A Long Way From Home (Nya, Abashai)

[Abashai]

Abashai had been relieved to find the ancient stones hidden in the underbrush. He felt more confident with something tangible to follow, rather than the whim of an invisible breeeze. But when he spotted the paw prints in the animal trail that roughly followed the crumbling road, his heart soared. He was not much of a tracker, but he could recognize the print, that of a Talderian Forest Cat. He had seen Nya's prints dozens of times outside of their cave lair. Abashai was not surprised either to see them disappear, telltale scratch marks indicating that the large predator had taken to the trees. It was Nya's style to track prey along a trail from the branches above. Abashai also realized that the tracks may not have been left by Nya. He would have to remain diligent, but he wanted desperately to believe that they belonged to his bondmate.

Although he wanted to push on, feeling that he was getting closer to finding Nya, his body resisted. Weakened by pain and his fervent pace, he had allowed himself a moment to rest. He leaned against a tree, but did not sit, fearing his muscles would stiffen. He parted the shreds of his coat sleeve to examine the bloody bandage, then leaned his head back against the tree. At that moment, everything seemed excessively real, the intense pain of his wounds, the ache in his muscles, the chill on his neck and face as his sweat evaporated in the cool autumn air. The knot in his gut and the emptiness in his heart cried of reality too, a reality buried in the benshiran's closely-guarded soul.

Times of physical duress had the effect of making things clearer. This moment of bleeding, pain and exhaustion did just that for Abashai. Trauma had the habit of peeling away facades and barriers. For so long he had so carefully protected his heart from the world's inspection, that he had even hidden truths from himself. In that moment, the man was able to see what he had been trying to ignore. He knew then that the emptiness he felt was the absence of Nya; the knot, fear that he was going to lose her. Regardless of his past, racial tradition or the opinions of any man, Nya was the best thing to happen to him...and the truth was, she held his heart. His efforts to conceal his secrets, his feelings, from her suddenly seemed vain and cowardly. Abashai still believed Yahal brought him to her, and if it please his God, what else mattered?

The man closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing to resume his search. The most important, the only thing, under Syna's sun that mattered to Abashai was finding Nya.

The unexpected voice startled Abashai. At the sound of the woman's voice, he painfully spun around to look up into the weave of branches overhead. For a fraction of a breath, he thought it might be Nya, but could instantly recognize that the voice was not the kelvic's rich, alto tone. These words were smoother, pitched higher. All he could see was the small creature, a primate of some sort.

Now, seeing what appeared to be a talking animal, Abashai instantly attempted to frame an explanation. He had never seen, nor heard of such a race of talking animals. It was not out of the realm of possibility, he thought, himself bonded to a forest cat that can take human form. But Nya could not speak in her feline body, so he ruled out the little thing as a kelvic. Though he had lost a lot of blood, he was pretty sure he was still quite sane, eliminating some form of hallucination as an explanation. Finally, he decided the only way to find out what the thing was was to answer it. Besides, it may know where Nya was, and he could not lose the opportunity to make an ally.

"Yes, indeed it hurts, very much." He had looked over at the flowering bush the creature had indicated and nodded. It would be wonderful to be able to control the distracting pain, but Abashai was not ready yet to take medical advice from a talking....whatever it was. The creature seemed sincere, and he wanted to believe its intentions were benevolent, but he was a cautious man by nature. Abashai looked up at the creature perched above him. "I am looking for someone. Have you seen a large forest cat roaming these woods, or a young woman?"

[Gillar]

