A Grave for Secrets

Roleplay for:

distortedgirl66
Toadfoal

This is a strictly 2 person roleplay, but everyone's welcome to read!

A few puffy clouds floated about in the sky, and off to the east they were beginning to grow together, forming a spectacular monster that filled the sky with it's dangerous beauty. This storm would not be a threat unless it built back, yet the world was very quiet, even the golden grass that seemed to whisper in the wind seemed stilled as if in awe of the beast. There were no birds, but the soft sound of large paws could be heard patting the grass as their owners moved.

Rayner walked forward with his eyes ahead of him most of the time, his head bobbing side to side with his steps and tail flowing behind. Occasionally he would glance sideways at his companion, always grateful that she had allowed him to come with her on this once a year journey to her home, to visit Ryshka's mother. Rayner wondered what she would look like, maybe the two were very similar in appearance, or complete opposites. He had refrained from asking though, for they would surely see her mother when they arrived. For now he was beginning to get tired, it was only the middle of the day, but the air had been steadily getting more humid, as if they were nearing a large body of water. Rayner turned his head towards Ryshka, "Do you think we're getting close?"

The air was damp as Ryshka took a large deep breath inward, reveling in the slight briney musk of the ocean that wafted on the breeze. True they were perhaps only a few hours at a steady pace away from the line where the sea met the land but Rysh had lived here for a long time and knew the scent well. The grass was fairly tall thanks to the constant humidity blown in on the sea winds but for some reason that seemed to be the only thing growing with the exception of a faint blue flower and one large foreboding tree that broke the horizons calm with its gnarled and spindled branches.

Her companion she knew didn't understand fully the importance of the tree or the stark landscape, but she didn't care. For some reason with Rayner around, she felt like she could let her guard down a bit, to take off her lifelong mask and for once let someone in. She couldn't understand it, and it confused her the way she felt so compelled to keep him by her side. During the prior weeks it even kept her up at night as she wondered what it was about him that she couldn't let go. His steps we slowing as the midday heat stirred the humidity into an invisible unbearable cloak for those not accustomed to seaside air.

"Do you think we're getting close?"

She smiled as they neared the large grizzled tree, her paw gently grazing its old weary bark. "Yes, in fact a few more hours and we will be seaside. Even though we are close, we can take a small break here, you northern boys aren't used to the thick air here" she chuckled as she took comfort in the shade of the elder tree. The grass gave way as she settled to rest her paws, looking out over the plain simple landscape dotted with the bright blue flowers.

"Mom really likes these flowers, before we head off remind me to pick some for her. I usually don't forget but sometimes I can be a bit spacey"

As they walked Rayner noticed something appear and grow as they came closer to it. The thing was a tree, a rather unfriendly looking tree. Narrowing his eyes, he took in the details of its twisted branches. This tree was old, that he was sure of, and for a moment Rayner wondered why Ryshka was heading towards it. Well, it may not do anything about the humidity, but at least it was shade. He was always curious about those things, why she did the things she did. There was a mysterious air about her, she was undoubtedly beautiful, but also a fascinating indevidual. There was something, or some things he didn't know, that he was sure of. Maybe in time he would learn more, but Rayner wondered if he would ever understand why Ryshka allowed him to tag along. He was content just to be grateful and leave it at that for now. After all, that trust might not last much longer if she asked the right question.

"Yes, in fact a few more hours and we will be seaside. Even though we are close, we can take a small break here, you northern boys aren't used to the thick air here."
"You have no idea how glad I am for that." Rayner grinned and flopped down in the shade, shaking his fur to air out the moisture that had gathered from the humidity. He'd tried using wind to cool himself down earlier, but all the wind he produced was warm and only made things worse. "Unfortunately it's true, until now I've mostly traveled in dry places." He admitted.

