Long Road to Ruin (Drayden, Cathan, Sondra)

[Kendall Saarinen]

Timestamp: 20th of Winter, 510 AV It was time. Kendall could not tell if he was excited or if he was a bit despondent about the travel ahead of him. Zeltiva was his home, no where else ever would be what the port city was to him. He had never gone farther than the edges of the Wildlands that bordered Zeltiva. "Twenty-one years on this planet and I am leaving Zeltiva for the first time." It was a bit of a sad epiphany. One would have thought that he would have at least seen Syliras by now. He had never felt a reason to leave though. Before the accident everything was perfect. He did not need anything else. His whole family was in the city and he spent every day at the University. His whole world was in Zeltiva and now he was just leaving it behind. All the late nights studying at the university and the midsummer sails with his brothers were now far behind him. As he stood there taking in the the last sights of his home the memories flooded in with his Colorsplash Dyakana. For the first time in a long time the memories were sweet and happy. He closed his eyes and breathed in the sea air that he had grown up breathing. For all he knew he would not be this close to the sea for a while. Although he was more of a landlocked person he felt as though the sea was a part of him. It had always been there crashing against the shore rain or snow, night or day. The world would be quite silent when he left home. He had become accustomed to the city of the sea. He still remembered when his father first took him to the sea. "Kendall, this is the sea. Don't ever be afraid of it. It may seem rough and angry at times but it is what keeps our city going. Laviku calms the waves when the time is right." He smiled and looked to the city. Drayden and Cathan would be meeting him in a few chimes. "Zeltiva, although the past season has been rough, well more than rough it seems, I will miss you. I will miss the sea and the university. There just is no place for me here. Maybe someday I will return but for now… For now I need to find somewhere where I do belong." For the first time since the accident Kendall smiled and really smiled. He was still longing for his family and his body but he was finally moving on. In a new city it would be like starting new. No one would know who he was or that he used to be a girl. He could just be Kendall Saarinen, no labels attached. He liked the sound of that. The smile of his face got bigger and he even felt himself getting close to tears. He was not crying for the loss of Zeltiva. He was far past that. He cried to the release of himself from Zeltiva's loving clutches. He was letting go and in the same respect the city did the same. There was not worry anymore. For the first time Kendall felt the workings of his mark. The way it sorted through his emotions and gave him control. He felt peace and that was a feeling that he could have sworn was lost on him.

[Drayden]

Drayden hopped over the gap between two buildings and continued his race over the city's roofs. "Gotta hurry, gotta hurry! Ken and Cathan are probably waiting for me right now!", he said to himself,"I'm always late! They're always annoyed when I show up 15 chimes late, I can't imagine what they'll do this time I'm late 20 chimes!" He reached the outer edges of Zeltiva, the buildings grew shorter and fewer. The gaps between buildings grew too wide to jump so Drayden launched off the next small house, landing smoothly on the ground. He was so excited, he was finally making good on his promise: to return to Ravok. Not only was he returning to Ravok, but he was bringing his new friends along for the ride! He imagined showing Cathan and Kendall the Temple of the Black Sun. The magnificent temple held secrets dark and horrifying, but the outside was a beautiful feat of architecture. "I'll have to tell them about the dangers of the city too. To an outsider it seems a peaceful city... until they meet the Ebonstryfe.", he noted to himself. Drayden remembered his many almost-run-ins with the Ebonstryfe with a knotted brow. He remembered them as ruthless, clever killers that would stop at nothing to exterminate any threat... His shoulder was thrown back by a passing man who had bumped into him. Drayden turned and shot the man a scathing look. Interrupted from his thoughts, he returned to the present. The cityscape had changed to rolling hills of snow and ice. He quickly remembered the heavy cloak he had bought for the journey, which was always getting in the way. He debated putting it on for a few seconds then decided he would rather be annoyed by the cloak than have frostbite. Drayden stopped and dropped his pack on the frozen ground, retrieved the fur cloak and draped it over his shoulders. He saw a tuft of blond hair blow in gust of wind and stopped. A big smile creeped across his face as he slipped under the shadow of a large tree. He reached down, scooped up a handful of snow and formed it into a ball. Drayden quickly judged the distance to where Ken stood and laughed to himself as he pictured his face after the projectile hits its mark. The more mature side of Drayden scoffed at his childish endeavours as Drayden drew back his arm. He launched the snowball towards its target: Ken's shoulder. Drayden followed behind the snowball with a smile on his face and a wave in hand.

