[The Fringe Forests] Barking Up the Wrong Tree (Rhy/Serrif)

[Gianne Basete]

Terrible shouts and snarls sounded around her, and she could hear the fighting. Gianne stopped trying to push the wolf's body off of her and instead shrunk closer to it, now grateful for the shield it was providing in its death. She heard the thump of the girl's branch again, and a sequel from the wolf it must have hit. Then more sounds of a struggle, and a massive weight crashed down on the wolf already pinning her to the ground. She gasped and shoved against the additional weight, eyes widening as she caught a glimpse of the girl, now a dog, tearing at the last wolf tooth and nail. They rolled off and chased each other a few feet away, then launched back into the brawl again. Summoning as much energy as she could, which wasn't much, Gianne groaned and shoved herself out from under the big wolf's lifeless body. Shaking and panting as she stood, she readied her dagger again. The dog and wolf were violently clamoring for an opening to the throat, snapping and scratching and growling. It was both terrible and beautiful. The wolf pivoted, putting its great red back to Gianne. She threw herself at it, screaming as she landed on it, wrapping her arms tightly around its neck. It shrieked and snarled, thrashing violently in surprise. She bit into the scruff of its neck, taken over by the primal need to survive. Wrapping her legs around its ribs, she clung, and her weight dragged it to the ground where it wriggled powerfully beneath her. "Get it!" she yelled, then brandished her dagger, plunging it into the soft flesh of the wolf's belly. The oddest sound she'd ever heard came from the animal's throat. Somewhere between a whine, a grunt, and a moan. Gianne ripped the blade clumsily from its gut, spilling blood onto the ground. She rolled off and quickly crawled away, trying to block out of the wolf's choked whimpering. But when she glanced back she realized it wasn't the wolf. It was her, and tears were streaming down her dirty face, mixing with the drying blood, sweat and dirt.

[Rhy]

Rhy and the red roll off of the wolfs body together and break apart the brawl, but only for a second. A tense moment as they stare each other down with prickling hackles and quivering sides. The red lashes out again, swinging its head for Rhy’s jaw and its all she can do to pull herself up to her hind feet and pitch to the side to avoid it. Instead the wolf takes a mouthful of the soft flesh stretched between the front of her hip and her body, and shakes its head as if it has caught a rabbit. Rhy's snarl turns into a whine and her body contracts so she can whip around and land her own blow. The wolf lets go and leaps to its hind feet to evade, then comes down hard on her back to dominate and push her down. This goes on longer then Rhy can manage. She's never had a brawl like this. There is a ripping pain as the wolf grabs the flesh behind her mane and lets her tear herself apart to get away. The dull ache of impending bruises bloom as they knock heads and ribs. Paws scrape for purchase on fur as the wolf works to push her farther down. Its all she can do to stay on her feet. The wolf always has the upper hand. Rhy thrashes out from under the red again and breaks the brawl, crying loud, with her head and tail hanging halfway to submission. She immediately squares off again and waits for the next volley, but she's wobbly and uncertain. And then the red lets loose a yelp and bucks like a wounded deer. Rhy stares dumbly as the human throws herself on its back and wrestles with the monster. Her eyes are bright and feverish against her gore and dirt painted skin. The woman is screaming something, but Rhy doesn't catch it. She's staring at the growing pool of blood beneath the gaping wound in the wolfs belly. The woman rolls off its back and pulls herself away on her hands and knees, and the fight in her body vanishes. She's suddenly just a helpless mess of blood and tears. A touch of her Kelvic protective instincts kick its way into her locked limbs and pushes her towards the moaning wolf, who had struggled upright and stumbles in the humans direction. It must be running away, but its still injured and dangerous. It would die in the wild anyway. A sudden sprint and Rhy has her jaw locked around the animal at the top of its neck. It only manages a hollow resistance before Rhy pulls it to the ground and lets it die with a whimper. She’s up again, her growl having given way to panting, but her stance is stiff and defensive as she waits for another attack. But it doesn't come. She pivots to a scan the clearing and finds it empty but for dead the grey and red wolves. The other two must have dragged themselves away. Still thrumming with adrenaline, she stands perfectly still and lets her muscles unclench one by one, taking stock of injuries she didn’t notice: some sort of cut or tear on her scruff, a bite on the front of her hip and some tender, scratched ribs. Not serious, as far as she can tell. The pain is harsh but manageable, and the bite is not bleeding very much. That must be a good sign, right? A feeling of intense relief washes over her. All she wants to do is find a den, put her head between her knees and purge herself of the last of the feral energy and lay for a long, healing nap. Only her Kelvic nature wont let her. She approaches the woman with a soft whimper. The human was making dreadful sounds that made her ears flatten. Blood is cracking across her face, matting into her hair along with a fistful of grass and a smear of sweat. But how much of the blood is hers? Did she break something when she fell in that grass? She begins by licking the gore from her forehead to get her notice. And finally resorts to sticking her tongue in her ear to get a reaction. Once she’s sure she has her attention she begins probing with a cold nose and inquisitive eyes to look for scratches and bites. Maybe she broke something. How do you find out? The uselessness of the situation overwhelms her. What does a street-rat know about medicine? Lost and confused, she resorts to whining and pacing around her body, nudging and licking and checking for damage the only way she knows how.