Calinthar felt a tinge of anger seep into his otherwise calm mind. This girl was being quite stubborn and it was getting in the way of anything truly productive. With a soft sigh, he realized he would now have to take things to the next level. "So, you still wish to change the perimeters of the game. Very well, we shall change things a bit." The 'priest' walked over to where Nya was sitting chained against the pole. With one hand on a small knife within his robes, he used the other to unlock her bindings save for the collar and the chain that kept her leashed to the pole. He cautiously stepped back a few paces; never turning his gaze from her. His one white eye, seemingly blind to those who would see his face, saw more than anyone could have imagined. He had refrained up to that point from calling upon his divine gifts as he did not want to make things too easy at first. Now however, he was becoming bored with Nya's resistance and constant attempts at changing the situation in her favor. Calinthar's eye looked to Nya to go completely black for but an instant. Within a blink, it had gone white once more. In a cool, collected voice, Calinthar's demeanor was obviously different as he spoke, "Now, Nya, the game changes. You claim you are hiding nothing yet I assure you, everyone hides something. Deception comes as easy to all of us as does breathing. You are afraid. You fear so much yet you try to hide it behind that controlled exterior. If you are not hiding anything, then why can I see now how you hide your fear of yourself. You are afraid of being fully human yet also afraid of being rejected by humans. You are in conflict, my dear Nya; in that conflict lies chaos. Yes, I see you looking upon a man, your friend or perhaps lover? No, he is much more than that isn't he. You are afraid that he will reject you at any moment for what you are. You are afraid that you will disappoint him; that you will fail him." Calinthar's words were like sticky sap slowly flowing down the side of a tree. As Calinthar spoke, she could swear she saw Abashai standing behind the priest. Her bondmate's face wore a mask of anger, of disappointment. He stood for a moment before turning his back to her and walking out of the tent. Just as he left, the fabric of the tent walls seemed to solidify and pull in closer around her; menacingly slow. Calinthar remained standing a few feet from her. "What happens when he leaves you, Nya? Will you lose yourself to the beast or try and become more human in an attempt to make up for failing him? Will you be captured and caged like a monster in the process? Feared and hated by those you wish so much would accept you?" As he spoke, the walls of the tent began to morph into the bars of a cage. They still moved quite slowly toward her as full cage began to form and begin to entrap her. "You defy me at every step yet each time I remain calm and collected; in control and accepting. You are bound but who really is the one binding? Is it I out of fear of you or you out of fear of yourself? You bind yourself, Nya, in your conflicted feelings and inability to reconcile what you are. If you were to just believe in me and my words, I could release you from this cage that threatens to hold you. I would accept you for what you are and help you to understand your place in the world. I know you don't want to believe me; that you loathe me, but I can help you." Calinthar's words were emphasized as he held up his hand. As he did, the cage that threatened Nya slowed its formation and came almost to a halt. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The monkey picked what looked to be a moderately-sized beetle from its fur and popped it in its mouth; chewing a couple of times before swallowing. It blinked its rather large eyes slowly a couple of times as it looked at Abashai in an almost studious way. It then spoke again as it allowed its tail to grip the branch, allowing it to hang with its hands free. It scratched its chin in a very human-like way before saying, "Looking for someone or someone's? A woman, a cat, or both? Your words imply multiple individuals yet you conflict those words by saying someone. How odd." The monkey began muttering to itself incoherently for a moment as if trying to work something out vocally that it was thinking internally. After a round of apparent self-arguing, it said, "I do believe I have seen a young woman. Human if I am not mistaken. She was very naked and I don't mean naked in that you human's don't have fur I mean that she wasn't wearing any of the animal skins or plants that you humans wear to cover yourselves." The monkey scratched its hindquarters before continuing, "If I am not mistaken, I also think I have seen a rather large forest cat around here as well. It smelled weird to be honest. Well, for that matter, the human smelled a little funny as well. If I didn't know any better I would say they were or had been intimate with one another at some point and time due to the smell they both had of each other on each other." It spoke rather quickly and paused seldom for breath. Dropping down then out of the tree, the monkey trotted over to the bush that it had pointed to earlier and tore off a handful of leaves. It then returned to where Abashai was leaning and offered the leaves. "You really should wrap these around that nasty looking scratch. They will numb the pain and slow the bleeding. Being out here all alone in the forest with such a bad wound will be the death of you. Then it won't matter what happens to the girl or the cat. What are you anyway? A jealous husband that doesn't like the idea of a cat stealing his girl? Hopefully you aren't into all that twisted stuff either because if you are, then you humans are much more messed up then I already think you are." The monkey took a short step back and narrowed its large eyes at Abashai as if saying, I am not into that sort of thing so don't even think about it.

