[South Woods]Slavers and Salutations(Aello)

[Archelon]

53rd of Winter, 511av. 5am... South Woods... twenty miles from Sunberth. Cold... that was what this winter in Sunberth was here in the South woods. The region had been hit by a hard snowstorm, and the ground was still littered with the remnants of cold slickened patches of ice. The past two days of Sunberth had been rough going, with the Night Eyes launching a strike against any slaver den unaffiliated with them, and releasing a good many slaves. Desperate for new product the slums were simply trolling with slave merchants and hired thugs culling the masses for new 'stock' while seeking to recover any 'escaped' merchandise which was hiding. Portions of the unskilled population, and a few lucky freed slaves not coralled back into the chains of bondage, had scattered towards the forests in the night. Like swarming flies to try their luck against the harsher elements as they fled. To those more hardy sorts relying upon their survival skills amidst the winter wonderland, the night would be tinged with screams, blood, and their own desperate bids to hide and escape the roving bands of dangerous slave takers. It was a crossroads of sorts, a place where the foolish or the unwise might easily die if their actions were not careful. But for one such woodswoman, the night might bode forth ripples of an even darker set of needs, and happenstances. Meetings, and partings. Choices and conundrums of the ethical kind. Of the human kind... and the smallest of acts or decisions might determine a different path or course of things to come. People were dying in these woods tonight, and the sight of torches from slaver groups following those that dared to stand up to them and not relinquish their freedom were met by the counterpoints of flashing steel, and blood. Somewhere amidst the darked foliage of the forests which ran along the road to Zeltiva, a troubled young woman named Aello would start, hunched around a fire, getting up to tend it amidst the night to keep her warm from the cold. At that moment, barely cognizant of any sign of what was to come...

[Aello]

Aello poked the fire with a spare stick she had gathered earlier in the day. The kindling rolled against its tip, sending several bright orange sparks towards the underside of her wooden teepee-shaped structure. The sparks seemed to pop as they sizzled out, lost in the darkness much as a firefly was after a few seconds of time. Although, unlike them, the sparks never came back. They never showed themselves anywhere else. Several thick tendrils of grey smoke rolled out from between the spaces that rested between each of the logs, spiraling into the night sky. Into Aello's nostrils, causing them to sting, and her eyes to water a little bit. As she continued to push against the kindling with her stick, the fire grew, roaring, as it threatened to lick her boots. That should be enough, Aello thought, as she pulled the stick out, and blew on the end, which had grown orange with embers. It smoked a little, as Aello put it back down on the ground, next to her pack, atop which, her sparrow rested. Aello could just make out the sight of her chest rising and falling delicately as the fire cast long shadows across her feathers, causing them to appear far darker than usual. Aello smiled weakly. At least someone is getting their sleep, she thought, as a delicate sigh escaped her lips. Releasing a silver puff of air, which trickled about her lips, before dispersing into nothingness. "Enjoy it while you can Yune," Aello whispered, as she sat back down by the side of the fire. "While you still understand peace." Aello reached for her companion, passing the back of her hand over her wing delicately. Allowing the feel of her feathers to sink into her skin but once, before she pulled away, afraid she would cause her friend to stir. "While you can keep your eyes shut, for the sun has not yet shown itself," the aurist whispered, as she pulled her cloak more tightly about her form and shivered. She wondered if going to fetch more wood to put on the fire would help. Or perhaps, finding a nearby city and venturing inside to find a blanket. Maybe killing off a large animal for its pelt would help. As would finding something to eat for her breakfast in a few hours. Although, there were a few berries left in her bag...

[Archelon]

