Closed Within Temptation (Phoenix)

[Alori Sai]

Time Stamp: 66th of Winter
Where: The Unforgiving
Who: Aela/Sira

It was a beautiful afternoon in Windreach and all around Kalea. It was a warm summer day and Syna's light shined it's brightest, covering all within her reach and lightening it with a brilliant, radiant glow. The city was a buzz on this day. Joy and laughter, as well as the roar of the crowds could be heard throughout the mountain as they enjoyed the show. The fighting pit was packed with the people of the city. It was the season of The Dek of the Mountain and everyone who was anyone attended. Whether they were there to place bets, or simply to watch, it was all a good show and in the spirit of WindReach.

Jhinapar, the destroyer was in the ring, and the people were excited to see the current, reigning champion back in action again. Not one Inartan was seated, everyone was on their feet to see their champion deliver another viscous bashing to another dek. Aela was amongst the crowd, the fiery little Inartan stood in the higher rows on the rocky surface of ledges that were used as rock-form seats. She never placed a bet on the matches, but she enjoyed watching Jhinapar fight.The mammoth of a man was three times her size, and even from the floor of the ring he looked as big as a wind eagle.

The dek was slow moving, having deformed legs and his huge weight made it hard for him to get around as fast, but he easily made up for it in strength. The crowd roared and cheered him on as he tossed the other contender around as if he were mere child. Each time his fist slammed into the man's face caused half of the crowd to cheer and the other half to wince as if they had been hit. Aela lifted her arms and cupped her hands around her mouth as she cheered loudly for Jhinapar. It was an amazing feeling being there with her people, Syna's generous light reaching out and warming her skin. The energy and excitement she felt inside.

And...

She was home..

Long gone from her mind were the incidents from summer. Long gone from her mind was the guilt, shame, and fears that she had felt ever since that day. Long gone was the bitter cold of winter, and all of it having been washed away and transformed into a blissful dream.

She was happy..

The match continued and Jhinapar found no trouble in man-handling his opponent, even shoving him against the walls, and allowing the on-lookers to randomly smack the injured dek about the head before Jhinapar would throw him back onto the ground. The match soon ended, with Jhinapar being the triumphant champion. Aela cheered loudly, above all others and lifting her hands to applaud his performance. Then something happened, something that had never happened before. Jhinapar turned and glanced up through the crowd directly at her. He saw her...Out of the many people assembled around the ring, he looked passed each and everyone of them and saw her.

Aela froze in place, emerald green eyes widen as her lips parted, and she felt her heart skip a beat. He looked at her, an intensity in his eyes, not menacing or gentle and then he spoke.

"You will do good things."

The little huntress gasped loudly as she sat up on her bedding. She sat still for a tick, her mind racing with thoughts and trying to piece together the puzzle between worlds. It was a dream...She sighed unpleasantly reaching up and combing her fingers through her fiery red hair. Her gaze fell onto her lap as she sat for another moment with a blank stare, and ticks more before she attempted to move again. A sudden sharp pain raced up her back and shoulder, causing the girl to moan weakly and hug her shoulder. The bedding that she had put together wasn't holding properly and caused her soreness. She replaced it often to keep fresh and unused stalks and weeds to try and make it more comfortable but it was never enough.

Aela glanced over towards the egg, the same egg that she had stolen. The same egg that she had sheltered for nearly two seasons. She wondered when it would hatch, or if it was even still alive. Aela had been sure to check on it often, and always made sure to keep it warm and safe, but in the end she just didn't know. Finally, she pushed herself up, ignoring the rising ache in her shoulder as she stood up and stretched her arms out to either side of her. There was a muffled growl in her belly as it started to churn, leading Aela to the thought that it was time to go hunting.

She stepped over towards the pile of stuff resting not far from the egg and took up her armor and slipped into it. It was more for warmth than protection. The forest was silent in the winter, most of the animals had moved on to find warmer climates, leaving only a few behind who were used to the changing weather. She took up her bow, quiver, and talon sword strapping them cross her chest, back, and hip before she headed towards the entrance of the cave. Once she stepped outside, she was met with the cold harshness of winter. A sting so cold when the air whips into her nose, it caused her a dull headache.

