Completed [Bronze Woods] Lost Souls

[Asher Claveson]

Summer - 8 - 515 AV

Asher knew he wasn't very skilled at keeping still. He wasn't impatient, but he couldn't go without fidgeting or twitching or something. It made hunting difficult, and if it wasn't for his wife teaching archery lessons, they probably would have been very poor indeed. He once confessed he felt bad for not providing as he should have, but Meyarra waved it off with a, "You'll learn, it's not overnight. Remember, you were training to be a knight just a couple years ago." So he didn't feel so bad that he lacked skill. He just wished the twitching could stay someplace he could ignore, like his nose or his legs.

Sadly, it was twitching that brought him sitting on a fallen log, panting in exhaustion. His left ring finger twitched right as he loosed an arrow, and it somehow sent the shot wide. Not only did he scare off his kill, but he seemed to aggravate something big and growly. He didn't really bother to take a look at it, because as soon as he heard the growl and the fast rustling, he sprinted in the opposite direction. It must have been large, though, because it kept up with him for a while. But Asher swerved around trees, sometimes turning back in the direction he came, and it was enough for the beast to lose interest. Just in time, too, as Asher knew he wouldn't have been able to keep running for much longer.

There was a new problem, though. As he caught his breath and looked at his surroundings, he realized he didn't know where in the forest he was. He took so many turns, he didn't know if he was still facing away from Syliras or towards it. There were no streams about, either, so he had no way of knowing how close he was to the Avitar River. He sighed, pushing his disheveled hair out of his face. A twig must have snagged on his bun to pull it out of the hair tie. He'd have to fix it.

That moment, he heard rustling again. There wasn't any growling, but the beast could have gone on the prowl instead. He nocked an arrow and pulled it back, aiming carefully at the bushes currently swaying. His heart ratcheted up, pushing harder against his chest as he waited. But instead of some beast, a woman burst through the brush. Asher blinked in surprise and quickly lowered his bow, allowing the relief to come over him. No beast, just a Konti.

[Moxie]

Moxie's monotonous activities as of late brought her to the edge of the Bronze Woods, she could not help but wonder what the glorious woods held for her, as she traversed along the edges and not venturing deep inside. It was best to stay a near the edge of the woods, so she would not become lost. The summer heat was much more bearable in the shade of the trees, a soft breeze sent the leaves on the trees dancing, and provided a much needed cool sensation upon her sweaty brow. She was brought out of her reverie however as a rabbit came from the depths of the woods, obviously frightened. "Oh how cute, you are just so adorable!" Moxie explained coming up to the rabbit, much to her dismay it gave her one look and ran off in the direction from which it came. She pouted, "Come back here!" She exclaimed chasing after the rabbit into the open arms of the Bronze Woods.

She kept the rabbit in sights for a few minutes until it scurried off, hopping fast. There was no way she could of kept up with the little creature. She sighed in disappoint, knowing full well she was no hunter, thus she lacked the skills of tracking the cute little creature. She let those thoughts go however as she peered around her, realizing at that moment that she was a little lost. She had only been in the wilderness once before, but not enough to know exactly how to navigate through them and how to find her way back. "Oh no, what have I done..Where am I?" Moxie whispered to no one in particular, turning in a circle glancing around herself, frightened terribly so as the forest sounds came out her. She was not sure what they were but she did not like them, so she ran, delving deeper into the Bronze Woods.

She ran until she was extremely tired, her legs aching a bit from the running she was not used to. She brushed off her skirt, as there was dirt and leaves all over it, picking out the snagged twigs out of her stark white hair as she walked through the brush. Moxie's heart beat picked up as panic swelled inside her chest. "Keep calm..Keep calm..Everything will be okay, it will be alright." The small Konti repeated to herself, as wiggled through the brush trying to find a clearing of some sort.

As she came out of the bushes she saw a man standing there, his bow up with an arrow knocked and pointed directly at her. He was tall, very tall actually, he looked like a giant and had a panicked but fierce look upon his face as his hair fell down around it, in a chestnut brown shade. He looked fierce and frightening, and Moxie held up her hands out of instinct as a small whimper permeated her lips, closing her eyes and looking away. The arrow never left however as she stood there waiting to die. She opened one of her eyes and looked over at the man and realized his bow was no longer up but down, he looked rather relieved Moxie observed and she put her hands down. She was not sure what language he spoke, though most spoke common so she chose it, "A-are you..gonna..kill me?" Moxie asked to be sure, although it looked like he was not dangerous now that the bow was down, she felt it was a logical question. Her common was not that great, so her Konti accent laced the words she spoke still. "I lost.." She said pleadingly, hoping the man was a hunter and could guide her out of the woods, she held a small pout to her lips, giving her a more child-like appearance then she already had, as she crossed her arms over herself, looking up at the giant of a man standing before her. He was massive compared to her, she felt if she stood beside him that people would think she was his child if it wasn't for the complete opposite features they shared.