"Mom really likes these flowers, before we head off remind me to pick some for her. I usually don't forget but sometimes I can be a bit spacey."
"She has good taste, they're very pretty." Rayner eyed one of the flowers, "Never was a color better than blue! I'll be sure to remind you... Which reminds me, does there happen to be any fresh water around?"

"Theres a small stream that feeds water to one of the small human fishing villages on the coast. Bad thing is it too is also a few hours away, but I think you forget you have me!" She laughed and rolled her paw in the air pulling condensation out of the air whirling it into a small crystalline ball of thin ice. This carried on for a few minutes until the ball was rather large and then she stopped and handed it to Rayner. "Now all you have to do is crack the top like an egg, the water inside should be fairly cold, I do have a way with ice."

She looked out in the direction they were following almost blankly, her paw gently and idly brushing the bark of the gnarled sentinel of the plain. "Unfortunately it's true, until now I've mostly traveled in dry places."
"Really, that is unfortunate. The arid climes always sadden me, I like the feel of water in the air, its like swimming almost."

She glanced at him and giggled a bit as his hair was puffed up in an attempt to cool himself. "Hope you don't mind if I lend you a paw in that department?", she smiled as she brushed her paw gently along his spine and up his neck, freezing the caught moisture against his skin. Under her mask she blushed, it happened alot to her when she would graze against him or help him remove stickers from his fur. He was attractive, intelligent, and noone ever seemed to really care about anything she said or did, but he seemed to. Deep down, she knew the reason she invited him was because she wanted to be closer to him. Maybe thats why he frightened her so much.

"Theres a small stream that feeds water to one of the small human fishing villages on the coast. Bad thing is it too is also a few hours away, but I think you forget you have me!"
The idea of walking miles out of their way to get to fresh water didn't sound too appealing. His expression changed to cheerful relief, "Oh of course! That's right, water shinlai can manipulate water." He grinned and watched curiously as she spun a large ball of ice. He took it gratefully and bit a hole in the top. The structure was actually fairly heavy, he noted while tilting it back to get at the water inside.

"Really, that is unfortunate. The arid climes always sadden me, I like the feel of water in the air, its like swimming almost."
"Mmm, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that you would like swimming." Rayner said between gulps of water. Unlike the humidity surrounding them, the water inside the ice egg was cool and tasted pure. Not quite like mountain water, but good. He liked the way it felt on his throat, and savored it. He tried to follow her eyes as she stared off into the distance. There didn't seem to be anything concerning out there, but the landscape was somewhat captivating. He quickly became distracted by it and spaced off for a few moments, simply drinking it up as he did the water.

As it was, he failed to hear Rysh. Feeling her paw brush down his back and the sudden cold he took a quick breath, inhailing what was left of the water. With a wheezing sound he leaned over towards the ground. It only took a few moments before he coughed it up under the tree. "Mehh..." Rayner blinked his four main eyes a couple of times and swiped his tongue over his mouth to make sure there was no water dripping, "I'm sorry Rysh, that wasn't much of a way to say thanks... But at least I'm ready to go now if you want." He felt somewhat humiliated because of the way he'd reacted, but tried his best not to show it. Rysh was just supposed to be a friend... Right? No, he liked her more than that, but was too shy to say it. When we get to the ocean. He rolled the thought in his mind, nervous that he might have insulted her, after coming all this way.

Panic struck her as Rayner began to choke and cough. "Oh god I am so sorry! I didn't mean to...I was just.. you were...hot I am sorry!" She hung her head even as he apologized himself. "No please don't say sorry, it was my fault. I thought it might help, I didn't mean to almost kill you" her voice was saddened and she padded off gathering a dozen of the faintly sweet scented blue flowers that dotted the vast expanse of grasses. She held them gently in her soft paws and returned to Rayner. "Yes if you are ready we should move on from this place."