[Abashai]

When Abashai had heard that a woman and a forest cat had been seen, his eyes widened, his heart jumped, and it didn't matter if it was a talking loaf of bread that told him. He tried to interject more questions, but the monkey spoke so quickly he could not get a word in edgewise. Abashai was not concerned about explaining the nature of the creature the monkey saw, only in finding out when and where it had seen her. But when the little thing offered the leaves, Abashai sighed and smiled in gratitude.

Slipping off the coat, Abashai carefully unwound the bloody strips of his shirt. Wincing, he laid the leaves on the ugly wounds and wrapped the bandages tightly around his arm once again. As he dressed the painful gashes, he replied to his curious friend (for if these leaves helped heal his wound, a friend he had found indeed). "The woman and the cat are the same, she is a kelvic. She is my friend and I'm afraid something...bad has happened to her."

Abashai had finally come to reconcile the fact that whether as a human or forest cat, she was still Nya. Abashai wished she would let him see her more in her natural body. Nya did not stay around Abashai very long in her natural forest cat form. She always seemed to be off to patrol her lands or hunt or simply stretch out her long limbs. But Abashai loved the beautiful cat form. She was sleek and strong, agile and regal. He did not fear the giant forest cat, really. Nya had never posed a threat and was just as affectionate as a cat as she was as a human.

the urgency to find Nya returned. He wanted more than ever to find her, because there were many things he wanted to tell her, before he lost the nerve, or her. Abashai gingerly put his coat back on and looked up at the black monkey, seeing intelligence it its face he had overlooked before. "Thank you for helping me. Can you tell me where you saw them...her, and how long ago?"

[Nya Winters]

The problem with Nya was that she didn't know enough to be afraid. She'd never been hurt, not truly, and certainly not from men. Her parents had done an excellent job in sheltering her... a practice her bondmate inadvertently continued. Her world was a free one, ignorant of pain and devoid of fear or uncertainty. Calinthar changed this though, the life where people didn't make her afraid. His gaze turned strange, and even as he gave in to her demand for free hands, the words that spilled from his lips terrified her. He was right. About it all... and she trembled with the knowledge of how right he was.

"He is my friend." She said, voice trembling. "I want him to be more, but he holds his God close to him. Yahal. I can only have his friendship." Nya said, her voice soft, weak, and terrified as she watched the image of Abashai halt, turn, and retreat. The bars though, triggered a primal fear in her that she didn't know was there. By the time Calinthar was done speaking, Nya was ghostly white and shaking. "I always disappoint him.. in little ways... someday it will add up to something big then I won't even have my friend." She said with a whisper.

She whimpered at the bars closing in even tighter. "I... I will be alone again. I will be so.... much less than I am now without his friendship." She trembled again, watching the bars not Calinthar. But she heard his words and understood what he meant.

Her fear was almost primal as the priest spoke, making the vision of the bars close in more. She listened to his voice, and turned her gaze to his once the bars slowed. "Help? How? Can you make my friend fear me less or make being human more endurable? And why would you? No one in your world does something for nothing." Her voice was so soft, so terrified. She was too terrified to remotely realize that he was the one driving her fear. She moved closer to him... away from the bars behind her. He was, after all, the center of the horrid reality surrounding her.

She met his gaze though with her fear filled eyes. Nya shook her head at him, rejecting something he said. Her voice was slowly loosing its humanity. It was almost a growl. "No, I don't loath you. I don't know you. You... you are as afraid of me as I am afraid of my friends rejection. The collar tells me this.... tells me a lot. I would not hurt you... anyone who knows me would tell you that..... please.... the bars... I can not breath." She said rising to turn a circle. The chain kept the circle tight. The walls were closing in, making her claustrophobic, terrified, near panic. It was a sudden fear, a terror of being locked up she did not know she had. It made it hard to breathe.... even harder to think. But she was certain of one thing... if he was responsible for this which she was sure he was, he was going to die. No it wouldn't hurt him when she killed him. So she wasn't lying. It would be quick and painless. She was a beast, not a monster. And his flesh would fill her stomach nicely so it wouldn't be a waste. But first ... gods... she had to get out. She has to keep Abashai away too.