Amidst the woodlands of Sunberth's outskirts, Aello would soon find herself tending to the chores the camp would need. Soon enough, she'd take a nibble of the berries she had in store, not much, just one or two to keep her energy up as she prepared for the next task. A rather mundane one, but one vastly important in the harsh climes of winter weather. Shivering from the cold , her boots would plod along ground still frozen and enfrosted as she went to gather wood. Making sure to take her bow and weapons. The woodlands were deceptive after all, much like Sunberth's winters, and like any master of disguise this winter was colder and crueler then the ones of prior years. Morwen's Frost had locked things within their icy embrace. Local redberry bushes, filled with the last buds of fall had been ensconced completely. Still harvestable, yet only if one could boil them. They were a local ingredient to make a very strong , yet tasteful fruit juice. To be useful as a food or drink they'd probably have to be boiled to remove them from their icy coffin. The only problem was that those in the know who drank such things, was that boiling them raw with the pits produced a rather strong diuretic which leaked into the berry's flesh. Hence why the juice was made after the pits were removed. As the woman, made her way, farther and farther from camp, her keen eyes would spot the telltale hoof marks of a deer track. She would kneel beside them, testing the depth of the depressions as her eyes searched for any sign of scat to see if they were fresh and a potential meal to hunt down. With a bit more consideration Aello wouldn't be able to tell anything besides that they were made in the last hour or so. Heading to the south east towards the large western hills in the distance. If curiousity would spurn her onwards, then traveling another hundred feet would yield her eyes some interesting results. Her vision would note a patch of red snow upon the trail; a clear sign that something had been injured. Perhaps the work of a bear, or wolf? Sunberth's forests did have both in plentiful supply. Whatever she could see, she would have to make a decision: to follow the trail a little longer to find out if she could locate the injured animal, or go back to camp. It would be her decision to decide.

[Aello]

Aello glanced at the blood, and then back at the tracks. Two tear drops seemingly curling into each other at their uppermost points. She waited a few moments, listening to the night. How still it was, the silence of her stomach. She didn't need to continue hunting now, for she wasn't truly hungry yet, but she knew she would have to go out again in a few hours to find something for later, no matter the issue. Thus, she decided that she would follow the tracks a bit, and if she found their source within a few chimes, she'd put it out of its misery. If she failed to find it however, she'd simply go back to her camp, tend to the fire and to Yune, and perhaps, try to get a little sleep before the sun decided to show itself. Slowly, Aello moved forward. She kept her body close to the ground, in a sort of crouch, so that she would be all the more capable of springing into action should a threat present itself, and so that she would be forced to move at a slower rate, making her all the less likely to miss something important. Not only that, but being closer to the ground made it far easier for her to keep her eyes planted upon the deer tracks. Aello's dark brown irises, and her even darker pupils, fixated on the gentle curve of the deer's hoof. The imprint it left in the terrain. She followed them in silence. Working her way deeper and deeper into the forest. At times, she would stop and look around, wondering where it had went, for the prints weren't as deep. At times, she would wind her way around trees, before coming to the realization that she had veered from the path, causing her to go right back to where she had left off. At other times, her tracking ability seemed to be improving- with twigs and sticks being strewn around the forest, snapped underfoot, and little, nearly invisible, flecks of red on the cold, hard earth. It truly seemed as though the girl was on the right track. You can't be that much farther along our beaten path, can you? Aello wondered, as she kept on moving. Walking alongside the tracks now, so that if she lost the trail again, she wouldn't accidently cover the deer's marks with her own. Not when you're losing blood, even if it's trickling out slowly... Aello's grip tightened around her father's old bow as she kept her eyes peeled for the dark outline of something other than some sort of plant life. You had to lay down and rest somewhere, or risk bleeding to death. Aello shook her head. That wasn't exactly true. It wasn't as though the forest creatures knew how to bandage a wound and keep themselves from bleeding out too much. The deer was going to bleed to death. Or freeze to death. Or die of starvation if its wound was enough to keep it from getting back up. The only thing Aello could do was find it, and bring it out of its misery, by delivering it into the arms of Dira herself.

[Archelon]