[Gianne Basete]

Gianne had her arms wrapped around her head, as if that would block out the sound of the fight. How long had she been sitting there? It felt like forever, and she just wanted to go back to the Sanctuary and go to bed. Her arm burned something awful, but the bite wasn't terrible. It was just the fact that she had puncture marks in her skin, and that hurt. She could feel the beginnings of several bruises, and her muscles felt like they'd ache for the rest of her life. At least nothing seemed broken. A warm tongue rasped across her forehead, but she ignored it. Either go away or eat me. Next the tongue flicked into her ear and she picked her face up, making an odd face. It was the girl. Or rather, dog. She let out a rattling breath that she didn't know she'd been holding and looked around for the wolves. Two dead, and the others nowhere in sight. The Kelvic was snuffling Gianne's body, poking her nose around gently in a searching manner. She put a hand on her head and gave it a little scratch. "I'm okay. In one piece. Just got bit, but it's not too bad. Are you alright?" Now that she was really looking, Gianne noticed the scrapes and blood on the dog's fur, and the edges of a bite on her hip. She cupped the dog's soft face and gently rubbed her cheeks, staring at her intently. "Thank you for protecting me. I'll take you back to the Sanctuary and we can get you taken care of, okay?" It was a small effort to stand, but she managed, then frowned deeply when another thing came to her notice. Gill was nowhere to be seen. The branch he'd been tied to was missing, broken off from the tree trunk it had been growing from. "Petch," she mumbled. She stumbled over to the tree and walked all around it, looking at the surrounding area in dismay. "He's run off!" How are we going to get back now? The stress of it all had boiled over long before, and she'd cried herself dry several minutes ago, so she just stood there staring at the broken knob where the tree limb had been, wanting to scream and spit and hit something. "What now?"

[Rhy]