With more power than she ever realized she had, Nya reached for the essence of Zulravs mark on her shoulder. She had the power of breezes at her command. And even though she'd only talked to them and played with them before, this was serious. Before she lost herself to the fear that was robbing her humanity, she summoned one and instructed it forcefully... silently. It danced gently into the tent, where no breeze should be, circled her once to receive its instructions and was gone. Even as she trembled with fear, her cat closer to the surface than ever... the instructions were clear.

Whether Abashai could recieve her message was another thing all together. Nya has no idea if he could. Shee told the breeze to tell him there was danger here... men with magic of evil... she told the breeze to tell him to stay away... there was danger... grave danger... and to show him like the breezes showed her... a picture of where here was... of all the men, their weapons.

He wasn't a stormwarden, and she wasn't much of one yet either. But she was merciless with the breeze, showing it no quarter in regards to her will.... hopefully some of her message would get through.

[Gillar]

Calinthar could feel the magic of Rhysol flowing from him to Nya. Yet even in the swarm of corrupting, chaotic energies, he could sense her resistance. He was indeed reaching into her mind and pulling forth fear and uncertainty yet her willpower was more than he had anticipated. Pleased at first with her response to his ministering, Calinthar could also see her desire to devour him. He saw it in the mind's-eye and if not for the momentary strength of such a desire, he would have missed it. Although she was responding nicely, he could still detect a hint of resistance. He could not fathom how this pathetic beast before him was able to challenge his will with her own even if it were minor. Calinthar also did not make too much of the slight breeze that grew out of nothing and vanished nearly as quick as he continued to hold Nya in the bonds of his own mark of divine gnosis. Holding his hand up; keeping the bars of the mental cage from closing around Nya, Calinthar slowly realized that he no longer cared if she was hiding anything from him. He was enjoying her torment to the point that even if she was truly being honest or even just avoiding the truth, he decided that he would continue to enjoy himself. "Your mind creates a prison of your own making. You try to hold your fears and even your desires behind those bars; afraid of letting them out. One day, Nya, that cage will open and you will have to face the dark mirror reflection of yourself. On that day, you will have will have to face yourself or die." With that, Calinthar invoked once more the power of his God and planted a curse that would one day hatch. While a confident man, Calinthar was not completely consumed by ignorance. It was still quite possible that Nya could somehow get free and follow through with the desire to consume his flesh. This way he had ensured that he would survive in some form through the blessings of Rhysol and return to torment her further. "I can help you face your fears, armed with the tools in which to be victorious. For now, your faith in me is all that I request in return. You will find that I and my men are not much like those you have encountered before." In this Calinthar spoke truthfully for members of the Black Sun and the Ebonstryfe were unlike any other organization, religious or militant. The one watching the interaction between Calinthar and Nya had become slightly more interested once Calinthar had invoked his marks of gnosis and began twisting Nya's reality; corrupting her own thoughts and fears and using them against her. The presence hidden within the shadows was not one of immense patience however and the interest began to fade. It was then that Nya's calling of the breeze renewed the entity's focus. It could have snuffed the wind out of existence just as soon as it was summoned yet nothing was done. In fact, the one watching made certain that the message sent was not impeded in any way. Things were about to get even more interesting. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Meanwhile, the monkey stared with one bushy white eyebrow held much higher than the other as Abashai mentioned the woman and the cat being one and the same. The human hadn't answered the monkey's previous line of questioning other than to that. While disappointed, it also knew that all good things came to those who wait. It did not have much patience however and did not like the idea of having to wait too long. The fact that Abashai did take the offered leaves made the monkey happy which it displayed by hopping up and down a couple of times and giggling almost like a small child. Stopping its celebration, the monkey returned focus back to Abashai and said in a rather puzzled tone, "Let me get this right, the girl and the cat are the same thing? So like, is she the product of a cat and a..." The monkey's body shivered uncontrollably and it made a most distasteful noise as it seemed to ponder thoughts that were simply not right. Then, in a more disgusted voice, the monkey said slowly while scratching its head, "Um, eww. There, I said it. That sort of thing just sounds wrong. As for where I saw them, I saw the cat around here at one point and then the girl some time later. Or was it before? I can't remember the exact order but it was..." A soft breeze rustled through the immediate area and apparently the monkey detected something a bit off about it at the same time as Abashai. The breeze lightly caressed Abashai's flesh and whispered in his ear thus creating an image in his mind. He saw a broken stone path leading into a heavily overgrown series of ruins. There were tents set up with a large central one. There were a total of six men and one woman wandering about the camp with some coming and going possibly on patrol. The woman and three of the men looked to be heavy armed and moved as though they were accustomed to carrying such gear. Two other men looked to be the equivalent of squires while yet another man was dressed and carried himself as though he were in command. The images flashed until reaching the final one that pulled Abashai's view into the large central tent. There he saw Nya chained to a thick wooden pole and wearing a heavy collar. Standing in front of her was a man dressed in dark robes with long, light brown hair with one of his eyes clouded over in white. Abashai perceived a great sense of fear and danger from the group; eight in all. The images vanished leaving Abashai alone with the strange monkey. Abashai looked to see the monkey leaning toward him in the pose of one who is listening to someone whispering from a short distance away. When the monkey realized Abashai was looking at him, he straightened himself and continued responding to the human's earlier question. The answer came much quicker this time. "I think I saw her, it, they, go that way." The monkey pointed to the part of the broken stone road that Abashai had yet to take.