[Asher Claveson]

"Ah, no!" Asher said quickly, telegraphing his moves as he placed the arrow back in the quiver. "No, not going to kill you. Sorry." The Konti looked very young, though that was probably due to how short she was in comparison to his own height. 'Innocent' was the word that came to mind, and it made some sense. The Konti he met in Syliras, though few and far between, all had an air of innocence about them.

Then she pouted, crossed her arms as if in defense, and said timidly, "I lost..." Oh dear. He was hoping she knew the way out. But then he noted the dirt on her clothes, the remnants of leaves and twigs still tangled in her hair. She did seem as lost as he was, and possibly more panicked. He sighed, set his bow gently on the fallen log and said, "Me too." He tossed her an apologetic look as he pulled out a hair tie and set to pulling his hair back into a bun. He tried to remember what his mother had taught him regarding directions, what he could glean from his surroundings to tell him which way was North. Sadly, nothing was forthcoming.

He glanced back over to the Konti and said, "It's best to stay together. Two pairs of eyes are better than one." He gave a smile, hoping the Konti would find some relief. One thing he never forgot about hunting was that prolonged panic could only exhaust you and get you killed.

[Moxie]

Moxie was relieved to hear the man was not going to kill her. At least that was out of the way. She had no weapons on her person, as she was not very skilled with the Suvai as of it, and usually kept it at home. She sighed relieved that she was at least not alone, although her social interactions with people were few and far between. She was not the best conversationalist, though at the present it did not matter much, this was a time for survival not talking.

All hope of him being a hunter and getting out of the forest was diminished when he set his bow down on the log, telling her he too was lost. He proceeded to put his beautiful mane back up in a hair tie, giving her a look that said he was sorry. It seemed the naive Konti had found herself in trouble once again, she should really be used to this by now, as it seemed it nipped at her heels where ever she went. So exhaled and sat on the log by his bow as he said they should stick together. She nodded in agreement, it was assuredly more likely they would survive if they worked together. She inhaled deeply to calm herself, now was not the time for panic or for social awkwardness. Although she was innocent she had a fire to fight, especially to stay alive.

"I agree we should not part ways, I not sure I would survive alone." She replied looking forlorn. She was not the strongest person, she knew that. Moxie knew she was not in the least strong, though that did not mean she didn't have the fire to fight if necessary or the will to do what it would take to survive. "I am Moxie." She supplied her name with a smile, looking at the man before her. She figured they might as well be on first name basis, since they would be helping one another, and one could never guess how long it would take for them to get out of the forest, if at all.

"I remember..Once a way to get direction in forest. It was awhile ago. She chewed on her plush lower lip in thought, she had vague knowledge of the technique she only remembered it involving Moss. It intrigued her because she was interested in Herbalsim. "It something to do with Moss. I not sure what exactly though." She sighed a bit defeated since she could not recall perfectly what was told about it. She had only been in the forest for a brief time when she first traveled to the city, and it was not alone. Moxie continued chewing at her lower lip as she was deep in thought, trying to bring the memory forth, but it seemed it did not want to come to her. Maybe it wasn't Moss, what if it was something else? She sighed softly, resuming rolling her lip back and forth between her teeth gently.

[Asher Claveson]

As Moxie introduced herself, Asher smiled in reply, and said, "I'm Asher. Pleased to meet you." He chuckled. "Well. Perhaps the circumstances could have been better." He took up his bow again so he could sit, joining Moxie as she explained something about moss. He looked around at their surroundings, saw that moss did seem to grow in some areas, trees half covered. So moss could point them in a specific direction?

"Does the moss point west?" He asked. He knew the sun rose from the east and set in the west. Or was it the other way around? Either way, the moss could help them greatly to know which direction they should go. Then Moxie could go her way and Asher could try his hand again at hunting before the sun set. Speaking of food, his stomach decided to give a rumble just then. Which wasn't good, considering he left his food in his pack, and he left that in his apartment. He only thought he'd be gone for a couple hours, that he could make himself a meal once he was back in the city. Obviously, that wouldn't happen any time soon. But he didn't know what was safe to eat, and the ground wasn't clear enough for him to cook anything he could shoot. Deciding there was nothing to be done, he ignored the sound in favor of guessing whether the sun was rising or setting.