"Well, we can track him down for starters" Rhy appears behind the woman like a ghost, human again, and squinting like a drunk trying to bring the world back into focus. The shift had seemed necessary, since teeth are needed less and communication a lot more. Not to mention the usefulness of hands for support, tending and hauling 150pound wolf carcasses that she has every intention of keeping. But she had regretted it almost immediately. Her energy is so low she's in real danger of a sudden bout of narcolepsy. "Three shifts in less then ten minutes. Must be a record", she mumbles, kneading her face with the heel of her hand and effectively smearing her already filthy skin. "Anyway, I can track him down anywhere. As long as he doesn't make a marathon out of it. Or cross the river. Or follow a game trail. Or..." This isn't impressing anyone. She clears her throat loudly. "I can track him", she finishes. Her eyes stray down to the humans injured arm, still leaking blood. The wound is deep, luckily there is no tearing, but as far as she is concerned it does not fall under the category of "not too bad". They really need to find shelter. She averts her eyes to something she can actually act upon. "See that? He even left us a arrow to find him." She points to the two half-moon shapes of hoof gouges in the grass, and her finger raises to indicate the shrub neatly trampled by a powerful body. "I'd say he's pretty panicked. When I'm scared I tend to run in straight lines and bowl everyone out of the way. Maybe he's doing the same thing." A total guess, since her knowledge of horses is limited to which end can do the most damage. "C'mon, he couldn't have gone far." Rhy takes her by the elbow and steers her away from what she has already dubbed "The Battle Field", and flicks her ear again to try and make her laugh. Plowing deep in emotional reserves she's calling upon a calm, happy sense of confidence she doesn't really feel. "Hey, thanks for helping me out there. Im pretty sure you saved my life. Guess I owe you, eh?" she winks playfully. Come to think of it, the woman really did save her life. She took down at least two of the wolves. Maybe three if the one she shot rolled over and died somewhere. That woman's strong. And she's got more gall then the Akalak. "Im Rhy", she blurts out, overcome with a sudden spike of people skills, "and you're amazing." The next half bell is reserved for the tracking of the runaway horse. Which was easier then she expected, since he left such a trail of devastation in his wake. She made a point of pointing out every disturbance he left behind. Starting with the flattened pads of grass, the deep lines she can only assume was caused by the branch he's still tied to, and the permeating smell of horse sweat that sits over everything like a fog. But she was wrong, the trail is not straight but full of sharp turns and right angles within the forest. Every obstacle, even the smallest one, is met with a change of course so sudden she has to backtrack twice to find the scent again. The pattern is strange, haphazard, and oddly desperate. What the hell is it thinking? She stops for a second and prowls in a circle around yet another destroyed patch of leafy stems, ignoring the human as she racked her brains. Its a horse, what do horses do? Eat, sleep, run away from things. Run. Run where? Where does a horse go to hide? No, wait, horses don't hide. They just keep running. Then its not in the forest, i'd be out on the plain! If she had the energy, she would take the time to explain herself, or move at a faster clip now that she knows where she's going. But as it were she ambles away from the looping trail at little more then a walk. Finally emerging from the trees into a sweet early afternoon, and the unmistakable musty smell of horses. Upwind, in the far left of a shallow bowl in the grass, a brown smudge of a horse is pacing. Whether its grazing placidly or running on its frail herbivore nerves is yet to be determined. She's just glad she managed to find it.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

The plains, the rolling grassy plains were peaceful when there was nothing else about. Yes coming out here was a little more than just dangerous after the storms. Beasts and monsters had been warped by them and now roamed hungry, alone, and usually vicious as well. And with no idea of what was roaming one had to keep their senses about them properly. Riding atop Hasmere his brilliant white stallion who was visually uncomfortable in the heat. But being in the winds of the plains helped sooth him, as well as Serrif. Something about the waving grass being blown gently by the wind, bowing…Nature was surely one of the things that could not be stopped…all bowed to it’s power if they wanted to or not.

Riding was something he was taking up; because unlike Mura you did need a horse here to get around effectively. Especially when you were riding from the Sanctuary out to the city or out to the forest to look for ingredients for testing new medical concoctions. Sometimes you had to find things yourself; it was more cost effective that way as well. He didn’t want to spend coin on things he could find himself in the forest or on the plains. An added bonus was getting to see nature and being able to escape chaos for a few chimes.

Hasmere trotted on through the plains keeping an ear peeled for trouble. Both were ready to react in a moments notice. Serrif would likely be the more aggressive responder. The climbing quiver on his right thigh kept an arsenal of arrows at the ready no matter how hard he decided to ride in the moment. His bow was strapped skillfully to the saddle easily accessible to his left hand at a moments notice…but he was still new to this riding thing so he would have to take it all very easy. He was not a Dryka, nor was he accustomed to horses really in any way. He had worked on them, healed them, and used them for tasks. But still he had not been used to these large beasts of burden.

Darting? His mind questioned as he saw something quickly flash through the plains…running in a panic.

He fixed his gaze on the moving object and quickly recognized it as a horse. He looked the animal over…why did it look familiar to him? Perusing through his memories he remembered seeing this horse in the stables at the Sanctuary. He did rounds in the morning checking the health of all the horses and he remembered this one…but not who its rider was. There were a few new faces around the Sanctuary he had still to meet. Someone from the Sanctuary was in trouble…deadly trouble. Or…that they just fell of their horse; but looking around he didn’t see anyone running after the horse. Which was not a good sign. So his mind raced he had to make a very quick and decisive decision as to the path he was going to follow. This was an obvious emergency, his mind kicked into high gear and the decisions were weighed.