[Cathan]

It was strange to see the ground so far below. Weird to not feel the street under his bare paws. Faces he knew looked at him, some curious, most indifferent. Few recognized the wolf in him, not even when they had met in the past, when they had kicked pebbles after him or thrown him the remains of their last dinner. The fabric of his clothing felt unfamiliar to his skin and once in a while Cathan caught himself running his fingers along the linen sleeve of his shirt sensing the material under his fingertips. The garment was almost new. He had not spend a lot of time on two legs since his arrival in the city. In the last two days he had made an effort to act more human again. He had cut his hair, shaved. Looked through his few human belonging, trying to figure out what else he would need on a length trip.

"So... can I get you something else?"

A woman's voice let Cathan snap back into the here and now and his golden eyes focused on the young blond behind the counter. With a questioning expression she was looking up to him, a pair of mittens in one and a fur hood in the other hand. It were only the last of a pile of items already resting on the counter. Warmer clothing mostly, but also a few other things. Some food, a large pack of salt, some folded linen.

"Some needles if you have, a bit of thread?," the kelvic asked, checking over the extra coat the vender had put on the table. It was not made of the most exotic fur, in fact it looked rather cheap. But then he hadn't planned on spending much money anyway. As long as it was warm it would work.

"Believe we still have some kits if you want? Eighteen gold miza?," she suggested, walking of to get it when he nodded. Looking over the things on the counter, Cathan started to line out some miza on a small free space on the table. Frowning as he summed up what the woman had lined out earlier.

"You now that's too much, do you?" A young boy behind him rose an eyebrow. "My mom teaches mathematics here in the city. And you are giving that woman to much. By far."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Reaching to the coins the kelvic had put on the counter, the boy picked a handful and handed them back to Cathan. "Now, that should be right." He grinned broadly, apparently happy
to prove his supremacy in the field of mathematics.

It made Cathan sniff a little, slipping the mizas he had been handed back into his pouch, putting a single silver miza in the boys hand. "How about that for the help?"

"Too much as well. But thanks." The boy grinned.

With the woman returning, the kelvic handed over the money, starting to sort his new possessions into his backpack, to some snares and a whetstone he had bought earlier. All in all he felt prepared when he left the shop heading through the city, towards the gates. Unsure if he would see the city again, but also indifferent if he did or not. The city had not been good to him and he knew he wouldn't miss it. Not the smell of fish, not the people. Those few he thought better of he would meet up with any moment. Already he could make up the two figures in the distance, Kendall and Drayden waiting on him.

Raising a hand he waved.

[Kendall Saarinen]

A unfamiliar feeling spread throughout Kendall's shoulder. There as a thump and then… wait was this? The feeling of ice on his shoulder? Although Kendall felt cold temperatures it was not often that he actually felt chilled. It scared him and out of habit he released his Res in a quick attempt for defense. Sadly, he reacted a bit to fast and the Res that he released came from his mouth. What should have come out as a yell of fear turned into a trail of fire. Embarrassed, he clapped his palms over his mouth and a bright red hue took over his face. He looked around to see if there was anyone around to see his odd display of reimency. His eyes fell upon Drayden. He wanted to apologize for the strange instance of breathing fire but he was afraid he might do it again. He opened his mouth and exhaled letting a small stream of fire come out as he got rid of the rest of the Res in his mouth. It was a strange sight. Normally in the cold a person would exhale and a stream of fog would come from their mouth. "Sorry about that Drayden. God, I am so embarrassed." His face was still crimson with embarrassment as he talked. He was still not extremely experienced in Reimancy yet. It was his major form of defense but sadly he had not had a lot of time to study it. After Kendall's blush died down he felt comfortable talking again. "Sorry about that. I got scared. It's a good thing you did not jump in front of me. You would have had a nasty burn." The blush was still evident on Kendall's cheeks although he tried to hide it. When Cathan showed up the felt a wave of relief. "Thank Ivak. I am so terrible at making conversation and then I released my Res out of my mouth! Kendall! You are so weird!" He shook his head and pushed his internal argument away. He waved to Cathan and gave him a small smile. "I'm glad you could come Cathan. It will be very helpful to have a man like you joining us. I'm sure you know a lot more about the Wildlands than I. I've never even left Zeltiva." He looked forward and then looked back at the men assembled. "I say we head to Syliras. That way we can replenish our supplies and rest up for a few days. It should take us over a season to Ravok, about 45 days. I stay we head Northwest and then once we get to Syliras we head Northeast to Ravok. Of course Nyka is along the way. We can stop there if anyone would like." Kendall did not care where they went. He just wanted to get away from Zeltiva. Away from the terrible memories and onto a brighter future."