Once she had spoken, the took the flowers lightly in her mouth and set off on the remainder of the journey, only looking back to ensure that Rayner was close. She was ashamed that she had choked him, he hadn't even given her permission to help. "Foolish...just foolish" The hour passed by quickly and they approached what looked like a drop into nothing, however it was the edge to a large and jagged cliff face. Below the craggy walls was a small fishing village, with a few humans milling around, preforming their everyday tasks. Like spots in the distance small fishing boats where hauling in catches as the sun began to hang low in the sky. Ryshka set the flowers down and looked about. "Finally, were here. " She smiled a tiny bit and looked back to Rayner, hoping he wasn't disappointed by her less than grand birthing place.

"Yes if you are ready we should move on from this place."
Rayner nodded and stood up, but could think of nothing helpful to say. He followed silently for the rest of the trip, looking this way and that as he entertained himself by catching what was on the wind currents, and listening for the sounds of speech as they got steadily closer.

When they arrived he walked up to the edge and looked down, a few pebbles falling over as his paws disturbed them. "Hmmm..." He observed the people going to and fro, busy with whatever it was people did. He could smell the fish, a somewhat funny scent. There were fish back where he was born, but they were few and usually one had no chance of catching them, since the water was cold and the rocky cliffs so steep. Here the humans seemed to have made a whole industry out of the place. Rayner generally disliked humans, but he had to admit that their habits were different, but just as interesting as those of shinlai. Foreign to him.
"Finally, were here."
Rayner turned to see Rysh looking at him with a small smile. For a moment he did not answer, and looked down again at the little fishing village. "I like it." He said finally, and nudged her with his head, "It seems like the sort of place where you would live, in a good way! Do we need to walk through it to get to where your mother is?" He asked, somewhat nervous about walking amongst so many humans.

Rysh laughed "Whats wrong are you scared of the humans?" She let out a giggling chirrup when his head gently nudged against her. She looked a little ways away from the small village was an out cropping of rocks with a small cavern entrance that was settled on the shore near the frothy sea. "That in all aspects is where I live, its not much, but its shelter and comfortable for the most part. If you really don't want to, you don't have to accompany me in the village, I can just meet you there. But I always visit Alric and Alessa when I come back. These humans are very generous and I promise they will be more enamored with you than you think.", she said matter of factly. She gave him a small encouraging lick against the side of his cheek and smiled. "You have no reason for them to want to harm you. They love our kind, with the exception of the darkbloods that have terrorized them in the past."

She turned, her paws knew the rocky path that lead from the top of the rugged cliff face towards the seaside village and she began her descent. The gently clinking of her anklet and necklace, along with the lonely pleading calls of seagulls and the occasional slip of rocks that crashed down the side of the jagged cliffs were ambient sounds to the beginning of a peaceful evening. Once she was closer to the bottom she leapt freely landing in the soft pale sand that ran along the coast, only spotted occasionally by thick patches of grass or seaweed that became stranded upon the shores. She wiggled her toes with a small laugh at the familiar feel of the grainy ground wiggling its way amongst her paws as she waited to make sure Rayner made it down the cliffside without injury.

"I distrust them a bit." Rayner admitted. He followed Rysh's gaze to see the small cavern entrance. For a moment he thought that it looked like a much better alternative to going into the village. In almost any other case he would gladly have headed right towards it, forget humans. But then, Rysh had a way with words, and when she promised that they wouldn't do any harm, he found that he believed her. If Rayner still had his ears, they would have turned red when she licked the side of his cheek, "Alright, I'll come! They sound nice anyway, and I trust you." *I just won't mention the whole Darkblood thing, never terrorized these people anyways.* He added silently.

Watching carefully as Rysh climbed down from the cliff side, Rayner followed. He used his element to decide which rocks were lose by nudging them with the wind, and had little trouble with slipping on the way down. Only towards the bottom did he let down his guard, and slide the rest of the way from a wrong step. "Hmph." He swished his tail to dislodge a few pebbles; he'd have to groom his fur later, and observed the surroundings briefly. "Bring back memories?" He moved to stand beside her and looked down at the sandy shore, "I've never seen seaweed like this before."