There was a light blanket of mist in the surrounding air. Icy whites covered the lands as far as she could see and caked to the brittle branches of every tree. There was an ear piercing silence, only known to winter and the lack of life that was left in it's wake. Aela shivered as she stepped out of the cave and onto the carpet of white. Visible wisps of air whirled upward from her nose and lips as she parted them. It had been hard to find food the entire winter and most of the time she had only been able to catch squirrels and rabbits. She figured it would be the same on this day, but she had to eat.

A loud squawk caught her attention suddenly and caused the hungry Inartan to look up towards the skies where her gyrfalcon descended and landed on her outstretched arm. Aela squeaked and hissed at the bird's talons came down and wrapped around her wrist. She had forgotten to put on her gantlet before she left the cave and was now paying for it. The little huntress gave another softer hiss before rising her gaze to set on Skye. "I see you're hungry too. Come on, let's go find us a meal." She smiled and jerked her arm out to send the falcon flapping back into the winds. Quiver across her back, and bow over her shoulder, and sword at her hip, Aela headed off into the forest.

[Sira]

"What are you doing out here, Sira," she mumbled to herself as she trudged through the heavy snow, wrapped up in a heavy winter cloak and wearing way more clothes than she usually preferred. She also had her bow and sword with her, though she was hoping she did not have to use it. She was following a hunch, and little more.

Normally Sira would not have gone out to hunt in the middle of winter, and in truth, she hadn't. She had been talking to Aidara, the subject of Aela came up, and the conversation ended in a very awkward silence. Their choice to let the avora turned rogue go free had never truly sat well with Sira. While she did not want to see Aela dead, a part of her found it difficult to forgive what had happened to her. That, and she knew what her duty to Wind Reach was. But Aidara convinced Sira to let the woman live, to give up the hunt, and Sira had accepted that. But she couldn't help wonder what had happened to the woman.

After Addy left for her day at the infirmary, Sira had a few dek help her load up her gear, and then flew out of the city. It was at first just a trip based on sheer curiosity, and maybe a little hope. Sira even brought some food with her, though she wasn't sure if she would actually give it to the woman, or shoot her on sight, assuming she even found her again. If it had been Sira out in the wild on the run, she would have left the area immediately after she was alone again. But Sira took a chance and returned to the area where they had first found Aela.

Initially she did not see anything out of the ordinary to suggest that Aela might have been there, but Sira had very keen eyes. After a while she began to notice things that looked out of place. Broken branches, what might have been old foot prints in the snow beneath a tree, keeping them from being covered too much by the fresh down. Little things that made her think that maybe, just maybe, someone might still be out there. And so Sira landed, shifted, dressed and geared up, slinging her sack of food over her shoulder and pressing on into the wilderness. She had been at it for a bell, but Sira was a hunter, and hunters were patient. If Aela was out there, or anybody else, Sira would find them. What would happen next, she had no idea.

OOCHopefully Jules informed you that I was going to be a part of this. If not... SURPRISE!!

[Alori Sai]

It had begun to snow again, light and fluffy as it descended from the sky above. The flakes moved in patterns, spirals as they danced through the air and settled onto the ground. After being out in the snow for a bell, the teen's hair was a mix of red and white, the armor on her back was covered in snow as were her boots. She moved slowly through the forest, a serene silence still holding it's grip and the only thing that she could hear besides her foot steps were that of her stomach growling.

Aela continued on for chimes before a rustling in the near-by trees caught her attention. Glancing up she noticed a squirrel scampering about on a bare branch. The little huntress chirped softly to Skye who was soaring above, but it was likely that he had already seen the animal before she did. Aela pulled an arrow from her quiver and notched it into her bow, and raised it to aim the head of the arrow up towards the squirrel. Steadying her arm, she released the arrow into the air. It soared quickly, dashing through the tiny flakes of snow where it slammed into the branch of the tree.

She had missed, finding it hard as she had before to make clean shots when her hands were frozen. The arrow in the tree frightened the squirrel as well, and sent the tiny animals leaping from one tree towards the other. But it wasn't quick enough, and before the squirrel could land, Skye slipped in and snatched it from mid jump. The falcon beat his wings as they propelled him higher into the sky. Moments later he soared back around and dropped the squirrel from his talons down into Aela's hands. She smiled up towards him and continued through the forest. They now had one bite, and she hoped to catch a few more so that they wouldn't still be hungry later.

