers began to pull back the little clothing he had on his lower torso, only to find that the wound that she was looking for was not there.

Ambra sighed, undoing his trousers and beginning to pull them down. Her stomach did a flip as her mind began to wander. Just a peek. I can take a peek, right? It’s not like it’s molestation- no. I can’t. What the Hell is wrong with me- Yet, her eyes seemed to want to drift over to… what he had in between his legs. He’s not even exposed. He has his undergarments on. Just… focus on your task. Ah, there it was. That particularly nasty gash he had on his thigh. His skin was truly discolored around the injury. Sighing, she pulled off her satchel and buried her hand into it. Ambra rummaged around for a vial, which she found after a moment or two of searching. She pulled out the said vial, which was filled with a mushy, green substance.

This will do the trick. Ambra thought, uncorking the vial and pouring some of the semi-solid onto her finger. She placed the vial to the side and rubbed the poultice into the wound, making sure that the herb got well into it. He’ll be fine, she picked up the vial, frowning as she placed some of the herb into his mouth and rubbing his throat to help him swallow. This will take care of the poison.

A flashback of when things were simpler.

"Mam, whure'sh Xerxhes? Tomorrow'sh ma birthdhey!"

"He'll turn up, Zaino." His mother reassured as she, with a finger in his mouth, slowly opened it and carefully fed him a dark liquid from a spoon. She rubbed the side of his throat to help him digest the medicine as he coughed, feeling his forehead. She reached for a wet towel and laid it there, sighing as she smiled warmly and placed a hand on his shoulder. "He's growing into a man, just like Daddy was."

The six year old sighed in annoyance to his mother, reverting his empty look to the wall at his opposite side. "But isn't Daddy dead? Does that mean Xerxes is gonna die?"

"Don't say that, Zaino," She frowned at her son's analogy. "Daddy was a great man, you'll come to see it soon. You and Xerxes are going to be good people, just like he was."

"But Xerxes always beats me in everything! And he's never home anymore!" Zaino whined.

"He's just busy, honey. Men are always busy." She raised a hand to adjust her pinkish red hair.

"All he talks about is girls, but they all have cooties..." Zaino sighed, followed by a sneeze. "Where do babies even come from, anyway? You said you would tell me this year!"

Zaino's mother traced her hand against his face and stroked his cheek in a loving caress, giggling. "I'll tell you after a few more birthdays. How about you get some rest? That cold isn't going to go away without sleep, and you wouldn't want to miss your seventh birthday."

"Fineee..." Zaino, seemingly disappointed, said goodnight to his mother as she lifted the towel briefly to kiss his forehead and left his room with the lamp. He brought both of his hands to the back of his head and stared at the ceiling, thinking. Xerxes... I'll beat you at juggling pineapples, just you wait!

With a giddy and toothy grin at the thought, Zaino yawned as he shut his eyes and let the darkness of his room send him to the world of dreams.

Now that his poisoned wound was patched up, Ambra could get to work on the rest of his injuries. This man really seemed like he was beaten up. Even though he had the physique of someone that was adept at swordplay, he was severely injured. He was probably ambushed. she assumed, wiping her hands on her clothes and returning to her satchel. Ambra seemed to have a little portable medical clinic in her satchel, which was both good and bad at the same time. It was a good thing because she was prepared for most of the things that came her way. It was a bad thing because the bag got heavy at times, and hurt her back.

Ambra pulled out a vial of water and dabbed some on a clean rag that she kept in her bag before rubbing some of the dried blood that plastered around his wounds. Some of them smelled like they were infected, while others had a good chance of becoming infected. This is bad. she sighed, running a hand through her hair. Here was this man, beaten up and poisoned, having tried to kill her, and now he was passed out in front of her. His life rested in her hands—to think that a few moments ago it was the complete opposite.

The white rag was becoming red with his blood. Ambra rinsed it out before she returned to the cleansing of his wounds. Sighing as she rubbed a particularly clotted one, she decided that she would have to use some of her rarer herbs in order to properly treat his wounds. These will be hell to find again… she thought. But… I can’t just leave his wounds like that. They need medicine.

---

Darrian scowled at the two. They were being arrogant about their strength and power, and yet… If they were strong enough, then they would have slaughtered all of the Shepherds in their own barracks. But no… they were scattered throughout the world, doing who knows what. What if they were seeking council with the king of Plegia? The emperor of Valm? If those countries turned against him, Darrian was not going to be a happy guy. He clasped his hands behind his back, and returned to glower at the two men in front of him.

”Let me tell you something. Let’s just say that the Shepherds survive. Let’s just say they gather together.” he told them. ”There’s a chance that what I did will come back to bite me in the ass. And when that does, I’m not the only one that they’ll come after.” he told them with a scoff, his eyes blazing a blue fire. ”This isn’t a game. Just because they’re not in their little ‘lovey dovey’ group doesn’t mean they aren’t as deadly as they were before.”

---

The boy offered him his canteen, which Talbot took with eager hands. His face showed gratitude as he uncorked it, and tipped it against his lips. ”Thanks…” he said as he handed it back. ”My name’s Talbot… I don’t know if you’ve heard of me before, but… I’m usually the one that plays his lute in the corner.” he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder to where he had been playing the lute. ”I’m also usually the one who can’t keep his mouth shut, but I’ve been parched for a while.”

He turned toward the dancer woman, and smiled at her with all of the energy he could. He was presented with a waterskin, which he gratefully took. He felt like he was being a bit greedy, but… ”Thanks,” he thanked the woman. ”I really needed that. I’ve been dying of thirst.” he grinned between them. ”If only there were more Shepherds like you two.”

"Hmmm, I see." Rachel responded, she could tell there was more to this girl then what was readily apparent, but then again the same could be said for most everyone. The tactician grinned at the gestures the girl was making, How does she have so much energy? she thought herself as the heat sapped hers constantly. In fact, Rachel was having trouble focusing on the girl's words, just making out the question on the end. "Hah, my story isn't an interesting one, just a woman in the military who sought to do good. Look where that led me." The tactician spread her arms indicating their current, seemingly hopeless situation.

A brilliant tactician I am, can't even think of a way to get out of this desert without us all dying of thirst. She thought bitterly, despair slowly taking it's hold on her thoughts. Rachel could think of naught to do to improve their situation, only to keep trudging on. However they couldn't until Kai returned, a Shepherd is never left behind. Would they ever make it out of this desert alive? Would any of them see the end of the week? These are the thoughts that taunt the young tactician as she desperately tries to think of a solution or strategy to survive.