Her smile was large as poked about in the drying seaweed patches a small blue and yellow crab scuttled grumpily away when Rysh had disturbed its hiding spot. She reached her paw out and scooped up the small enraged creature and created a puddle in her paws gently wetting its hard dusty shell. It didn't take long for the creature to calm a bit and crawl along her paws and up along her shoulder perched like a tiny captain on a huge fluffy boat.
"To be completely honest yes, it brings back alot of happy memories..but more than an equal share of bad ones." Her eyes caught his and a small hint of sadness tried its best to hide itself from view.
The sun was lounging lazily low upon the horizon and the village stirred with new life. Rysh clambered to Rayners side, her little crab rider nestled against her shoulder, "Come you are probably hungry...I know I am and these humans make some of the best food I have tasted." She kept to Rayners side as they entered the back side of the village her feet gently shaking the bits of sand about. A few children stopped their wrestling and looked up at the two of them in awe. Ryshka stopped and leaned her head close to the first little boy and gently asked in her least frightening voice. "I don't want to bother your play time, but can you show me where the elder Alric is?" The boys hand shook a little bit out of slight fear but he pointed towards the middle of the village where a large gathering of humans began to form. Ryshka nodded and padded forward chuckling a bit as the boys talked in hurried tones . "Oh wow it talks! Did you see that! They were huge! Dad isn't going to believe it!"

Rayner thought he may have seen a hint of sadness in Rysh's eyes, and his own gaze softened. Every living creature had such a unique history, and the eyes seemed to be part of the book that told those stories. He couldn't help his own curiosity, but said nothing.
He moved his attention the the little crab perched on her shoulder, and chucked, "What an interesting new friend."The little crab seemed to be quite comfortable, a significant change from earlier, when it had been agitated at being discovered.
He followed her to the back side of the village. Undoubtedly he was hungry, it had been a while since he'd eaten a large meal. Birds and rabbits never really kept Rayner satisfied for long. But at the sight of children he stiffened, why did it have to be children? At least Ryshka seemed to handle the situation well, so he did what she did and padded forward, doing his best not to look hostile. "Heh, it talks." He relaxed enough to smile, "You'd think they've never seen a shinlai before."

She giggled watching Rayners expressions with the children and gently nudged him. "See that wasn't so bad now was it. Truth be told, the younger children probably haven't had many encounters with our kind. But alot of the adults and elders know me and I am here every year." The small crab had made it's way up to the top of her mask and decided that's where it was going to stay clicking it's tiny claws together a few times. "Snips! That's this ones name!" she laughed fully, the first heartfelt laugh she had in a long time and gently leaned against Rayner as she made her way to the center of the village.
Men and women of all sizes and hair colors were bustling about preparing long tables with plates and cups while the older women were scaling and preparing fish, crabs, shrimps, lobsters, and various other sea animals for what was appearing to be a village wide feast. The smells of all the different foods that were beginning to cook filled the air in thick flavorful aromas. Their entrance was barely noticed by most of the adults who just smiled, bowed their heads and continued with their tasks. Most of the men concerned themselves with hauling in thier catch from the day, with the exception of one large man. His hair was bleached white and his skin was a deep tanned leathery shell covering muscles concealed by quite a bit of pudge. He was stern looking and barked a few orders before he noticed the two shinlai and began to make his way towards them.

"No, I guess not." Rayner glanced back at the children, watching them curiously as they walked.
"Snips! That's this ones name!"
He turned back to see Rysh when she spoke, and it took him a second to realize that she was talking about the little crab from earlier. "Oh no, you've named it!" He laughed, "Maybe I should make a run for it, before the crab starts calling you 'mom'." He let her lean on him, not at all minding as they walked along.