[Drayden]

"Sorry to startle you, haven't you ever seen a snowball?", Drayden said with a chuckle. He could still feel the heat from Ken's fiery mistake. "You're lucky Ivak graced you with his mark, or else you would no longer have a mouth with which to talk!", Drayden teased, "Where's Cathan?" As soon as he asked the question Ken waved to someone over Drayden's shoulder. He saw the dark hair immediately, set against the stark white of the snowy landscape. Drayden let loose a smile and gestured Cathan over. Cathan was wearing the most clothes he'd ever seen on his lean frame. 'Being a kelvic, he probably felt constricted by clothing', thought Drayden. He looked to Kendall and nodded in agreement at his travel plan. "I made this journey once before, when I left Endrykas.", Drayden explained. "When I left my home, I went straight to Ravok thinking it was a safe haven so-to-say. Two weeks in the city told me differently, that's when I left for here, Zeltiva. You're right Ken it's about 100 days if I remember correctly, though it will most likely take longer because of snow", he advised. "But a trip to Syliras is well worth the journey! I've never seen the castle city myself but I heard storytellers at home speek of it's magnificence!", Drayden excitedly exclaimed. "I can't wait to get going! I should go fetch my horse, Aero will be anxious. He's been waiting with a very nice farmer over there for about 2 hours.", Drayden said, as he pointed towards a small farmhouse and barn off in a distant field. "It will only take a score of chimes, you two are welcome to come If you'd like. I don't think you've met Aero yet have you?", Drayden voiced as he slowly started his walk to the small barn. "You know this trip is going to be a lot of fun and..." he trailed off in the middle of his sentence as his mind wandered. He shut out the world and delved into the depths of his thoughts. Trapped in his mind, he daydreamed of the trip as he watched his feet took step after step...

[Cathan]

"Kendall. Drayden." The kelvic had stopped a few feet away, a smile curling his lips, his breath a cloud before his face. In his human form Cathan was a tall, lean man, muscular yet slender, with half long brown hair almost touching his shoulders. When speaking his elongated canines became visible, hinting his true nature as shapeshifter more than even his amber eyes. "Hope I haven't made you two wait. It is good to see you."

Cathan nodded at Kendall's suggestion to head to Syliras first. "It is a long way to Ravok, can't hurt to have a place to restock and eventually replace broken equipment." He was not worried about leaking waterskins in the winter; there were enough other thing which could break on the way and probably even more he had not thought of bringing along to start with. "I know the wild, not so much the Wildlands. There is a street leading from here to Syliras though, so it should be hard to get lost. Once we are over the mountains, travel will get easier too." Crossing the Mirahil Pass would be the most arduous part of their journey and while traversing the Wildlands would be hard, it could only get easier once that obstacle was taken. The last time he had taken that road it had been mid summer, he could only guess how the area would look during winter.

"I have never been to Nyra, but a second stop can't hurt. That said, it is something we can decide on once we reach Syliras." His attention shifted to Drayden when the man mentioned picking up his horse. "We can go get it... but horses and I don't get along." The said was followed by an amused smile as the kelvic started to trail along behind the assassin, hands buried in his pockets. Already he was looking forward to the moment when he could turn into his wolf form again, wearing his own pelt rather than a substitute. Where his skin was exposed to the wind he felt cold, something he had not experienced in quite some time. Absently he pulled his cloak closer around his body, scanning over the nearby farm. Snow was covering the ground and in the paddock he could make out sheep, lazily looking up as they passed. Almost Cathan had stopped in his tracks. Easy prey, that's what they were. At least that was what his instincts told him. Licking his lips he closed the distance between himself and the other two men, trying to ignore them.

"Might just wait here, while you get Aero," he offered towards Drayden. Horses rarely liked the scent of wolves when they weren't used to it. And in his old clothing he was smelling quite a bit like one. No, he usually didn't get well along with horses. In his youth he had tried to bit one, only to get leashed across the muzzle with a riding crop by his first owner. It had not helped him warm up the the species horse in general.