Off the girl went, further into the forest in search of more food. By this time she had gotten used to the forest surrounding her. Aela could recognize certain trees and bushes, patterns on the ground that let her know where she was. The rogue Avora had gotten used to clinging to the areas where the trees were thickest, and stayed close to any shelter in case another Wind Eagle spotted her. Sira hadn't killed her on that day as she chased the deer, and Aela knew that she wouldn't be so lucky should another spot her. The young huntress continued on through the forest with her eyes peeled for any movements.

Suddenly a sound caught her attention again. Somewhere in the short distance there was a cracking nose, feet pressing against the dead grass and stalks hidden beneath the snow. Aela pulled another arrow from her quiver and slipped it between the bow and string. She moved slowly now, hoping not to tip off whatever it was that she was coming. The sound had been light, but heavy enough that it carried to her ears. Perhaps it was deer or a fox, she couldn't be sure. There was also the possibility that it was a wolf, but what she found as she moved over the hill was just as surprising. It was a human, a woman by the size, dressed in furs and carrying a bag.

"Are you lost?" Aela asked from afar.

Something had happened to her since the last time she had met with Aidara and Sira. No longer did the teen jump from every shadow, no longer did she hide and run from people who happened into the Unforgiving. She excepted her fate and her roll in the events from the past summer. She was no longer afraid, and she was done crying....She was done running. Slowly, Aela stepped down the hillside, Syna's light shined from behind her, bright rays pooled around the tiny girl's figure and illuminating her snow white skin. She held the arrow fixed into her bow as she carried it close to her thighs. She had to be cautious, she didn't know who the woman was or what she wanted.

[Sira]

It was cold, but Sira was used to that. She'd hunted in the winter before.. of course, that did not mean she didn't hate the cold any less, but she could take it. Unfortunately, snow began to fall again even as she made her way through the already deep white carpet, obscuring visibility and covering up any fresh tracks Sira might have hoped to find. It would also make relocating her white saddle more difficult, but Sira wasn't all that worried about that. She remembered where she set down, and wasn't concerned about finding it again.

Sira was beginning to doubt that she would find anything. Since landing she had seen no further signs that there was anbody out there. She was even considering turning back when she stepped on the branch, causing it to crack. That alone did not really concern her, it wasn't as if she was stalking prey. Well.. in a way she was, but as far as she knew, her prey was nowhere nearby. It was much to her surprise when she heard a voice a few chimes later asking if she was lost. Sira froze in place, recognizing the voice even though it had been quite some time since she'd last heard it. She was surpised that Aela would confront her, considering the likelihood that Sira, or anybody else, would turn her in.

Sira turned slowly, dropping her bag at her side and raising her hands to the hood of her katinu, lowering it to reveal her face as she turned around. Her golden eyes met Aela's, glad to see that she was still alive, despite what that might mean for the two of them in the next few chimes, and offered her the hint of a smile. In truth, she was genuinely surprised that the woman had not frozen to death already.. but as Priskil always says, as long as one has hope they will find a way. That was why Sira was not outright attacking Aela, and why she had let her go before. She had to have hope that Aela was redeemable.. and if not, she would have to be vigilant in bringing her to justice.

"...hi Aela. I brought you some food..."

[Alori Sai]

"Sira?"

She asked as the woman turned and lowered her hood. Aela hadn't expected to see the Wind Eagle kelvic again, and here she had returned alone. Their last meeting had left a stale taste in her mouth. Aela had no illusions that the women had forgiven her, only that they had spared her a meeting with Dira. A lot had been said before and it was easy to guess that none of them had been happy with the outcome of their last encounter. Their relationship would never be the same and that sadden Aela.

But through it all, she learned a truth about the city that she loved so much and that it had changed her. Her eyes had been opened to the real world around her and she would never see it the same way again. Even if she was cleared of her crimes, the girl could never walk the streets of the city as she had before, blind to the injustice of it all. There was a time when the teen had decided to leave the forest, to go off into the unknown and start a new. Aela had no idea what waited for her in the outside world, but it was better than dieing in a frozen forest. However she stayed, realizing that heart lied in the city, with her people.