He was now comfortable enough with the village not to be terribly worried about the people, but his eyes still darted around almost constantly at the human activity. His feet were beginning to get a bit uncomfortable under the man made streets, but for the moment that wasn't a concern. For now he just wanted to see the food. He still wasn't sure why they bothered to cook their food, since that destroyed the natural flavor of the blood, but it did smell good. He directed the air flow towards himself just to take in more of it, reminding himself again of his own hunger. His attention was suddenly taken by one human in particular. This one was moving towards them. Rayner blinked, but didn't appear alarmed, instead he raised his head up a little. This man appeared to be a commanding figure to the humans, but Rayner wanted to make sure the man knew that he could be commanding too, if he wanted.

Alric parted the crowds easily with his size, striding up to the shinlai with a almost disgruntled look on his face. Once he made it over to Ryshka his large calloused hand reached up and gently scratched her chin, his tanned leather face and grey eyes easing into a happy smile. "Well look what the tides have returned to the shore!", his deep strong voice rang through the air coming across more joyous than the original barkings at the other humans.

Rysh made a very happy sounding chirrup as Alric rubbed and scratched her chin fur. "Alric! I am glad the seasons have treated you kindly!"

The large man looked to Rayner standing tall and almost with a dominate pose. "Well this is a first, you've never returned with anyone before." he chuckled "Oh wait. This one is something special! Will there be pups soon? You realize that Alessa will be in fits if she finds out." He almost beamed at the thought, and this large man was a sight to see when he beamed. "So what is your name son? Need to find out a little more about one who our Ryshie brings home"

Ryshka's paw went to her face to attempt to hide her embaressment her voice grating between her clenched teeth. "Oh for the love of the gods Alric, can you still your wagging tongue...And Ryshie you still call me that even when I ask you not to..."

Rayner watched as the man approached and blinked in surprise at Rysh's reaction to him. She seemed to know this human, maybe he was one of the two she had mentioned earlier. He searched his memory to remember the name... Alric, that must be it. In that case this man could be trusted. Rayner began to relax a little, listening to their cheerful conversation.

When Alric turned his attention to Rayner, he half expected it to be a regular, formal hello of sorts. He was going to say something, but the elder beat him, and Rayner's jaw dropped, "P-pups? I don't... Oh, ah, my name is Rayner." He stumbled to get the words out, caught off guard even he wasn't able to react smoothly, but he made a quick attempt to recover, "You are Alric then? Ryshka said we would be meeting some of her human friends, she speaks highly of you." He ran his tongue over the side of his mouth, glancing at Rysh out of the corner of his eyes to see her own reaction to Alric's words.

Alric knew he had made them both uncomfortable and laughed "You know I am in jest. You two act as if you've never heard a joke before." his portly grin wide across his face.

Rysh shook her head "Well if you will excuse me I think we are going to see mom. We shall return for food however"

Alric nodded the smile slipping from his face and a somber look rolled across him. "Indeed. Ayani was a good soul I know she will be happy to have you home for a little while. Of course there will be plenty of food when you get back. It should be mostly ready by then. I do know you like raw fish as well so I will tell Alessa to make sure they save some from the pot for you and Rayner."

Ryshka bowed her head in respect to Alric before she began to make her way out of the village heading towards the darkening sky and the call of the mourning gulls. She returned the flowers to her mouth as she walked once again the gentle clinking of the bracelet on her ankle trilled through the air. The cool salty breeze began to wisk away the heat from the day as the transition to evening and night began to settle in.

A minute passed and she arrived at the shore. The water's calm demeanor was soothing with the gentle rush of small tide waves pushing against the shores grainy surface. Even her new friend snips knew this calm and scuttled his way down her and made his return to the sea gently pinching the air before disappearing into the foam. Her eyes wandered out over the water and she sat down her tail instinctively taking place around her paws. She looked back to Rayner for a moment before returning her gaze to the sea.