Would he go after the horse? No, horses were easily replaced human life was not. He made note of the direction the horse came from, knowing full well he could be walking into anything and anyone. It was a dangerous undertaking but he could hold his own in most circumstances, but not knowing only heightened his sense of anxiety even more. His left hand found the familiar wooden handle of the ornate Konti Longbow while his right hand on the reins directing Hasmere in the direction the horse had come from…the forest outskirts. The horse didn’t travel much past the treeline and settled down...but he still wouldn’t want to approach the animal yet. And since it hadn’t traveled too terribly far it would be easy to fetch later. His eyes then fixed on the forest treeline.

That was definitely somewhere that trouble waited. If he had to pick somewhere that was indeed more than just slightly dangerous to go now it was the forests where the animals waited for prey. It wasn’t enough that the plains themselves were roamed by Glassbeaks or raiders, the forests were patrolled by all kinds of man and beast that Serrif wanted to have nothing to do with. But he really didn’t have much of a choice if he was going to help whoever was likely in trouble. Sitting up to get a better view he was like a sentinel, a beacon really he could see far and therefore also be seen quite easily as well.

Between the two women only Rhy knew of him. Serrif hadn’t had a whole lot of interaction being that he was trying to help build the Sanctuary up during the Spring and show that he was useful there as well…something he was still working on was gaining trust. Clad in a green tunic top ;of whose acquisition was blamed securely on Kavala after she had torched his bodysuit, and black cotton pants he continued to look for anything out of the ordinary…which was when he heard a voice, gently and distantly drifting over the winds…it was hard to discern who or what it belonged to…but he heard it…hardly.

“What now.” The voice was familiar only in that he had heard it in the Sanctuary before…but couldn’t place a face to the name. But that didn’t mean that everything was any better than he had originally believed. He dismounted as he was now close enough to vaguely hear them he needed to know what the situation was before he made any decisions on who was to live and who was to die.

It was about now that the horse stopped running and a figure emerged from the forest. A figure he was actually familiar with. “Rhy!” He said as he moved from the tall grass toward her. He looked worried but relieved as well…however she was injured.

“Is everything ok? What is going on?” He said looking her injured body over some his medical mindset kicking in now, even if his anxiety was still a little high.

[Gianne Basete]