[Nya Winters]

She hated him in that instant. It was the exact instant she realized he controlled what she saw. And because Nya wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't... the fear didn't recede. Calinthar wanted her trust, but she knew... perhaps because of his bad eye... or perhaps because of his passive aggressive behavior, that he was not someone trustworthy. And no matter what he said, because he knew her inner fears, then he knew that too. To say anything else would be flat out lying.

"You know I cannot trust you. I do not even know you." She said softly, sincerely. "But maybe it would be nice to get to know you... I do not know for sure. Fear... we have fears to help us remember what ..." Nya shuddered again, troubled, still extremely nervous about the bars. "... is dangerous for us. Bars... cages... are not good. You know that. My fear does not cage me... it keeps me free." She said with a tremble in her voice. Moss green eyes darted around the tent and she stepped closer to him, playing the chain out until it was almost taut and she was almost nose to nose with him.

"Scaring someone... does not teach them to trust. It teaches them... loathing, fear... how to be controlled. It shows them who is stronger." She said softly... sadness mixed with anger in her eyes. "You of all people should know that and not rely on some beast to teach it to you." The girl said, close to the priest now, standing, and still turning little half circles in nervousness. Nya had been locked in her room once... and only once... while her mother had decided on what to do about her sudden onset of estrus. She'd been violent, unpredictable, and way too affectionate to anyone remotely male, including her father. Now she had drugs to control things, but the memory of being locked in the stout stone walls hadn't faded. She'd hated it, just as she hated this... it terrified her, and made it hard for her to think - for her to be human - if she even looked too long at the iron around her.

Nya was never more aware of how vulnerable being a human was. There was no teeth, no claws, no powerful muscles to use to snap her jaws around his head and rip it off forcefully. One or two crunches to break his skull would allow her to swallow most of his head whole. The thought made her mouth salivate and calmed her fear just a tad bit, even though she knew it wouldn't happen, not with the collar. Instead she had long ugly bare limbs, all but useless without weapons.. vulnerable to the cold without fur.... she hated herself then, moreso than she had in a long time. With Abashai, she'd even learned to like her humanness a bit, following his lead and learning about people and their culture, enjoying her hands and voice... gifts animals didn't have. She wondered if he got her message, and if he'd stay away. There were six of them... no seven... against just him, his sword, or his arrows. If he came, he'd be in chains too or dead if he wasn't interesting enough to this man in front of her. And with that thought, she was afraid all over again, terrified even, though not for herself, but for him.