"Indeed. Ayani was a good soul I know she will be happy to have you home for a little while. Of course there will be plenty of food when you get back. It should be mostly ready by then. I do know you like raw fish as well so I will tell Alessa to make sure they save some from the pot for you and Rayner."
Rayner felt as if he might drool, he wasn't sure if he would like eating fish or not, but food was food, and he was undoubtedly hungry. But something also struck him as odd. He wasn't sure if he'd heard right, but it sounded as if Alric used the word 'was' when speaking of Rysh's mother. Did that mean there was something wrong with her? Or maybe it was just a slip of the tongue, he let it go.

As they headed on out of the village Rayner relaxed, it felt good to be out in the open again, where the air was fresher with the cooling evening and the only sounds were those of the natural world and the bracelet on Ryshka's foot. He took a deep breath and sighed, feeling a pleasant smile make its way onto his face. At this time of day everything seemed particularly beautiful. For a moment he was content to look out at the ocean as well, but then he remembered something. "Rysh, why did you stop here? I thought we were going to see your mother."

Ryshka barely heard him as she threw the flowers out in the water and watched them float for a few moments before being swallowed by the waves. "We are... my mom... Ayani, she...well" Her voice began to catch in her throat, "She was killed when I was very young." She took a moment to clear her throat and cover a small tear that slipped from her eye. "I was only 8 when they came. Then there was a fight and I tried to protect her. I remember his white fur, and how angry he was, when he swiped at her , I bit him in the foot. I took one of his toes, but that only seemed to anger him. I remember being in a lot of pain momentarily afterwards and even sorta waking up. Thats when I realized I couldn't see very well out of my left eye anymore. Then mom was yelling for me to run and she would be right behind, so I ran. I ran as far as I could and hid under that old tree on the outskirts of town and waited...but she never came." Another small tear seeped from her eye as she stared out into the water trying to gain any semblance of composure.

"I am sorry Rayner. I should have told you before, let you know there she isn't physically here anymore, but it is true, that I do come to visit her. I mean I know that I can't see her, or hear her or anything, but I feel her here by the sea." Her composure broke and she couldn't hide the tears anymore. She got up and turned away not wanting him to see the broken mess she was quickly becoming.

"She's... Dead? Oh Rysh, I'm so sorry..."
Rayner stared in shock at Ryshka, listening as she told him all that had happened. He wondered how many other shinlai knew about this. It did explain some things, why the elder had referred to Ayani in a past tense, why she had reacted to seeing the strange old tree, how he'd felt like she was hiding something from him.
Her story was heart wrenching, he felt his own throat tighten a little. He didn't remember his own mother much, she was probably still alive, but they were never very close. His parents would never do such a thing. For a mother to sacrifice herself... Something seemed queer though. Those details of the killer sounded familiar. A white shinlai with a missing toe, it surely wasn't anyone he knew, he just felt like he recognized them. Rayner wanted to comfort her, to tell her that he didn't care that she'd lied, but instead he shifted to sudden anger.

"Who was it?" He voice deepened a bit as he growled and stood up, "Who killed her, do you know his name? Was he a neutral?"

She heard Rayner's growl and could feel the shifts in the sand as he stood. Turning to him she watched as he became angered by the things she had said.
"Who was it?" He voice deepened a bit as he growled and stood up, "Who killed her, do you know his name? Was he a neutral?"
His concern struck her deeply. Noone had ever became angered by her plight. Sure most would be sad and comforting, but for some reason his reaction stopped her tears and filled her with a sense of hope. Maybe he felt for her enough that he would fight for her. She would never ask that of him, but knowing he might made her realize she just might love him.

Rysh calmed herself as best as she could taking her mask off to wipe the remainder of the tears away. The vivid scar breaking the soft blue fur that covered her face. "His name was Lycuvayu. I remember the ones who were with him called him that. He's also the one who gave me this reminder." Her paw traced the deep scar that ran up and into her eye. "I don't even remember what they wanted but I know they were sent by one of the Darkblood elites. I spent some time trying to find him, more about him...anything I could. I know I am not powerful, and it may not even matter, but I want him to remember what he did. I want to find him and show him he left one behind, and that I will be his undoing." Her voice had shifted from sorrowful to grating and full of unfulfilled vengeance.