The girl's voice suddenly came from behind, making Gianne jump. She turned to face her, a hand on her chest, as if that would calm her pounding heart. "You're positive of this?" But the girl didn't seem positive. Each factor that would effect her tracking abilities dampened Gianne's hopes a little bit more. She smiled grimly, trying to look reassured by the girl's confidence. "See that?" was all that needed to be said for her to whip around in the direction the Kelvic was pointing. Oh. Maybe this wouldn't be so challenging? Gill had left a lot of damage in his wake. The dirt was torn and an entire bush was beaten flat, pointing to the direction he'd gone. She hoped beyond the probable chances of his safety that he was alright. Why hadn't she just stayed at the Sanctuary today? This was all her fault. If she hadn't been so curious of the girl's barking and taken Gill into the trees, none of this would have happened. Shame and fear finally resurfaced and Gianne burst into violent sobs. She thought she had cried herself dry, but she was very wrong. The girl took her elbow though and forged ahead, following the frantic trail left by her poor gelding. She covered her eyes with her free hand, wiping away the tears as she hiccuped and gasped for breath. Today was a day for many firsts. She shot her first animal, was mauled for the first time, killed for the first time, and met her first Kelvic. The bad clearly outweighed the good. Gianne was too distracted with wiping away her tears to even see the girl wiggle her ear, but when she spoke she looked over at her. She smiled a little and blushed at the thanks and compliment, shrugging her shaky shoulders. "Rhy is a good name. Mine is Gianne. It's good to officially know you," she said with a watery smile. Her sobs had subsided to occasional hiccups, and she knew she must look like a mess. "I was lucky I had you around though, else I wouldn't have had the courage to do anything. That was my first time ever even shooting a living creature." The thought put a bad taste in her mouth, but she swallowed back the urge to vomit. Rhy really was the only reason they were still alive in Gianne's eyes. If she'd been alone she and Gill would probably be dead by now. She always had more courage when she had someone's back, or someone to have her's. And then she lost track of time. They wove, circled, backtracked, and circled some more. Rhy pointed out details of the trail as they followed it along. Tracks, some flattened foliage, or the odd broken stick. Those were the only times they spoke. Rhy was concentrating intently, and Gianne didn't feel like speaking much anyway. A lot of what she was thinking was how much she wanted her arm to stop hurting. Also that this wasn't a straightforward path. Gill had taken a lot of turns in his frantic escape. Rhy stopped suddenly and circled a patch of roughed up plants, and she waited patiently for the Kelvic to say something. Instead of speaking, she suddenly took off walking away from the trail. Gianne furrowed her brows and lagged behind, wondering if she should say anything. Is she positive with what she's doing? But she wasn't a tracker in the slightest herself, so how could she question this girl? With no further doubts she followed, but slowly. She wasn't going to run to catch up, when Rhy wasn't running herself. The Kelvic wove further ahead and when she breached the treeline, Gianne couldn't help but feel a little fearful. Was something following? Were more wolves lurking in those bushes ahead? She glanced over each shoulder, picking up the pace despite the absolute fatigue in nearly every muscle of her body. "Rhy!" shouted a male voice ahead, making jump. When the shock wore off the wave of relief she felt was almost overwhelming. Someone had found them and hopefully could them. And he apparently knew Rhy. She broke into a slow jog despite the protest of her body, stumbling more than she was proud of, but she finally made it out of the trees. It was such a drastic change of scenery being back out in the plains. No places for the wolves to hide. No more blood. At the moment. The man standing with Rhy was huge in height, but not mass. She'd assume he would be massive both ways, but for some reason he seemed too lean, like he'd been shorter and stockier then stretched thin. His bones were big, there just wasn't enough meat on them. He didn't look unhealthy, but he didn't look healthy either. Yet he was still very attractive, with pitch black hair and striking green eyes. For a split second Gianne found herself wishing she looked better, and then cursed inwardly. Definitely not the right time. Tearing her eyes away from the stranger and Rhy, she scanned the horizon for Gill. There! He was a brown blemish in the distance, moving a little erratically. A crushing weight was lifted off her tired shoulders, and she finally smiled a full toothed grin. Gianne stuck two fingers in her mouth and blew, letting loose a piercing whistle. If it startled the two standing nearby she didn't care. She was totally focused on the horse now galloping full tilt in their direction. She'd seen a movement when she whistled that was most likely his head shooting up to listen, and her thoughts were confirmed when he b-lined right for her. As he got closer she heard to high pitched whinnies peeling from his throat. Was he hurt? Would he run away when she tried to restrain him? Could she restrain him?

[Rhy]

A gifted hunter can never be caught off guard. Their senses are too sharp, and their instincts even sharper. All by products of living with your eyes cast forward for your prey and behind you for your enemies. But Rhy, for all her confidence, is not an expert hunter. So when Serrif calls her name across the grass she is punished for her lack of diligence with an undignified yip and a poorly timed flinch. Once recovered she narrows her eyes at the hazy figure and waves a hand in front of her face to clear the tiny black dots clouding her vision. Until she realizes the black dots are her vision, and the hand is hastily retired to her side. This is about the same time that Gianne lets loose an ear piercing whistle that just about makes Rhy loose her mind all over again. She shakes her head to clear her mind, and once the man comes into focus she breaks out in a reflexive smile of coupled relief and recognition. It was one of the men who treated her over a season ago! In the best of times her memory of mundane facts like names has always been a bit foggy, but in her current state, and the state she met him in in the first place, it is virtually non existent. The only thing she clearly associates with him is his touch, which has a strange calming effect that to her feels like cold honey being poured down her back. So she comes up with this: "Honey-guy!" She doesn't bother to answer Serrif's questions right away. Instead, she marches over to him, picks up his hand, and slaps it to the side of her face. His hands are enormous, rough, and smell like bitter herbs and safety. She buries her face in the warmth, looking for the small comfort of that strange godly touch. Personal space is relative for a Kelvic, even if you are just an acquaintance, so this is nothing unusual for her. But If he moves to pull his hand away he could easily do so, since her grip is as weak as it has ever been. "Gianne, Gianne, this guy is a healer from the place with the high walls. Healed me as a puppy. He can take you back and get us looked over." She plucks at the mans sleeve and smiles at Gianne like a child. "See? I told you. Everything's gonna be fine." With this she starts her explanation of the last hour to the human man with a slow jumble of words muffled in his hand. She tries with limited success to sort the memory into some sort of linear order, speaking as much for his benefit as for her own. "Wolves on the Battle Field. She was mauled, I was mauled, the horse ran away and we are really, really tired." She lifts her hand to indicate Giannes' exposed wounded arm, poised to collect the horse stampeding their way. "Damaged," she finishes. Blunt and to the point. But the point is dull, mismatched, and has very little information. Not that the Kelvic seems aware of it, or particularly bothered.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