Aela was far too proud to leave her city, and after realizing the truth behind truths, she finally understood what Ivak was trying to teach her. She had to stay, her home, her life was in Wind Reach. Once she made it to the bottom of the hill and stood on level ground, Aela stopped a few paces away from Sira and stared at the bag she held. The woman claimed to have brought her food and it confused the teen. One moment the Endal wanted her dead and the next she was offering her food? If it had been just anyone, she could have seen through it. But Aela had feelings for Sira, and as she continued to pull the strings around the girl's heart, it clouded her judgement.

"What are you doing here Sira, what is this?"

Although the mention of food was more than tempting and the little huntress would gladly except a meal over the tiny squirrel she had, but at what cost did it come?

[Sira]

Sira, in all honesty, had no idea what she was doing out there. She had been curious about whether or not Aela was alive, but she could have simply flown over and figured that out after a while. She missed her friend, as well, but she had come to terms with the fact that they would never be friends again. Or maybe she hadn't. Sira did not want to accept those terms, even though she had little choice. And when she thought about the things Aela had done to land herself in the situation in the first place it rekindled the fire in Sira's heart.. but it was a small fire, and one that Sira didn't want to burn. When she finally answered, she stumbled over her words, completely unsure of herself.

"I.. um.. well. I just thought.. we were talking about you, and I wondered if you were. Well... I just wanted to see how you were doing, okay. I know I'm supposed to hate you, and I should be the one pointing my bow at you.. but I can't, okay. Not yet. I don't know.. I shouldn't be talking to you. I just wanted to bring you this. I know how hard it is to find food out here."

Sira tossed the sack towards Aela and took a few steps back. She knew she should just end it. She should just kill Aela and be done with it. Every instinct in her told her to seek revenge, but Sira could not. Whenever she thought about it she felt her mark flare to life, Priskil's light, giving her hope that maybe there was some other way out of it. But she could not see how. Aela was a lost cause, and there was nothing they could do.

Sira broke eye contact for a moment as the wind picked up and the snow started to fall harder. It would be dangerous for her to fly in such weather, especially considering how deep they were in the mountains. One wrong turn could send her into the face of a cliff. She glanced down at the sack again, then back to Aela as she fought off a shiver and pulled her katinu tighter around her.

"Do you have somewhere we could get out of this snow? I can't fly in this.. I promise, I won't try anything. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Of course Sira didn't know about the egg. If Aela brought her home and Sira accidentally spotted the egg, that could change things. Then she would know that Aela had been lying to her. But at that moment she just felt sorry for the girl, and needed a place to get out of the cold.

[Alori Sai]

Aela's features softened, and the girl almost smiled when Sira mentioned that she and AIdara had been talking about her. If they were talking about her then they still cared, and if they still cared there was still hope. However the moment that she had the thought, Sira's next words devoured it, and she felt stupid for even thinking that it could be true. Sira was still holding to the Endal name, she was still bowing to the caste rather than following her heart. If the story had been reversed, Aela would have fought for her friends, because she believed in her heart that just because things were a certain way, it didn't make it right.

At least that's what she told herself, but she had no way of proving it. Whether she knew it or not, or perhaps it was the extent of which she wasn't certain, but Aela had changed since those days long ago and the rogue saw things differently than the Avora had. "So..you brought me food...just like that? Does..Addy know?" she asked very curiously.

She glanced down at the bag that fell a few paces away from her feet. The act alone of tossing the bag instead of simply handing it to her wasn't lost on the girl. There was no trust, their friendship was gone..there was nothing. Aela's emotions continued to thrash around inside of her and Sira's actions only made her more wary. For a moment, for a tick before Sira moved, she had thought to cross over to her and embrace her, if only for one last time. But the bag tossed at her feet as the woman stepped further away from her told of what she thought of being close.

The was nothing left..

They were enemies now, trapped by the laws that guided them, and those that tore them a part. There was an icy chill rising in her veins coupled with an air of foreboding in the breeze. Something was about to happen, something that would change things ever. Aidara wasn't there to play peacemaker this time and she was alone with a Wind Eagle. Whatever was about to happen, she realized that it was too late to stop it, and before it was over one of them might be dead.

"Thank you.."