Rayner stiffened at this new information, "Lycuvayu..." His growl tapered off, "No, that can't be." He blinked, so it was true, he did recognize the description. Lycuvayu was a well known, and from his perspective, well respected Darkblood. If it was true that Lycu did take orders directly from the Elites, what was there that he could do? Rayner watched Rysh uncertainly for a moment, then sighed.
"Ryshka... I want to help you find him." He said, becoming very serious and calm. He took a few steps forward until he was standing next to her again, their fur brushing slightly. "But it's only fair that I tell you the truth too. I made a promise a long time ago, a promise that I would always obey no matter what. I killed a little girl who had soft brown hair and held onto my fur when she cried... because her family was gone too. I had a reason for what I did, but I've always known that doesn't make it right. She tried to drive a knife up through mouth, but for a moment before that I felt... needed. Maybe if I help you I can start to make things better again. I held onto my promise because it was my life and my structure, but if it was for you I would break it. I promise, not all of the Darkbloods are bad. Not all of us are bad."

Ryshka eased for a moment, at the sensation of him being so close, she heard his words and was about to speak a word of thanks for his help on her mission to find her mothers murderer, when his words finally sunk in.
I promise, not all of the Darkbloods are bad. Not all of us are bad."

"Not all of us are bad... is that right. Well what does that make you? Not bad because you pledge yourself to murderers and you only do what is necessary? No, it makes you clever, tricking me...fooling me, just so you can finish what your "boss" started?" Her fur bristled on its own, the anger and rage swelling with each word she took.

The calm sea began to boil, splashing violently at the shore. The inner turmoil seemed to peak as the angry frothing seafoam began to freeze, while small veins of water snaked towards Rysh's feet and up her legs freezing as soon as it came in contact with her dirty blue fur. "Thats why you are here isn't it...finish what Lycu started? Was this part of the big plan as well? Told to make me fall in love with you, make me trust you?" Her words easily could have been mistaken for angry claims spewn and wrought with fear had it not been for the tone of her voice. The simple monotone, the cold pained anguish that only comes when one is suffering the stabs of betrayal. The hope and light of her voice was dampened. Faintly a whisper escaped her lips as more and more water began to lash angrily at the shore and flooding around their feet. "I thought I knew you...but as always I was wrong."

The water continued to force its way ashore towards them, even though Rysh hadn't truly any hold of its power. Her sudden rush of anger triggered an out pour of her elemental control and willed the water towards her unknowingly. When she finally realized what she was doing it was far too late. She over exerted herself, her pale blue eyes flushed a frosty white before all she could do was yelp in agony as the faint control she had on the water overpowered her senses, and knocked her unconscious. She slumped to the side hitting the ground hard, the angered water instantly withdrawing and unfreezing back to its docile liquid state.

"But I could never-" Rayner flinched as the rage in her words stung him and the freezing water began to soak in through his thick fur. Her tone made it worse, almost like dead acceptance, he stared at her but could not speak for horror at her reaction was gripping him. Her element seemed now to be out of control, water lapping at their feet like a hungry animal. The mud on his feet began to wash away, but his mind and heart only felt more loaded. Before long he would have to retreat, or so it seemed.

Before he could even begin, her final words hit as cold as the ice. "I thought I knew you...but as always I was wrong."
"Please Rysh, it's not like that. If I wanted to finish anything..." It was too late though, she yelped and slumped to the ground, and the ice became water once again. "If I wanted to finish anything I would do it now." He stated, looking down at her, though she could not hear him.