[Abashai]

Abashai looked at the bizarre monkey, who seemed unusually preoccupied with
aberrant mating practices. In Yahebah they would have said its mind "dwelt in the gutter." He was about to set his little friend straight on what a kelvic was when the breeze blew in. Abashai instantly refocused his attention.

The air current was isolated, whirling around the monkey and himself. It did not disturb the branches overhead, nor stirred the fallen leaves beyond a few yards away. It was not like the chilled wind that helped him navigate through the forest. this zephyr was like the first, the personal messenger which had carried Nya's voice to his ear.

Abashai felt tendrils of atmosphere lift his hair lightly and brush against his ear with a sound like a voice with no language. When the image unfolded in his mind's eye, it startled him. Then, when he realized it was yet another supernatural boon, he offered no resistance and watched intently.

The man analyzed the vision with calculating logic. He noted the terrain, the broken stone path leading to the ruins were the same ancient flagstones he now stood upon. Perhaps they were close. He studied the people, their weapons and behavior. The armed men, and woman, certainly trained soldiers, belonged to some military organization. But they were not Syliran Knights. Abashai knew of no other towns or settlements out in this wilderness that would maintain a standing force. They must have come from farther north.

As the vision moved inside the central tent and he saw Nya, Abashai's emotions rose in a flood, sweeping away his logic. His first thought was rushing relief. She was alive and appeared unharmed. But when he realized his bondmate was chained to a pole, unable to take her natural feline form, relief faded as Abashai's soul became awash in grief.

The benshiran could see the fear in Nya's eyes, a look on her face that thoroughly discomfited him. His heart was crushed for her, ached that he was not able to comfort her, that she was alone in her distress. He forced himself to turn his focus on the robed man, surely the source of his bondmate's torment. Sadness turned to anger, then to unbridled hate. The airy messenger finished with a warning of danger, and the sense of fear that permeated the camp, not only from Nya, but from the others as well. Then the vision was gone.


But Abashai did not let go of the image of Nya and her captor. As he stared blankly, his breath had turned to short, quick gasps, his teeth clenched. The sight was almost more than he could bear. How could such a thing happen? In the vision, Abashai no longer saw his friend and companion. He had to admit that he saw someone more precious, loved...small and beautiful and vulnerable, chained like a slave before a man. She was a piece of him, alone and in danger. The hatred of those who held her gave way to rage, tearing at him like black iron claws. He wanted to do them great harm.

With great effort Abashai pushed aside the vision, supressed the anger, slowed his breathing. Yes, he had to get to Nya, but he had to get control of himself. If we was to have any hope of freeing Nya from the armed band, he would need to keep his wits. When the monkey spoke, Abashai looked down, then looked off in the direction it indicated, following the stone path. Drawing his sword, he started cautiousyy down the path. He looked over his shoulder, unsure if the creature was going with him or not. "Be careful, there are dangerous men about." He warned his little friend. "Thank you again for your help. what is your name?"

[Gillar]