It was good to see familiar faces and hear familiar voices even if they were still a little foreign to him. Rhy…her bluntness was always refreshing to him; seemed like other Kelvics he knew her honesty and thoughts resided squarely in her words and actions. Which was refreshing to him because so many others hid intensions behind masks…although so far the Kelvics he met seemed unable to do that. Which meant he knew he could take them at face value…which again was refreshing.

Her calling him Honey-guy brought a smile to his face. That’s one I’ve never heard before In other circumstances he would’ve thought up some witty name for her as well…However almost immediately after this point a young woman busted from the tree line stealing his attention. It seemed this situation was getting interesting quickly adding more unseen facets to the face. And she had a wonderful expressive face, he knew by the wave of relief he saw come over her when she saw the horse in the distance; which he gathered was her horse. She also expressed something interesting when she looked over him, he saw only for a moment her pupils dilated…but only for a moment. The same thing happened on the Isle when those blonde haired seductresses wanted to ‘talk’…But then she seemed to brush the thought away; seemed now wasn’t the time. And he agreed with her.

But it seemed the tow were vying for his attention now; without any hesitation at all Rhy moved directly to him. He felt her small hand grip his and then gently placed it on the side of her face. The way Kelvics operated still fascinated him, they did what they felt the impulse to do. And it seemed Rhy felt the need to have a little comfort and safety…and judging by the name she gave him he represented that for her. One of his hands nearly enveloped the entire side of her face; his palm alone was almost the size of her entire cheek. There was a stark contrast between them, tall and short, rough and soft…He knew that she acted on impulse so he indulged her for a few moments placing another hand on her shoulder with a smile after he dropped his longbow from his grip.

Hid did so for support as well, because he could feel her body tremble some from fatigue. She was weak, and he could tell they both had been in a fight of some kind, which meant there could likely still be some danger here just out of the forest line. An issue he would deal with after he knew just how bad the situation was.

“That’s a nickname I haven’t heard before.” She was entertaining to him, and brought a smile to his face.

Immediately the sensation would take hold of her; she seemed to be the only one that really noticed that he had that ability. Or the only one that directly attributed that gift to his touch, he was still unaware that he had been gifted with it. The soothing effect was even more intense than she remembered the first time, calming…alluring her into pure serenity. If she moved from his touch to speak he let her, but it seemed she wanted to stay there in his touch. It seemed she really enjoyed his company…with a name like Honey-guy…he would love to know the explanation behind that name.

He shrugged a little looking to the woman who was calling her horse to her. With nothing more than a whistle the animal obeyed and came to her. Very interesting he would love to know the training behind that; he could hardly get Hasmere to do anything for him unless he was firm and direct. However this woman could whistle and her animal came running to her. It was about now that Rhy gave an explanation for what happened to them. She provided him with this information along with the other woman’s name…Gianne he locked that name away for later use…or maybe immediate use.

“Well you look a little worn out yourself Rhy…maybe even a little damaged.” He looked her over thoroughly and yes she was injured a little, things he could easily repair and or sterilize with just his mark…Rak’keli’s grace given to him freely.