Aela replied as she slipped the arrow back into her quiver, before slowly leaning down to pick up the bag while keeping her eyes on Sira. She was so hungry, and holding the bag all she wanted to do was rip it open and stuff her cheeks with the meal inside. Suddenly the snow picked up, and the young teen found herself shivering and ducking her head close to her chest. She blinked momentarily, shielding her eyes from the icy flakes that threaten to slip inside, Aela looked back to the woman.

The question she asked completely caught the girl off guard and she was unsure of how to answer her. If she took her to the cave, then Sira would know where she was hiding. The Wind Eagle could tell the other Endals and they could come for her at any time. And the egg...Aela had told them that she no longer had it, what would happen if Sira spotted it. Or was that the reason she returned...to find out for sure of Aela had it or not? It was possible, and Aela wasn't the best at lying. She had failed before at convincing them to see her side, perhaps her lie hadn't worked either.

One thing was for sure, they couldn't stay out in the snow, it was too much. In her mind, she imagined that the smart thing to do was to leave the woman where she stood and disappear, but Aela couldn't bare the thought of turning her back on the woman. She hoped that there was a way, and that if they talked again under cool heads that maybe she could make her understand...she had to try, for Aidara and for Sira as well as for herself, she had to try. "Give me your bow, and your sword, then we'll go." The little huntress paused then, expecting a reaction from the woman and then continued. "If you trust me...then I will trust you?"

[Sira]

"No.. she doesn't know," Sira answered, shaking her head. "If I told her she would have wanted to come. And if we found you... well.. dead.. I don't think she could have handled that."

Sira's eyes drifted down to the bag at Aela's feet for a moment. She knew tossing it to her showed her distrust, but to be fair, Aela did have an arrow pointed her way only moments before.

"It's mostly just salted meat, and blue mold. But there is also some dried fruit, and a bit of bread in there. I would eat the bread first, before it goes bad. I wish I could have brought more, but I didn't even know if you were still out here."

When Aela asked for her weapons Sira bit her lip nervously as she considered for a moment. She did want to trust the woman, but she knew by her own admission that she could be dangerous. Aela did not deny killing the wind eagle or taking the egg, even if the egg was gone now. But Sira could not fly in the current weather, and it was unlikely that she could even find her way back to her saddle. Sira did not really have much of a choice, and she really did want to give Aela a chance.

"Alright... I'll trust you."

Sira unslung her bow and drew out her sword, praying to Priskil that she wasn't making a huge mistake, before walking over to Aela and handing them over. It was hard to part with the weapons, both of them, not just because it left her unarmed, but because they were both special. The sword was magical, of course, and the bow was special because it had sentimental value.

"Be careful with those.. and if we get attacked by a two headed bear, I expect them back."

Sira tried to crack a joke, but her voice came off more serious than she meant it to. She was still nervous about giving up her weapons. As for the bear part.. well, she had actually found a dead one after the djed storm, so it was technically possible. Unarmed, Sira was now at the mercy of a woman she wasn't sure if she could actually trust. Offering a final silent prayer to her goddess, she waited for Aela to lead the way home.

[Alori Sai]

Aela felt a warming around her heart when Sira told of how Aidara would take it if she died. It was easy in the solitude of frozen winter to give way to paranoia and to believe that the world was against her. But hearing that people still cared about her made her feel better. She needed to hear that and although she realized that she might never see the woman again, it made a difference to her to know she cared. "Could you tell her...that...um." she stumbled over her words unsure of what to say. "It's nothing.." she finally finished when no suitable words came to her mind.

Finally, she just nodded with a slight smile, which was as much as her facial muscles would allow in their frozen state. Aela had quickly glanced at the items inside the bag, mentally checking them off as Sira listed them. She was so hungry and all the food was already cooked which saved her the time of skinning, and cleaning it before she could cook. She reached inside, doing as Sira instructed and stuffed a piece of bread in her mouth. If it was stale or going bad, she couldn't tell, to her it was good and she reached in for a piece of dried meat to eat as well.

Something inside her had warned Aela against trusting the woman. Somehow she felt in her gut that if she showed her where she lived that it would be the end of her. But Aela didn't want to believe that, she wanted more than anything to trust the woman. Taking her weapons was a way to assure that she couldn't attack her, but even that act led false hope. If Sira spotted the egg and she decided to turn her in, there was only one way to stop her, and that was something that the girl wasn't sure if she could do.