The girl's resistance was becoming more than Calinthar decided she was worth. His attempts at twisting and changing her perception, while having some amount of success, were not bringing him the satisfaction that he would like. Nya was still not believing the twisted reality he forced upon her; not in the way she should have. As much as he would have enjoyed the drawn out ordeal of breaking her spirit, there was still the greater mission at hand. As Nya approached him close enough that the chain connecting her collar to the pole grew taut, a thought occurred to Calinthar. He could still sell her at the market in Ravok for a good price; perhaps even trade her for favors from high ranking members of the Ebonstryfe. Of course he would get whatever pleasure from her he could before then but even if he couldn't break her spirit, he would be sure to get something from her. Calinthar's response then to Nya's defiance was to smile widely. It was a cruel visage; one which a predator gives to their prey before the killing blow yet mixed with malicious intent. As Calinthar was about to act upon his own desire, the sound of someone clearing there throat could be heard from the tent entrance. Commander Dral entered and approached the two individuals facing off against one another. Without looking away from Nya, Calinthar asked, "What is it, Dral. This better be good." The Commander, a scowl crossing his face at Calinthar's tone, said bluntly, "The site is prepared for the next step. I figured you wanted to know since time is of the essence and our Lord would not be pleased at any undo delays." Calinthar's grin vanished and was replaced by a momentary look of hatred before he turned to look at Dral. In a sharp, biting tone, Calinthar snapped at the Commander, "Bring her." The priest then pushed past the commander and exited the tent. Dral was a rather imposing figure; tall, strongly built with short black hair and dark eyes. He was dressed in thick, black leather armor covered in black steel plates. On one of the metal plates, just over his heart, Dral wore a symbol of a white sun pierced by a black blade. At his side he carried a black iron mace with a head sporting shards of broken glass. "No funny stuff, Kelvic." Dral's tone was emotionless and he set to detaching the chain from the pole. He then gave the chain a not so gentle tug and started to walk from the tent. Outside of the tent, it was getting dark. What little light made its way through the forest canopy was fading and the sounds of night began to grow thick in the air. Insects primarily though other unknown creatures as well began to sign their songs of welcoming to the dark. Nya was able to get a little more of a look at the camp. There was the central tent of course but also a series of smaller tents a short distance away along with several horses. The entire camp was located in the center of some ruins. The broken stone buildings were little more than hollow shells and a few scattered walls overgrown with moss. The ruins were of moderate size and it looked as though it may have once been a village in an age long forgotten. Nya was led to a part of the ruins where Calinthar stood. The priest stood in the center of a hollowed out, roofless building. Something about the structure, even in ruin, spoke to Nya as being something sacred; perhaps it were once a temple of some kind. Near the ruined temple stood a couple of soldiers; the others presumably on patrol. There were several torches set up around the perimeter of the ruined temple and Calinthar was set to digging strange symbols on the ground and drawing others on the walls in chalk. It looked as though some sort of ceremony was about to get underway. --------------------------------------------------------- It almost looked as though the monkey smiled when Abashai mentioned there being dangerous men about. When asked for its name though, the monkey looked somewhat puzzled. "Name? I don't think I've ever been asked that question. Name, name, let me see here, what would I have you call me. How 'bout, Rencil. Yes, Rencil is a good one, you can call me Rencil. I will be most careful, don't you worry your self 'bout me. I'm sure we will see each other again sometime." A flying insect fluttered close to Abashai's face causing him to instinctively shoo it away. When it was gone, so was Rencil. There was no sign of where the monkey had gone but the broken stone road was still quite clear. Indeed the sun was beginning to set over the forest and the patches of light shining down through the canopy were shrinking with each passing moment. There were a few times when Abashai thought that he had lost the way. The path would simply end with no sign of what direction to go next. Each time however, a slight breeze seemed to blow from different directions; brushing against Abashai's back as if nudging him in the right direction. Sure enough, the breeze always led him back to the path. The sounds of night began to fill the air; growing louder as time passed. If not for the time spent in the forest with Nya, Abashai might not have heard the rather odd sound that stood out among the others. He did not know how long he had traveled since meeting Rencil when he stopped for a quick breath and to get his bearings. It was then that he heard an animal call that sounded a bit out of place. He had never heard such a call in the area before and in fact, it sounded like the call of a bird he remembered living closer to larger, more open bodies of water. A moment later, the call was answered by another. It quickly dawned on him that he had been discovered by someone or something and whatever they were, they were at least two and they were signaling one another. The place where Abashai was standing was surrounded by tall trees with a few bits of ruined stone, more man-made looking than natural, scattered about each side of the broken stone road. The ruined stone formed half walls overgrown with moss and resembled the same architecture that he had seen in the message carried along on the breeze sent by Nya. Just then, an arrow sung passed his head and embedded itself in the ground but a foot to his side.

[Abashai]

It had all seemed to happen both in an instant and as if Tanroa had stretched time. The realization that the bird calls were signals, the familiarity of the ruined stone walls, the whiz of the arrow past his head. Abashai instinctively fell to the ground. He quickly noted the angle of the arrow lodged in the ground, estimated the direction of its sender and chose a low wall offering protection. He crawled toward the moss-covered stones, moved to a crouch and pulled the bow off his back. A stray thought crossed his mind, the fact that Nya would be angry with him. Angry that he would endanger himself for her sake.