Of course he would do nothing of the sort. Even if Rayner had actually been ordered to kill Rysh as some sort of revenge for Lycu's lost toe, he knew now for sure that he would never have been able to carry it out. He wouldn't be able to hurt her, or leave her either, even if she hated him now... She'd taken a hard fall, Rayner knew he would need to move her somewhere else so that any damage could hopefully be repaired. Physical damage anyway. He leaned his head down close to hers, "It'll be okay Rysh, I'll still help you. I won't leave you here. You'll be okay."

It took a few minutes to drag her to ground that was more or less dry, and when he did Rayner managed to lift her up onto his back, a difficult task considering the fact that she was limp. But he was determined, and walked forward steadily until they arrived back at the village. It was dark now, and Rayner's breath came up short and nervous, he was having a hard time seeing what was around him. Every step he took it seemed like one of his feet would knock something over, or his horns would scrape a building. How could he ever find Alric and Alessa? What was it that Rysh had done earlier... She'd spoken to the locals to ask for help. Great.

Rayner tried his best once again not to look unfriendly, and approached one of the humans, a woman who seemed to be cleaning a shiny metal object. She looked up at him and at first seemed fascinated to see him, but her eyes moved to Rysh's limp for on his back and suddenly she looked about to scream. "Please, I need your help." Rayner spoke quickly so that she wouldn't get the chance, "I have to find the elder Alric and Alessa, it's an emergency."
"Oh." The woman breathed, she dropped the metal object with a *clank* and moved out into the street, motioning for him to follow.

They walked for only a little while, the woman checking over her shoulder every now and then to make sure that Rayner hadn't fallen too far behind, or that he wasn't going to pounce, he couldn't be sure. Either way he was grateful for the help. It just nagged at him that he had always distrusted humans. Were they really the ones who were bad? His mind continued to wonder to Rysh as he walked.
Rayner found it much easier to move as long as he kept his eyes on a guide and before long found himself standing in front of one of the buildings. "This is where he is right now?" Rayner asked the woman. "Yes." She nodded, and without waiting to be thanked hurried off into the night again. Rayner turned his head briefly to watch her go, then shifted his back so that Rysh wouldn't fall off and knocked on the door with his head. He didn't mean to knock very hard, but Rayner didn't have much experiance with humans, and the doors reaction to his head being bashed against it was to make a splintering sound at the hinge. Oh well, maybe it would at least catch the attention of whoever was inside.

A loud commotion and tripping and the clattering of furniture being toppled over broke the silent air. "What in the name of the heavens!", the womans voice sounded slightly alarmed as the door swung open and she stood face to face with Rayner. A shocked look passed across her face as she stammered her words , "Uh well... You are not exactly what I was expecting to see".

The woman herself was very tall and fairly muscular compared to the other women of the village. Her thick brown hair was tied in a hasty pony tail that hung behind her back. One other thing that made her stand out in particular, was the fact she didn't dress like any of the women from the village wearing a plain tan tunic and dark black trousers. She also had a large knife tied to her leg with a pale white band. She looked just as stern as Alric with her sharp amber brown eyes and rather serious composure. It was easy to see that Alessa was easily a match for Alric and that is why they loved each other.

She glanced over Rayners shoulder to see the limp Ryshka muddied and wet. She closed the door behind her as she stepped out underneath Rayner's neck and slipped to his side. "Bring her around back, there will be more space." She lead him to the back of the house where there was thick soft marsh grass growing.

"What happened?" a simple and easy statement was all she spoke.

Rayner eyed the woman standing in front of him for a moment, surprised by her confident appearance, and weary of the knife he could see tied to her leg. Swallowing the beginnings of a growl, he decided that this must be Alessa. She seemed to accept his arrival with Rysh very quickly, perhaps having delt with worse in her life time.
He followed her to the back of the house with slightly more sluggish steps. "She lost control of her element." He replied steadily, beginning to lean down so that he could put Ryshka on the soft grass without dropping her. Hopefully that would be enough of an explanation for now, he didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing just yet.