Aello's efforts along the trail were deceptive. Deceptive in the means that she had not backtracked on herself but rather had been lead in a circular corkscrew of hoofprints around the area. Unfortunately this meant she was farther from her camp then she thought. If she had any bit of tracking skill she'd realize after a moment's pause such was a sign of a spooked animal, a sign of danger about. At least in the deer's frame of reference. But such things were of little merit at this time. What was of merit is where the tracks began to lead her, up higher slopes of forested loam towards the base of the hills where the brush began to grow thicker... There were some other traces in the brush, small hints of scattered twigs, and broken brambles, as if some small furry animal had passed more recently. Pushing gingerly past a thicket of toughened brambles, propelled from an instinctual recognition she was getting close to her prey, one thorn would scratch Aello across cheekbone. Soon enough, chapped lips would open in a small hiss of pain, and her hand would come up in irritation to regard a thin bead of moisture trailing down her cheek. For all intents and purposes acting like a bloody teardrop's trail before it a single drop dripped from her chin to the cold white snow below. Any muttered cursings or vented frustrations as a bleeting sound of an animal came from somewhere close by. Her eyes would scan the area, sighting an enshadowed bole amidst the tree roots of a large cyprus perched upon the forested rocky hill. Within the root system itself, the bleeting would be heard again, coming from inside a natural cave of sorts. Her eyes peering into the darkness would see a glimmer of reflection about ten paces into the cave, like a set of eyes watching her. Whether they were from the injured animal or not, she would not be able to tell. But if she crept forwards a little into the glade where the cave entrance lay, her attention would be drawn by the cracking sounds and a loud shout of another creature skittering down towards her from up the slope in uncontrolled descent as the form of an almost naked female child tumbled to ground, coming to a dead stop about a hundred feet away... Beyond her perceptions, the pair of the cold diamond-like eyes in the cave flicked towards the new intrusion into its demesne, muffled by distance and the confining cold air its words would go unnoticed. "Rechaisikaitl!" The phrase was spat like a curse and was followed by low drawn out hiss of a word in common. "Guillllltyyyyyyyy!" If she looked again for them, the small reflection of light like cat's eyes would have vanished. If she used her auristics, something the size of a small cat would have begun to scamper back into the shadows of the cave save that whatever it was, it's aura would be tinged with the colors of red, and the scent of blood... Was there danger here? What would Aello do? Where would she go? The child, a girl looking about ten, began to cry and her voice's inflection was wrought with pain as she cradled her arm."Momma...Poppa. Help!"

[Aello]

Aello blinked a few times, wondering if the two red slits had been part of her imagination, or something grounded in reality. She hadn't seen a tone so red, so distinctly blood-like, as Damian's eyes. Yet, with Damian, there was a brightness to those eyes, despite the color. In these, there was only a cold, deep-seated hatred. A slit, seemingly signifying the claw marks the entity would enjoy placing upon another's flesh. There was nothing kind, or even remotely welcoming about them. Aello stared off into the distance for a time, listening to the child's wails. A part of her ached for the child, and another part of her, was certain she could not be real. For a child that young had no business in the Wildlands; alone. The aurist listened to the sounds of the night- the wails, the sound of footsteps, something chirping off in the distance, the occasional howl. Everything seemed as it should be, save for this. Something was wrong. Within an instant of having come to the realization, Aello's magic flared. The forest lit up. The trees glowing a dismal green. The child lit up, she was a soft yellow. A sunny mist in a pool of despair. As Aello watched her, she could feel the girl's tears on her cheeks. Dripping down her face. How cool they were, and yet, how they seemed to caress her skin despite it all. She could feel the heaviness in her heart. The pain. The fear at being lost, without them. Her parents. The two people she kept on crying for. The two people she kept her eyes open for, thinking that if she could simply kept them alert, she'd find them soon enough. But although her magic didn't tell her this for certain, Aello was almost positive that they wouldn't be coming back. A single tear fell from Aello's right eye. Her arm began to ache. It was the same arm the girl was holding, her left. There was a sharp throbbing pain just above the elbow, as though she had fallen on it, or been stabbed. Aello sighed, as her magic trailed into the cave. Picking up the sharp red outline of a small feline like creature. The overwhelming, nauseating metallic scent of blood. Aello's nose scrunched up with displeasure as she watched the creature slinking into the darkness. Into the depths of the cave. She could sense only that its heart was wild. That it was feral. She wondered if it was a Kelvic, or something worse. The girl shook her head lightly as she forced herself forward, towards the crying girl. She knelt behind her. "Shh, it'll be ok," she cooed, even though she felt the words little more than a lie. "We'll find them soon, if you just wait here a moment. I shall keep an eye on you." She paused, "but there is something in that cave over there. Something scary, something unidentifiable, which needs to be dealt with. Give me a few bells, and I will return to look at your arm, and help you, alright?" she asked, as she eased herself back onto her feet, and moved towards the cave. Aello had reached its mouth within a few strides. She stood in the entrance a moment, looking back at the frightened girl, as she tightened her grip upon her bow. She took a deep breath, in through her nose, and out through her mouth to help quiet the beating of her heart. Seconds later, she was drifting into the cave. Into the dark, with only the light of her magic to guide her, and watch over the strange little girl. So very out of place, and far away from her home. OOCSorry I cut interaction with the girl short, I figured she didn't have to wait if you didn't want her to. Or you could gruesomely kill her... you're the mod. P.S. I didn't clearly state this, but for the record- yellow auras tend to do with naivety, among other things. Those that need to learn. I figured it suitable.