Of all the wonderful qualities his bondmate possessed, perhaps the strongest was her desire to protect him. Protection was a deep-seeded instinct in a Kelvic, a core purpose planted by their original master. This was particularly true with Kelvic predators, like the Talderian Forest Cat. Abashai would have to learn to accept her protection, or deny who she was at heart. No, she would not want him to risk his life for her. But he knew he would, in every instance, regardless of peril. It saddened him to think Nya wouldn't know that about him. But then again, how much had Abashai let her know?

The desert warrior made a snap assessment of his situation. These walls had to be part of the ruins he saw in the vision, or very near. The hidden attackers were most likely some of the soldiers on patrol. There were at least two and, if well trained, they were already moving to outflank him. This will not be easy, he told himself, then in a soft whisper directed at the realm of the immortal, he prayed. "Yahal, how can I face so many foes and prevail? I will not ask for aid for the sake of my life, for I have chosen to place myself in danger, but only the wisdom necessary to free Nya."

Abashai had the humbling suspicion that there were greater forces at work. The intelligence behind the winds that directed, spoke, even delivered visions. The telltale pool of blood, the mysterious monkey and even the sinister robed man in the vision spoke of the intervention of deities. Abashai suddenly felt small, a pawn in a larger game. The mortal man did not hazard a guess at the players, though he had his suspicions. All he knew was that someone wanted him to find Nya and, whether for good or evil, he was grateful for the help. He set an arrow to the shortbow's string and carefully raised his head over the wall, just enough to scan the twilight-lit forest in the direction of the arrow's path.

[Nya Winters]

Nya could better handle Calinthar when he was showing what she decided was a 'true face' rather than his falsely nice face. The sweet savior type confused her and reeked of some sort of deception, though the deception itself was hard to determine. It was as if Calinthar wanted to discredit something to her, but he never made it really clear what or who was wrong in her life and how he could make it better. Fear was something she didn't deal with well...for she had a lot of it. And with Calinthar releasing it, bringing it to the forefront, she became even more suspicious of him...

In Nya's mind, a friend should make you feel comfortable, not make you feel more and more discomfort the longer you knew them.

And when his threats were finally vocalized and his true being unmasked, it was easier for her to stand up straighter, look more attentive at him, and clear up any uncertainty she had. He was an enemy... a deep dark enemy. And even though she felt some sort of hint of taint on her now... taint from his words and the images he'd cast over her... she wasn't about to let him follow through with his threats. The predatory look he gave her though was disturbing. Predators didn't play with their food before they ate it. They killed honestly and only enough to fill their bellies. Something was wrong with Calinthar... something in his head. It made sense to her, after seeing that look, and feeling such confusion about him. She decided almost instantly he was damaged, and sick in the head. He needed culling and quickly.

When he passed her over to Dral after the commanders interruption, it was a relief. Outside, not all of the people in the camp that she'd seen before were present. That scared her and yet made her aware that it was an opportunity. Her mother always said to withhold her abilities until they were useful. Useful was based on timing, and she decided now was a good time.

Even though Dral was cruel, tugging her roughly behind him and uttering a warning... when she came to a halt beside him as he observed Calinthar's drawing of symbols she knew it was her chance. She met Drals gaze and poured everything she could into a hypnotic suggestion she poured straight into his mind.

REMOVE THE COLLAR.

There could be no mistaking her meaning. She put all the effort she could into the command to Dral, hoping his mind was open to suggestion and that he'd do it before the environment around them gave him a chance to react. Nya was a competent hypnotist augmented by her Forest Cat tendencies to stare down prey. It was her only hope, truthfully.

And if he didn't do it... wouldn't do it, she'd take an even more drastic action. She'd grab the chain, try and loop it around the commanders neck, and choke him... trying to take him out even as Calinthar was busy drawing his symbols and starting his ritual. Dral was useless to attack as she was otherwise... Ry'vata wouldn't work on an armed man wearing plate armor. Regardless though, she wouldn't go down without a fight. And if she could kill one before she herself was killed, raped, or sold as a slave... she'd gladly do it.