The little huntress took the weapons and carried them rather than strapping them over her shoulders along with her own. Her hands trembled as they gripped them and it was hard to tell if she was nervous or if it was the icy chill that gripped her. Sira made a joke then, and while she wanted to laugh, the fear in her chest kept her silent. Instead she attempted to smile again and headed off. "This way..it's not very far from here."

Aela led Sira back the way that she came until she found one of the familiar paths that she usually took to reach the cave. It wasn't a very long walk back, but leading an Endal, a Wind Eagle to the cave weight heavily on her chest, making the distance much longer than it really was. They continued to walk in silence, and Aela found herself trying to think of a way to break the silence. Half a bell later her ears prickled from the sound of the near-by geyser and she could feel the heat emanating from it. The area beyond the trees was coated in mist and it wasn't until they were half way through that they could clearly see the large hillock of rock that she now called her home.

"This is it, this is where I've been since..." her words trailed off as she glanced at the woman. She knew that the subject was still hot, and if they talked about it they wouldn't probably end up arguing again. But at some point they would have too, it was always there, tugging at the backs of their minds. A giant mass of blood and feathers that neither could ignore for long. Aela led Sira around the molten rock and up the side where she entered the cave. The egg was tucked far into the back, hidden away from the heat of the geyser. She hoped that if she kept the woman in the front of the cave, she wouldn't find the egg, and she wouldn't give her any reason to want to look deeper in what was supposed to be an empty cave.

[Sira]

Sira followed Aela back to the cave in silence. She was too lost in thought to try to break the ice and start a conversation. She knew she shouldn't be doing what she was doing. In fact coming out at all had been a bad idea, she should have just stayed away. The more she exposed herself to Aela, the more she was putting the both of them at risk. They both understood the way the city worked. They knew what was technically required of Sira, but Sira did not want to think about it. There was no point now anyway.. if Aela survived the winter, the Unforgiving would take her sooner or later. Though she did not want to think such thoughts, she knew they were true, and Sira knew she did not have to be the one to kill her. Living outside of the city would see to that eventually.

When they finally drew near to the cave Sira felt a wave of warmth come over her, followed by the sound of a geyser sounding nearby. It was a familiar sound, they were common enough on the mountain. What luck that Aela had found such a place? It was the perfect spot to hide out for the winter. Secluded, warm, and sheltered from the weather. No wonder nobody had found her yet, she was well hidden.

As they entered the cave and began to warm up, Sira took a moment to survey the area. The cave was deeper than she had first thought, though Aela made no move to draw them further into the cave, so Sira did not pursue that course. She could see the signs of proof that someone had been living there, and Sira found herself feeling glad that Aela had been so fortunate.

"This place is nice.. you're lucky to have found it. It's perfect for hiding out in the winter. And so warm."

She started to say more, but her voice trailed off and a perplexed look came over her face. Sira could feel... something. Something, familiar. It was almost like there was another person there with them, but they weren't saying anything. They were just relaxed, and at peace. It was strange.. peaceful. Something entirely in her head. It reminded her of the time when she was pregnant and felt Natalie's mind for the first time, still in the womb. The child had not said anything, it could not speak of course, but Sira could sense it's peacefulness. It had been sheer luck that she was receptive to it at that moment, perhaps it was the child flexing it's mental muscles for the first time, or maybe Sira was subconsciously looking for it. But this.. this felt so very similar. As if.. there were a third mind there, and infant mind, flexing it's mental muscles for the first time.

Sira's eyes widened and she looked around. Yes, it was a wind eagle! She could feel it's mind. It didn't say anything, but yet said so much and Sira, being a wind eagle herself, could easily pick up on it. It all clicked in her head... there were obviously no wind eagles nearby. If there were, they would have said something.. unless they did not understand words. This was a wind eagle at peace, comfortable in it's shell.. it was the egg!

By now Aela had likely noticed something was off with Sira, and at the time Sira did not have the presence of mind to hide it. Soon she calmed down, the surprise of the moment having faded, and her golden eyes locked with Aela's.

"Aela... where is it?"