[Archelon]

As Aello drifted further from belief between reality and fiction to venture deeper into the darkness, the crying child she would be leaving behind allowed herself a small cruel twist come to the corner of her lips. For you see, the small one held a secret... a secret known only to a few. When Aello had vanished from sight, the child would wipe away her tears to stand, flexing her arms in a wide circle as with one hand she pointed to the sky. From her fingertips, a small flare rose into the sky. A signal she had found another one this night. From beyond the ridge, a slaver gang saw the red hued construction and would begin to smile towards one another maliciously as their leader pointed two of their fastest scouts out into the wilderness. Like running jackalopes, the pair would begin to make haste towards the forested glades, trampling across the snow and the debris of branches brought down by frost. The others would soon follow after... beginning their own form of hunt tonight. A hunt for newfound slaves to replace their losses. But such things would come in time as the inveterate actress of a girl was behind Aello; letting the mask slip just enough to silently laugh at the woman who had showed her an ounce of kindness. For now, as Aello ventured deeper into the darkness, lit only by her second sight, the girl would wait and watch, watch for her chance to strike. But as for the woodswoman, she would begin to notice things upon the ground of the entranceway. Scattered bandages red with blood. Patches of grass roots bundled together, a few potted plants no bigger then her first combined with the ever present tang of guano which pervaded the area. Her mind at that thought would look upwards, into a scope of beady red eyes, glaring at her from the ceiling. The signs of hibernating bats being woken from their hibernating slumber by an intrusion. Farther inside the cave, a bleeting cry of the deer was heard again, this time a cry of pain, and yet strangely muffled by the echoing sounds of rocken walls in between. What would she do now? Where would she go back out to the girl, content her job was finished? Or would she stay, perhaps tracing in her Sight the plethora of bats who were stirring to wakefulness? Would her presence cause them to swarm about her with a single misstep? Would she strain her ability to be soundless in order to continue? Only time would tell; The path was unclear at this juncture, save the fact that whaterver steps she took would be her own. Deeper within the darkness of the caves, a small tinny of a voice wailed with whispered sorrow within the darkness. It's words coming out like scratchy nails upon a chalkboard; stressing its sillibants like a snake. "Abase! Abase! You wllleeeeak too much! Petching feeble git-of-flesh-bag! Gonnnnnna die, gonnnnna die like all the rest! Animal more chance survive!! Fool...Fooool! Abase! Abaaaaaaaassssssssssssssseeeeeeeee!!!!!!! "

[Aello]

This sure is a strange night, Aello thought, as she looked away from the bats and back at the bandages, wondering how both could be in one place. She moved closer to them, and nudged a bandage with the tip of her boot. It seemed to be stained with blood in a number of places, but not soaked through entirely, which could mean a number of things. First, that whoever was in need of these bandages in the first place changed to a fresh set, or was in need of a fresh set. Or, that the wound sealed up fairly nicely, causing them to not need the bandages anymore. Aello couldn't be certain. The aurist sighed as she glanced out towards the entrance of the cave. She could still sense the little girl, along with a number of trees, but the strange feline-like creature was no more. No mist shrouded it, colored it for her. Perhaps it had gone too far, or Aello was simply getting too weak. Shrugging, Aello willed her magic into the cave, away from the trees, so that it would light the way for her. The cave's edges then, lit up. A dull green. She could see the dark rock winding its way into the distance, but where it led precisely, the girl could not tell. She would simply have to delve into its depths further, if she intended to discover its secrets. The things it held; sheltering them from the cruel outside world. Aello took a deep breath, in through the nose, and out through the mouth, forcing the smell of feces and blood out of her mind. The tiny ache that hung around her temples. The gentle prod of her magic telling her that she was being deceived by the little girl. How, it couldn't tell, but it was insistent. It was determined to get the girl to understand that she was in trouble. But Aello wasn't in the mood to listen. She was too intent on her current task: finding out who had used those bandages, and if they were still alive, and of course, figuring out where that strange creature had gotten to. Where the cave itself led. Of course, Aello hadn't had the best experience in a cave before, which caused her to be a bit apprehensive about going inside. Especially after having left Yune by herself, with an unattended fire. She knew she should be getting back to it, but her curiosity was gnawing at her. Eating away at her fears, and offering a false sort of strength. Just the amount she needed in order to keep pressing forward. After taking another deep breath, Aello pushed herself forward. With the strength of her curiosity growing even stronger with each passing minute, she had no trouble rounding a bend and delving even more deeply into the darkness. Aello simply hoped that the light she held would not extinguish, and that she may find her way back out. She prayed then, to Eywaat to look after Yune until she could return to her, and prayed to Dira, to keep from her embrace for at least a little while longer. That was all she could really do, as she moved. Careful of her step on the uneven, rocky terrain. Pray. Tighten her grip on her bow. Breath. Keep her eyes peeled, and wait, until something showed itself. OOCYou got Aello to go into a cave. Mr. Turtle, you are a skilled man indeed. Yay for spelunking!