Healing to him was something intimate, even though most didn’t see it as such. It was him alleviating the worlds pain on a person. Gently taking away whatever ailed them and making them ready to face the world again renewed. He healed openly, and knew that some didn’t quite see the act like he did; that was fine though not everyone could have the same opinions and feelings about everything. Serrif nodded to Rhy and spoke again to her in almost a whisper that she could easily hear with her acute hearing.

“Stay still Rhy.” The command was gentle but direct, he wasn’t asking her to stay still; no he was telling her to. He felt the need to heal her, and needed her to stay still while he did. But he didn’t think that would be an issue for her.

Closing his eyes he began to focus, feeling the healing energy of his Gnosis mark begin to pour from him. It started where the mark was, on his right forearm there he could feel the warmth pool at first. Then it rushed forward through his palm and even into his fingertips where it began to pour into Rhy’s body. The visual effect was a little stunning as there was a slight white opalescent light at the contact point between them. The energy began searching for anything damaged to repair. It would heal minor wounds, even remove bruises or scrapes. But for anything more serious it would merely cleanse the wound completely but not heal it. Her muscles would feel relaxed…renewed the entire process took under a minute to complete.

“There you are, better than before but not quite good as new.” His gaze turned to Gianne and motioned taking his right hand off of Rhy’s shoulder to motion to her.

“You bet get those treated now so they don’t get worse.” His fingers and palm motioned for her to come to him where he could easily reach her, he planned to do the same for her that he did for Rhy, and he wouldn’t easily take no for an answer because his Goddess would not let him.

[Gianne Basete]

She hadn't seen Gill run so fast in the entire time she'd had him, and it made her smile. He charged up to her and stumbled to a halt in front of her, tossing his head anxiously. The branch he'd been tied to was knocked against his knees and there were visible cuts on his legs. Quickly she grabbed the reigns and clumsily pulled her knife from her boot, using it to cut the leather at the very base of the knot. Absently Gianne realized she'd have to replace these, but that was irrelevant at the moment. She kicked the branch away with disgust. It only stirred memories of what had transpired merely a short time ago. Rhy was explaining about the man and she nodded at the correct times to show that she was listening despite her other distraction. It was a relief to know he was a healer, but she couldn't quite relax yet with her horse still so spooked. Gill was shaking with anxiety and fear, ears pinned back, and eyes wide and rolling. The stranger's horse skittered a few steps away, snorting nervously. The only problem with horses is that their fear tended to spread from one to the other. She put her hands on his neck and he tried to jerk away, but she reeled him back in with the reigns. Foam dripped from his lips and he chewed the bit restlessly, pawing at the ground with a shod hoof. It would take a while for him to calm down. She was no horse master, and could only be patient and wait it out. Gianne wished she could do more, but she couldn't. So she gently stroked his sweaty neck and murmured comforting nonsense, hoping it would eventually help. Absently she glanced back at the pair next to her and nearly jumped again. She'd been trying to calm Gill so she hadn't noticed the unique occurrence start. Wherever the man touched Rhy, an odd light shown. It wasn't something to be afraid of, that much she instantly knew. It was just startling, and didn't even last long. She noticed that once it was over Rhy looked very noticeably better. The man motioned to her now and she looked at her arm. "You're right, but..." Whatever she was going to say, she didn't. Gianne was nervous, not knowing if it would hurt. But there was a comforting feeling pulling her toward him, like the day when she was very young and approaching her first horse. It had been a monstrously tall stallion, and even though she was scared she still stroked its nose, because her mother was nudging her along and giving her confidence. Strange, she wondered to herself, seeing as how these were completely different circumstances entirely. Now she was a grown woman, wounded, and with a Kelvic she was barely acquainted with along with a man she didn't know who was beckoning to her. Fine. Gianne tentatively moved closer, a million questions buzzing around in her brain. She'd never seen magic performed before, except for a few parlor tricks, so her stomach was in knots. What will it feel like? was the main question rattling around in her skull.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

He was glad to see that her horse came so willingly back to her; he wouldn’t have expected that even under good circumstances. Seems that her horse had a very high level of trust in her, a relationship he lacked with Hasmere. He still didn’t understand the beast for the large part. He only knew the essentials which was comical being that he worked somewhere that bread these massive animals. But he wasn’t there to breed horses, he was there to create medicine and heal. But he would learn more as he went along he was sure.