[Kendall Saarinen]

"I could have lost my tounge." Kendall had become to used to his mark that he had completely forgotten that fire burned people. If it was not for his gift from Ivak he would not have a mouth. "Yes, thank Ivak for that. I mean, imagine me not talking." His speech was heavy in sarcasm but it came out a bit awkward. He was not exactly the friendliest guy even when he tried to be. It was not that he was anti-social. He just was not good at relating to people. How could he really know someone else if he did not know who he was? The plans were set then. The men would head to Syliras. If they kept a steady pace they could get to the city by the twentieth of Winter. Kendall was excited to see the great city. He could not recall how many times his family had told him about it. It had a castle and knights! Kendall could not help but keep up his constant stream of daydreams when thinking about it. "I am excited to see the city. I have only heard the best about Syliras." Kendall was a bit nervous though. It was a new city and with that, new people. Of course, this was a new start too. No one there would know the name of Saarinen. He could be himself and no one would question him further. Kendall nodded as the Drykas walked toward the barn. He decided to stay back with Cathan. He had no business at the barn and besides, he knew Cathan better than the Drykas anyway. Kendall wanted to speak to the wolfish man but he could not think of words to say. "Not a fan of barns?" It was a bit of an odd question but it was more than one could usually get out of the quiet man. "I have not been around many myself. Just the buildings of Zeltiva for me." After the few lines of forced speech Kendall looked toward his horse Dyakana. "The offer goes with me as well Cathan. If you need me to carry anything just let me know." The sun as at it's midpoint in the sky and Kendall stared at the horizon with a serious look on his face. "We should try to get far before sun down. We do not need to worry about fire, I can start one with no trouble. We just need to find a safe place to camp for the night. Of course, that worry can come later."

[Drayden]

(OOC: Sorry for the wait.) Drayden rushed to the front door of the small farm house with a smile. The house looked ancient. The color of the paint that now peeled from its walls could no longer be recognized. A young boy rushed out of the door and greeted Drayden. "Oh hello sir! I have been waiting for you to return. Your horse is quite... how shall I put this, difficult. I have no idea how you manage to handle him!" the small boy said while he rushed towards the stables. Drayden tried to follow him, but felt abandoned. He poked his head inside the house and met the eyes of an old man. "That boy is quite the ball of energy, eh?", Drayden said, trying to be friendly. The old man nodded and gave a grunt before addressing Drayden. "Yeah, I find it hard to keep him in check. I swear, he's gonna get into trouble some day and I wont be there to hold his hand! I'm takin' care of him while his father's in Nyka on business... ", The old man blundered. The man walked away on old knees, back into the house. Drayden, left alone on the porch, heard the calls of the young boy and an annoyed grunt. Drayden followed the sound around the side of the house and saw Aero, head held high, prancing away from the boy and his brush. Drayden walked to the boy and laid a hand on his shoulder as he reached for the brush, "That won't be necessary my friend. Aero doesn't take well to strangers. I'm amazed he's only given you this much trouble!". He walked away from the barn with Aero, towards his companions. As Aero noticed where he was being led, he started to protest. "Shhh... It's ok, they're our friends. They won't hurt you." Surely it was his accident that has made him so opposed to strangers. Aero relaxed and continued, cautiously, towards Ken and Cathan. As the horse drew closer, he drew up his head proudly and flipped his mane from side to side in an attempt to intimidate the two travelers. Drayden gave Aero a playful smack, "Stop that! Don't be rude." He reached Ken and Cathan and quickly made sure that all the straps for the saddle bags were secure. He rummaged through one of the bags, and pulled out a thick, woolen blanket which he placed on Aero's back. Well, what do you think? Don't be shy, give him your hand. He may not be very fond of strangers but he won't hurt you." Drayden assured them.

[Cathan]

"I have slept in a few barns, but I avoid them if I can." Arms crossed behind his head, the kelvic watched Drayden vanish into the barn, before turning to Kendall. "You know that feeling when you walk past a bakery and although you were not hungry before you suddenly want a meat paste? Just because they made some and you can smell them half a street away?" Cathan inclined his head. "I am pretty sure this barn smells like mutton. Lazy, fat muttons at that," he continued, glancing towards the animals behind him with narrowed eyes. "Pretty sure you could walk over to them and they would be too stupid to run away..."

It would be almost too easy to be fun. Realizing Kendall was still staying at his side, he cleared his throat, feeling slightly awkward. A little. Quickly his expression changed to a grin as he pushed the thought of fresh meat from his mind. As good as he was able to at least. "Would be great though, if you could take some of my stuff. Is bit hard to run with all of it." Apparently not to worried the young man could just keep his things, the kelvic handed him quite a few things from his bags, especially heavier items like the salt pack and the snares.

"Thanks."