[Moxie]

The Konti buried her face in her hands, she just could not remember what direction it grew in, "I don't remember the direction. Only it need be up from ground and on kinda smooth surface." Moxie supplied to the man Asher who sat beside her. Moxie could not believe she forgot one of the simplest things about the woods, it made her a bit frustrated that she had not listened more carefully. Though she supposed she did bore easy of things, it was hard to keep her attention.

The rumble of Asher's stomach pried her from her thoughts, he was obviously hungry. She laughed softly and stood up, "Come, let find something to eat at least. Maybe follow Moss, it is all we have to go on?" Moxie began walking, and they walked in silence for a little while until she decided that small talk would make the situation a little less awkward, "Where you from, Asher?" Moxie asked looking around at the trees as she spoke, stepping carefully. "Do you have family here?" The Konti inquired, trying to keep the questions simple and not getting too personal with the man, she did not need to make the situation any more awkward then what it was. After all, walking in the woods with a giant stranger was awkward enough for her.

The weather was still really warm the sun was over their heads. She did not like being lost in the woods, though on a positive note it did protect them from some of the heat as it provided shade to them. The wind rustled some leaves and she jumped slightly at the sound, and scolded herself for doing so. Moxie was a bit more frightened then she thought, even so she was going to try and be as brave as possible, she was quite tired of always being the weak one.

[Asher Claveson]

Asher saw as Moxie buried her face in her hands in frustration. He could understand the feeling. He thought he was better at this sort of thing, at knowing which way was which, but his mind seemed to leave him in this moment. "It's alright," he said reassuringly, standing, "we'll make our way out of this." He could already spot the telltale green of moss in some shaded areas, on rocks and trees. Perhaps they would find their way out sooner than expected.

He turned back to her with a frown when he heard her laugh. What was so funny? Did he some sort of stain on his clothes? But then she spoke of food and began walking. He followed after her, allowing her to lead the way. Sure, she may not have remembered which direction the moss would point them, but she seemed to know more than he did. Meyarra would be shaking her head in exasperation. "All your mother and I taught you," she would say in mock disappointment, "and you chose to forget right when a pretty face came into view." She'd then laugh and remind him all she'd taught him, as if he were one of her students. He sighed. What he wouldn't give to have a moment like that with her again.

"Where you from, Asher?" He was snapped from his thoughts as Moxie asked the question. "Do you have family here?" She was focused on the trees and finding their way to some food, so she would not have noticed how quickly Asher paled at the question. He knew she was merely being nice, attempting to alleviate the awkwardness that came with walking in silence, he couldn't blame her for how much it hurt to be reminded what he had lost. He swallowed thickly, cleared his throat to remove the weakness he knew would be there, and said, "Uh, I did."

He didn't deem it necessary to tell Moxie that he lost practically all connection to his family. His father first to never meeting expectations, his mother next to illness, and his wife last to the Djed Storm. Any extended family he knew of distanced themselves from him when it was clear he would neither be a glorious knight nor produce children who could succeed where he had failed. In such a city, it was very isolating, something that weighed heavily on his heart. For the past year, not a night went by that he dreamed of the family he could've had. Many nights he cried himself to sleep in longing for that life he lost.

He didn't dare dwell on what lurked in the shadows of his mind, though, not while they were lost and searching for food. So he hastily asked Moxie, "What about you? What brought you to Syliras from the Konti Isle?"

[Moxie]

The Konti's attempt at making small talk so the silence would not drag on between them, failed. She tried to make things less awkward and get to know the man in a friendly fashion, but she failed at that too. His small response that he did made her a little weak at the knees. She could not help but wonder what could of possibly happened to them, she wanted to ask but then that would be getting too personal and she really did not want to bring up memories that would hurt him. So she nodded, not prying into the man's personal life and problems, not yet anyway.

The question of what brought her here was still a bit confusing even to herself, it was a hard question to answer although it should be easy. Most people have a reason to leave their family behind, a reason to come to a place like this. Though the only reason that she had was not as amazing as other's it was simple, "I left my family behind, to seek something...different. To build myself as a person.. to not be weak. I want to explore more of who I can be." She gave the simple yet confusing answer to the man. Moxie wondered how he knew she was a Konti, but was glad she did not need to supply that answer. Konti were common enough in Syliras, and easy to spot from the masses with their stark difference in appearance.

Moxie did not understand it fully herself of why she came here, but she knew that she would find what she was looking for eventually, achieve what was meant for her to achieve. For now though, she just took each day as it was, learned from what she could, and went about her way. She was just a average individual in the masses of awesome and amazing ones.

