Jabberwocky

Heliotropic

A frown of bewilderment broke through the tension and surprise on Sef's face. For a brief second she forgot all about the snake and the danger and she could do nothing but stare at Joachim as if he'd sprouted a second head. He wanted her to watch his back? No, no. He wanted her to watch his back while he leapt into battle in defense of her - her things.

Really. Really?

The frown deepened. That wouldn't do.

"You watch mine," she said with a certain huffy tone and lunged forward past him. Not giving her next move a great deal of thought, she simply did what seemed like the best idea under the circumstances. She defended it by reminding herself that a plan was better than no plan.

Using her bare hand she snatched up a glowing piece of burning coal and tossed it into the snake's face. It was out of her hand too quickly for her to feel the pain - yet. A split second later the tip of her spear shot out through the air at the underbelly of the snake.

Heliotropic

"No," Sef said through gritted teeth. She'd done as thorough of an inspection of the cave as she could before she settled in, and not even Dessa had seemed to smell anything amiss before she wandered off into the ocean. Where had this thing been hiding?

As with most animals, any sudden movements were a bad idea so she remained crouched with her spear raised in front of her, ready to thrust up if it lunged at her. "Are they poisonous?" she asked, slowly turning so her back was to the exit. If given a choice she preferred to retreat rather than engage.

Heliotropic

Sef watched the other ranger closely. She had some idea where he was going with this, and wondered how she felt about it. Yes, of course it made sense. They were heading into unknown territory and, like fledgeling rangers, it was safer to have someone there to learn with you.

But she was interrupted by the sound of company. Her hand found her spear and she pulled herself into a crouched position. It definitely wasn't Dessa - she wouldn't fit into such a small space. Because of the odd way the cave echoed it was difficult to tell from which direction it came.

Heliotropic

Sef's low, not very happy laugh echoed through the cave and down its tunnels. She shook her head and smiled bitterly. "Then my father's father must have been exaggerating too, because he told the same stories when he'd had too much spirits. Said he saw drawings by his great-grandfather showing beasts bigger than houses that flew through the air and snatched people from the ground."

She threw a twig into the fire with a little more force than it required and seemed annoyed. "Of course that's where we're going. Of course."

Heliotropic

Sef sat down on a thin but surprisingly springy blanket that doubled as her bed, pillow and heat. Dessa was a big animal and carried her weight well, but they had to travel as light as possible. She wasn't made for travel over long distances and extra weight tired her out even quicker. Stretching out with her back to the cave wall, she let her bare toes warm by the fire. The bottom of her leggings were wet from the trip up to the cave entrance.

"I believe we have," she said eventually. "I've seen no one else on the road and Dessa and I took the quickest route here." Playing with the metal bracelet encircling her left wrist, she shrugged. "This is the furthest I've ever been out. By all the stories told by my elders and theirs, what we're looking for waits further south still, beyond the long mountains."

Heliotropic

"And I know who you are," Sef replied without looking up. Skewering the fish, she made a makeshift grill from bigger sticks and let it roast over the fire. A mouthwatering smell immediately filled the small space and her stomach growled hungrily. They'd been traveling hard for the last few days and there was little time to stop and hunt, hence what she'd hoped would be a quick stop at the outpost.

Moving around picking up slimy fish guts and washing her hands with water from a small metal container which stood by the entrance, she continued; "You accepted the elder's task as well, yes? That's why you're out here on the edge of it all?"

Heliotropic

It wouldn't have been hard for them to find Sef, but Dessa was nowhere in sight. The smell of something burning wafted up from the shoreline, winding a trail right down to the water's edge. The entrance to the cave the Ranger had spoken of would have been impossible to find in the dark but for the faint glow of firelight filtering out to reflect on the waves. They crashed against a low cliff which rose up out of the sandy beach, and inside of it lay the cave system. One would have to get a little wet to reach them, but it was a reasonably safe spot to spend the night.

Inside the entrance was a low, narrow tunnel which made a sharp right before it widened out into a larger alcove with tunnels leading in two more directions. Sef sat in the center of it and tended to a small fire. A large, finned creature sat next to her, already gutted and prepared for cooking.

Heliotropic

"I've been in the area before," Sef replied after some thought. "There's a series of caves on the shore a mile or two out from here. They should be safe unless something else made them its home first, of course." She glanced at the outpost entrance and added seemingly in afterthought. "We can return tomorrow to collect their things."

Patting the skin just underneath one of Dessa's shoulders, she drew her back and faced in the direction of the ocean. The smell of it immediately rid her nose of the awful and familiar stench of death. "If you stay, good luck."

The great lizard jumped into motion with a whip of her tail and with little more than the scrabbling of rock on rock they blended into the night.

Heliotropic

A shrug of her shoulders. "There's more danger in this world than those that wear their intent on their faces," she said, motioning to Grint where he paced. Dessa was tensed underneath her, uncomfortable with the close proximity of another animal. She liked company even less than her rider.

A second shrug. "But perhaps you didn't. Perhaps the creatures are still nearby." A sniff of the air. "This happened some time ago, but it's getting dark. Perhaps finding some shelter for the night would be best."

Heliotropic

A chill ran across Sef's skin, and it had nothing to do with the disappearance of the sun. "Was this your handiwork?" she asked bluntly, urging Dessa forwards past the Ranger. Using the tip of her spear and some light from her bracelet she was able to look inside and find the carnage of which he spoke. The corners of her mouth tightened but she showed no other signs of emotion.

Turning back to Joachim, she let the spear hang at her side. She wasn't about to lower her guard yet and made no secret of it. She knew this man by reputation only, and recognized him more by his appearance than his name.