It came a little belated, as if Cathan had just realized it would be just polite to add it. His smile on the other hand came quickly, the expression honest. "Can't hurt to hurry a little while the weather is good," he continued. "I know a good place before the mountains to camp at. We should actually still be able to make it."

In the barn a head the shapeshifter could hear the sound of voices talking, they were just too far away for him to actually make out what said. His gold eyes came to rest on Kendall again, curious. "Do you know anyone in Syliras?" It was something he had never thought about before, but then he had thought little about their journey in general. He had no business in either Syliras nor Ravok, but the prospect of some company had driven him to brace the winter cold no matter the actual destination. Had the kelvic been a more thoughtful, or even self-aware individual the thought might have bothered him, but so he was merely looking forward to the journey.

The next moment Drayden returned with Aero and Cathan gave it a quick once over. He didn't knew a lot about horses, but the one the man was leading towards them now seemed to have quite the temperament. On the offer to show the animal his hands he threw Drayden a brief glance. "Well, I hope you are right there." While it was usually him who bit others he wouldn't hold it against the animal if it turned the tables on him. Or maybe be would. It was a little hard to tell with him. Still, the kelvic shrugged, slowly reaching a hand out for the animals nose.

[Kendall Saarinen]

A light chuckle bubbled from Kendall's throughout. "I know what you mean, or at least some form of it. For me it is more…, I see a mother and a child and I want to be with my mother. I may not have been missing her before but looking at the two makes me want to be close to her. We all have our vices and yearnings, some just aren't as well… animalistic, no offense of course." Kendall smiled at the memory of his mother. If he had still be in Zeltiva he might have cried or at least rushed off to get some beer to "smooth over his nerves". "What proves a man is man, or even a woman in that matter is that we can prioritize our yearnings and hold back when we must. Without that we have, and in our very sense are chaos. Life cannot be one long string of raking in our desires. On occasion we have to live without even if what we crave is right in front of us." He did not mean to sound so much like a preacher. He liked to leave that to the folks at the Temple of Laviku. I was less that he was talking to Cathan. He was talking to himself. He needed to let go of his family and Zeltiva. There was an entire world out there and if all things went his way he would be far away from his home town. Craving the sea air and his family would only hinder him. Kendall waved to Drayden as we approached with his horse. Drayden seemed like a good guy, as did Cathan. Kendall worried about how nice they would seem when he slipped up though. He could only keep up the guy charade for so long before he slipped up and did something girly. The guys would not be too comfortable sharing a sleeping space with a guy who may or may not have romantic feelings for them. At the moment Kendall truly did not know what he wanted, nor did he really have time to think about it. "I have never left Zeltiva so no, I do not know anyone in Syliras. I've heard there are many interesting people there. I would really like to visit Kova's Well. I have heard good things about it and it sounds like a beautiful place." Kendall wanted to see the well out of respect for Ivak. Kova had been his lover and it was the least he could do for the fire God to go visit the well. As Drayden walked up Kendall held the reins of Dyakana tightly. She moved around uncomfortably for about a chime until Kendall placed a hand on her cheek and made little shhh noises to calm her. "Sorry, I'm not sure why she is getting so unsettled." He looked over at Cathan and was pleasantly surprised to see the man controlling himself around the horse. Like his canine friend he held his hand out to Aeon and smiled. He loved animals although he never had a chance to have one except Dyakana. The road ahead looked clear enough, at least for the Wildlands. One could never rule out the influence of Zulrav though. He would sneak up when ever he felt the need. "As Cathan said, we should head out soon. Things look clear now but one never knows when Zulrav could change the course of the winds and clouds." With Cathan's possessions in tow Kendall jumped onto Dyakana's back. "I say we ride until we can see Leth above the trees. What do you guys think?" He was not sure how he felt about riding at night. There were beasts in the Wildlands that he did not want to meet. He also did not want Dyakana to get hurt because he wanted to rush to Syliras. "Cathan said he knows of a place where we can camp. We can spend the night there and head off again at the light of Syna with Cathan leading since he knows the lay of the land. I have a tent large enough for all of us if anyone needs a place to sleep. Also, I can provide the fire through reimancy so no one needs to waste their flint and steel. Once we set up camp I can get the fire and campsite set up while you both hunt. If that is okay of course. I don't want to sound bossy. I just do not know how to hunt." Kendall worried that he was coming off as being big headed and he did not want his companions thinking he was trying to take control of the travels. "Of course everyone is welcome to say something different. I will not be offended in the slightest."