[Archelon]

As Aello ventured deeper into the caverns, her feet would take her along a winding passage, at times the walls would narrow, so she would have to stoop. Every so often, in a bit of sand depression strewn about the cave floor, she'd spy a hoof mark or two, as well as small patterns of smudges she couldn't identify heading in the same direction. After two hundred more feet of walking amidst the darkness, the woman would note passage suddenly narrow and descend into a bow that traversed through a bit of warmly heated water, tinged with the odor of sulfur, the path would dip into the ravine, and then upwards towards the other side. She couldn't see what was beyond that side though, the path was marred and blocked by several peculiar things, strands of rope and weeds, plants of some sort hanging from the caverntop as her auristics showed tiny insects seemed to crawl through them. A closer look would yield the sight upon the vines as possessing small clampets, enspined mouths like a venus flytrap. The combination of insects, warm water, and carniverous plants creating a dense thicket of vegetation where no vegetation truly should have the right to be. An ecosystemStrangely enough this type of ecosystem actually occurs in nature . So I'ma gonna borrow it with a few twists. apart. Wondering if the hoofprints made her take a wrong turn, a bleeting cry of pain would be heard echoing from somewhere beyond the fronds, and dangling vines. The woman looked backwards, and then at the path ahead, noting the water's temperature, and felt it was safe to ford, for a bit. But there was a danger of doing that, wet feet were always a difficulty. Something she might have to take into mind later. Perhaps she could jump it, or find some means of spanning the ten foot distance... were there rocks to skip across? Whatever manner she chose to partake, on the other side, Aello would push through the thick vines, cursing as small jaws the size of clam shells clamped and pulled on her cloak, bringing her hood away from her face as she struggled on. Once, she would even swear from the vine mouths, a small tongue would seek to lick her bloodied cheek before they began to tug painfully at her hair. But eventually, she would make it to the other side, guided by the cries of pain echoing from further inside the cavern. In the distance, there was a point of light, shining through a battered wooded door, with a strange setup of pulleys and levers beside it. As if they were positioned to open for someone about knee high. She would take a single step forwards out of the vines, and then another before tripping upon an obstacle in her way. Crashing down the woman would feel the dull pain of impacting something hard, yet softer then rock upon her chest, as her eyes came face to face with a corpse. A corpse of a man it seemed, armed and armored. encased in a set of camouflage armor, with a bloodied winterbane robe about its shoulders, and possessing a simple woodsman's axe for a weapon. From behind the far off door a wailing cry, plaintive and scratchy would be faintly heard hissing over the sounds of the stream behind her, "Abase. Abasssseeeee!!!"

[Aello]