The Konti fell back behind Asher, letting him lead the way as she glanced around them, surely there was some kind of food somewhere. The small woman walked behind the larger man, in silence as she looked around for some type of food source. The silence between them was okay she supposed, but she decided to ask another question, "Tell me what you passionate about Asher?" She asked, genuinely curious as to what the man wanted out of life. Maybe he wanted to be a hunter, a knight like most men here, or maybe it was something altogether different. She watched as the man walked before her looking for signs of the Moss, as she continued to look for some food. Maybe there were some berries on bushes somewhere that they could eat, to at least sate them somewhat and give them the energy needed to traverse the forest. She licked her dried lips, the juices of the berries would help with her thirst too, moistened food was needed.

[Asher Claveson]

As Moxie spoke of building herself up, exploring who she could be, Asher's heart ached once more. He knew that physically, he was not a weak man. It took a firm grip to let an arrow fly. But he knew he was weak in other ways. Many mornings were spent forcing himself to leave his bed, to set out and hunt so no Syliran could say he was not doing his share. It exhausted him sometimes to do what he'd done before Meyarra was lost to him. He so dearly wished for the strength to push forward, to recover as the city did, but his wishes rarely came true. Moxie's ability to push forward, to wish to better herself? "I think you're plenty strong already, Moxie," he said earnestly. "Takes an iron will to make the first step towards improvement. Towards learning a new language." He looked over his shoulder at her, giving her a reassuring smile, before he continued following the moss on the trees and rocks.

Some time had passed between them quietly, less awkward than before. The heat of the day was lessening, which Asher took to mean the sun was setting. That he at least could remember. He glanced up at the sunlight peering through the canopy of leaves, humming tonelessly to himself when he still could not make heads or tails of which way the sun was setting. Then Moxie asked after his passions, and he was stuck thinking on his wife. He knew this did him no good, dwelling on the past, on what he lost. He'd tried often to think of other things, but it never worked for long. He'd always find a way to think of Meyarra once more. Every arrow loosed brought an image of his wife smirking in triumph over another target hit. Doing his hair would remind him of lazy mornings when they'd sit in bed, Mey braiding their hair together and laughing at how childish it was.

He hesitated, because he knew this would only open old wounds for him, but he couldn't think of anything else to answer with. So he went ahead and told Moxie, "I would have done anything for my wife, Meyarra. I learned Nari to understand her. I let her teach me what she knew about archery. She joked that pleasing her had become my new hobby. Even if she was wrong, I don't think I'd have had the heart to say so." The thought of food was not so pleasing anymore, and his personal search for any berry bushes had been forgotten. He was thankful for Moxie trailing behind him, rather than beside him where she could see the sadness he could not hide.

[Moxie]

For him to say she was strong, she was taken back for a moment. She never realized that it could be true. She held on to the fact that strength resided in the heart of individuals but slowly it disappeared as she was over come with a sense of weakness. Seeing people and their physical strengths made her feel weak, but was she really? Asher seemed to believe she was not and she smiled back at his reassuring smile, this made her feel better about herself, if only a little.

The question she asked was answered in a way she was not expecting, his voice held traces of sadness that could not be ignored as he spoke of his wife, Meyarra in past tense. He seemed to be passionate about her, even though she was gone. Her heart ached for him, to have love then to have it ripped away from you was a burden not many could handle, yet here he was in the woods and not at the end of a empty mug of ale. She wondered if he realized if he too was strong, Moxie placed her palm on him from behind, in a calm, comforting and friendly gesture, "I imagine that she would proud of you, Asher. You here in the woods, not drunk. You too strong Asher, for her you stay strong, for the memories." Moxie said in a soft tone, hoping to ease the situation she had caused. "I think.. She be happy to see.. you attempting to live your life still. Not curled up in shack, at empty bottles of ale surrounding you. I sorry for bringing it up. Forgive me?" She sad the last part in a whisper, hoping he was not mad at her for bringing up memories that caused him pain, she did not like hurting people it was not in her nature. She squeezed her arm and let her hand fall back down to her side, coming up beside him and glancing at the pain and hurt in his face.

Though he was still a stranger, she did not like seeing anyone hurt. She knew that her words probably would not comfort him, but she tried at least. She sighed softly and looked away and to her right and saw a bush that looked promising. She peered over at it, but saw nothing that could be eaten. Her tongue swiped over her dry lips as she looked up at a rock that had moss on it, at least they were following the moss, hopefully it will lead them in the direction they needed to be. Moxie really hoped it would, her legs were becoming tired from the walk, her feet ached a little, and she was so thirsty if she was capable she would drink blood at this point. The thought made her stomach churn at that though, she lost her appetite though still craved something to drink, anything really. The Moss needed moisture to grow, maybe they would come upon a stream of some sort eventually. The small Konti hoped so, the summer heat was not as harsh, but it did suck some of her energy out of her. She coughed softly into her hand, and pushed on slightly behind the large man.