Gianne was skeptical; he could see it in her eyes and most of all her body language. Those wonderfully framed young hazel eyes looked at him with uncertainty; and he couldn’t blame her really. He would be a little apprehensive as well. But the Kelvic that had nuzzled herself against him was a certain amount of reassurance to her. He knew that Kelvics especially wouldn’t do anything that would harm them purposely. He could only imagine what had to be going through the woman’s mind right now…how unsure she had to be about what he was asking her to do. But he knew she would come to the right conclusion eventually; he just had to give her time.

He didn’t need to lure her to him; she would make that decision on her own. He would be her steadfast place, heal her wound and cleanse those he couldn’t seal up completely. Little did he know he would also calm her soul, and bring forward serenity in her mind causing a sensory revelation across her body the longer his touch lingered on her. This was the ‘gift’ he was still unaware of, it masked itself with the healing gnosis…even though the two were very different; yet complimentary, gifts.

She approached him, slowly as if she was fighting a battle for what she wanted, but they both knew she needed to be healed; the sooner the better. He embodied a tall foreign stallion from her childhood. He was larger than her, standing a good near foot above her height. And his proposal caused just as much uncertainty within her. But he didn’t view what he was about to do as magic…no it was divine…in his mind something completely different. The power gifted to him from Rak’keli he viewed as something personal, almost intimate. And he tried to convey this every time he healed. It was a divine touch from the Goddess herself. To be healed by him was to be healed by Rak’keli.

As she got within reach of him he waited for her to step a few more steps closer so he could impart this gift to her. He managed a gentle smile as he watched her carefully approach. The anxiety and excitement at that point had to be buzzing all inside her head. A million questions, he knew he had millions when Rak’keli herself touched him. He still questioned why she chose him when she knew who he was. Surely her sister Avalis could tell her what he was…who he was. But no matter she marked him anyway; a truly humbling experience for him. One he was still rolling over again and again in his head trying to find the reasoning for.

“It will not hurt Gianne. Now close your eyes for me, and breathe steadily.” It was a big demand because what was about to happen may surely take her breath away.

Gently and slowly he laid one of his large rough hands on her shoulder near her neck. His pointer, index, and middle fingers touched her spine lightly. And almost immediately his gift washed over her. Being that he was touching her spine it happened even faster than usual; taking control of her nerves and washing them with warm serenity. He didn’t start healing at first; no instead he just let her body get used to his hand on her. But he was unaware that he was doing much more than that. She wouldn’t see any light emitting from his hand on her, he wasn’t using his gnosis yet…but the feeling was astounding. She would quickly understand why Rhy called him ‘Honey-guy’.

OOCTook some liberties with the imagery Gianne would see here, please let me know if it doesn’t work for you.

She would see light, just like she was walking through a heavily wooded forest after a rainstorm. Or so she felt like it. The droplets lazily fell off the leaves and branches as the sunlight penetrated the canopy and basked her; warming her skin gently. The wind whisked through the trees and surrounded her as it moved by. She could hear birds chirp in the distance happy the rain was over. It seemed this imagery chased away whatever fear or doubt she had. Replacing it with something she was familiar with. All this came before he even started purging and healing her wounds at all. Putting her in a very calm state which Serrif saw again in her body language.

Her shoulders were relaxed, eyes were closed but not forcefully so. Her breathing had leveled out, almost as if she was enjoying herself. With a nod he gently whispered to her. “Be still…”

And he closed his eyes as well, gently he called forth the power of Rak’keli that had been given to him. Gently he pushed that energy from his body into the hand that was touching her. Even with his eyes closed he could see and feel the mark on his right arm start to glimmer…and see the light at the point of contact. The feelings she had only moments ago grew in strength and her body relaxed under his touch. Her muscles felt rejuvenated, any sore spots or bruises were pulled from her body almost as if they were just lifted and healed completely. Everywhere the feeling went it washed over her injuries and healed them. The shallow wounds it could heal completely, scratches, bruises, and small wounds. However anything more serious would merely be healed up some and cleansed clean completely.

The feeling washed over her completely, and Serrif felt when it was done and spoke again gently to her. “It is done. How do you feel?”