Aello glanced at the vine and rope dangling from the cavern's ceiling, and then back at the still pool of water that rested beneath it. Deciding that she was in no mood to get herself wet, considering it was cold outside and inside the cave to an extent, and because she didn't know what the petch was in the water, she decided to go over it. She approached the end of the pool, allowing the ends of her boots to rest about an inch away from the water. She leaned forward, extending her left hand, along with her bow. She pushed her father's trusty old weapon at the vines and rope, until she had curled the wood around a frayed, braided bit of rope. A light brown shade which reminded her of what the sailors in Zeltiva used to use when tying up their boats at the dock. With the rope in her bow's clutches, Aello delicately guided her arm back, until the rope was within her grasp. She clutched onto it tightly with her right hand, as she strung her bow up her arm, so that the wood rested against her shoulder. When she had finished, she placed her left hand on the rope as well, noting the scratchy feel of the frayed rope beneath her flesh. Her hands rested a few inches apart from each other, as they gave the rope a few slight tugs. It seemed sturdy enough to the girl, causing her to take a few steps back, as far as she dared stretch the rope. When she had gone as far as she could, Aello took a deep breath in through her nose, and out through her mouth, she ran a little, towards the pool of warm water. When she neared it, she jumped up, wrapping her feet around the rope as it swung her across. As she neared the end, she crashed through several vines, causing them to become tangled about her form, as she finally let go, crashing into the opposite shore. The strange plants which covered them bit at her, even as they cushioned her landing a bit, causing her to scream as she tugged everything away from her, and trampled some of the creatures beneath her boot, seeking revenge. "Petch, I'm bleeding already," Aello groaned, as she forced herself to keep on moving away from the wretched cave vegetation. She hated caves. She hated the darkness. The secrets, and most of all the vegetation they held. She shuddered, as she thought about the strange glowing moss the last cave she had been in grew. She hated that moss too. Deciding it best then, to get out of the cave as soon as possible, Aello allowed her bow to slide down the length of her arm, and back into her hand, where it belonged. She took a few steps forward, and then, came crashing back down, on top of a dead body. Frantically, she pushed away from the ground, forcing herself off the top of it. The aurist knelt at its side, taking in everything it was wearing. Its ice blue eyes, having long glazed over. "What the petch happened to you?" Aello whispered, as she remained still, trying to determine if its ghost was about to question. But there was nothing- not the familiar cool breath of air the dead possessed, no chill running up her spine, no sense that she was being watched by someone she couldn't quite make out. There was certainly, no ghost within the cavern, as far as the girl could tell. "Well considering you're not around, it doesn't seem as though you would mind if anyone helped themselves to your things," Aello whispered, as her eyes passed over the man's body. His cool flesh. She noticed he was carrying an ax. Aello went for this first, picking it up in her right hand, and testing its weight. It was far heavier than anything she wielded, but she felt as though it may help to chop down wood for fires or something. She could even give it to Nex. He was stronger than her, and may enjoy the feel of being more of a true woodsman. Shrugging, she eased her pack off her shoulders, and tied the ax between two of the side straps. The next thing Aello went for was the winterbane's robe. She wasn't quite sure what it was exactly, having never seen one before, but it seemed thick, something that would keep her far warmer than what she wore now. She held it delicately in her hands, marveling in the feel of the dark fur linings. She noticed that there was some blood upon it, more than likely what leaked out of the man's wounds, if he had any. She doubt she could get it out, but she didn't really care. Give it a quick wash to make it sort of clean, and she could use it as a blanket at the very least. Shrugging, she stuffed the robe in her bag, and stared at the armor. "This would help me to stay hidden," Aello whispered, as she passed her fingers over it. It seemed smooth, and strangely cold beneath her touch. "And far safer from enemy weapons. Obviously you don't need this anymore," Aello whispered, as she placed her bow down at her side and began to undo the latches that held it to the man's chest. After listening to the soft click awhile, Aello unclasped her cloak, and set it in her lap, she tugged the armor away from the corpse, and put it on over her dress. It seemed a little loose, considering the man's size in comparison to her own, but not so much so where it would impede her movements. When she was done putting it on, she clasped her cloak back on over it, and pulled up the hood. She put her pack back on her shoulders, and passed her hands over the man's body, looking for anything else that may be useful, say some money. But there was none of that. No other weapons. No bits of paper or keys as to who he may be. Or rather, who he may have been. Sighing, Aello pulled her hands away, after having closed the man's eyes for him. "May you rest in peace stranger," she whispered, as she picked her bow back up. She clutched it tightly in her left hand, until her knuckles drained of blood with the effort. "May Dira watch over your soul." With that, the aurist pushed herself back onto her feet, and peered around the cavern. She had heard something before. Little more than a whisper off in the distance, she glanced at the strange door, wondering if the sound had come from there. But it seemed so much farther off, Aello thought, as she stepped over the corpse, and towards the door, wondering if she should knock or something. Or if it wasn't too safe, after all, she didn't know what was on the other side. But then again, she was now covered in fresh armor, and loaded up with weapons. How much harm could anything do her now? Deciding it best to simply try her luck, considering things couldn't get much worse, after all, she was in a dreaded cave, Aello reached over her shoulder and plucked a single raven feather fletched arrow from her quiver. She laced it easily, onto the serving on her bow, and hugged the nock with the three middle fingers of her right hand. She eased the string back delicately, causing it to creak, as she poised the arrow's point towards the center of the door. Slowly, she stepped forward, and kicked the door three times with her boot. Not too hard, but not so lightly that anyone on the other side couldn't hear her either. The knock seemed loud and booming all the same. As the sound reverberated off the cave walls, Aello cringed as she took a few steps back, and closed her left eye. She pulled the string back a little farther, as her muscles tensed, and her breath caught in her throat. She was prepared, and she was waiting.