Of Air And Earth [Laeraix]

[Raiha]

Closed. Laeraix Cerys, please.

65th of Spring, 510 AV.

The last third of spring was here, and it was a nice day – some spring days were winter’s last stand, cold and blustery with wind that cut right through your skin to your bones. But those days were getting fewer and fewer, and with the season half over, the transition to summer was beginning once again. Apparently, summers in Riverfall were supposed to be quite nice. She was used to Mura’s near tropical temperatures – the chill had taken some getting used to, and she had found herself layering her clothing a little more than she had anticipated, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

She had taken to flying Uzima over the pastureland of Sanctuary – eradicating the groundhogs and moles before they had a chance to develop a network of holes that ran the chance of breaking the horses’ legs. And once that was cleared out, she patrolled it, and had moved into the transitional land, land between pasture and forest, beyond. That was where she was now, one hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun. Some day, she would find an owl that she could train, and hunt at night. That would be a new experience, and a good one. I approve, Kanikra interrupted her thoughts, on both hunting and an owl. The night is Night-Mother Akajia’s time. You could do worse than not pay her proper respect by spending more time with her.

I’m sure, Raiha sighed as she tracked the goshawk’s progress in the blue sky as the bird swooped suddenly, diving down to lock onto a sleek black mole, her talons sunk into its flesh as it twisted and struggled as the ground disappeared beneath it. Raiha let out whistle, then, turning the hawk’s attention towards her, as the goshawk carried her prize back towards her falconer. Uzima landed at Raiha’s feet, hanging onto her prize, and Raiha removed her hunting knife from its sheath on her belt, and quickly slit the mole’s throat with it. It had to be done, after all. Uzima had a tendency to toy with her prey – and Raiha knew it – so the Akontak had rapidly gotten used to killing any live prey that Uzima had by the time Raiha got to her.

It had to be done.

She wiped her knife off, and tucked it back into its sheath, leaning against the wooden fence, letting Uzima have her treat. The bird had earned it, after all. and Raiha was content to watch.

[Laeraix Cerys]

Laeraix scanned the sky and reveled in the majestic beauty of Riverfall. Already she had passed a multitude of streams and pastures which sang to her heart and reminded her of her old home at the Cyphrus borders. Water poured across the smooth river rocks and around various plants that seemed determined to take root no matter how fast the water tugged at them. The pastures were clean and well tended. Weeds barely had a chance to pop up before dutiful farmers plucked them out of the ground and burned them away. These people were proud of their lands and they tended to their own. Though Syliras had many unique charms, Laeraix was glad to be back among the wilds where everything had its place and everything was sacred.

Life seemed quiet here, and as much as she strained, her senses she couldn’t hear or smell any of the taint of Syliras. No longer were her ears assaulted by loud street vendors selling items she had no interest in. She didn’t have to worry about the city guard or random muggings, though she had wanted to test her skills against a common bandit. How would her quarter staff have fared in such close quarters? She shook herself back to reality and back to the land that stretched endlessly below her.

A hawk expertly dove for a mole and Laeraix noted its technique. The hawk dove at an angle in order to avoid casting a shadow, which would surely send the mole scurrying underground to safety. It dug down, talons first and stole the mole from its earthen home. There was no hope for it now, save another predator attacking the hawk. A sharp whistle directed the hawk’s attention towards an Akalak girl, standing only a few feet away. What kind of animal would get that close to a human? Why would any animal risk it, and for a measly mole of all things. The hawk was not starved- in fact it looked quite content. It took her a few seconds to realize that this hawk was trained, perhaps by the girl, and it held no fear for her.

Laeraix rustled her feathers at the thought. Being commanded to hunt. It was asinine, and she wished to do something about it. She debated her options. She could swoop down and teach the hawk a lesson. Was it so far removed from the wild that it had forgotten to suspect attacks from anywhere? Probably, but she didn’t want to toy with the knife the girl had used to kill the mole. A quick throw by a steady hand could puncture a wing, or worse. She settled on a plan that was less dangerous, but more devious. How long had it been since she had played a prank on someone in this form?

Laeraix found a mole and swooped down in a spiraling dive to attack it. The wind rushed by her, as her aerodynamic form shot down from the sky. Her talons sank into the moles neck and she twisted and clenched them until she felt the mole’s tender neck break, as it’s body went limp beneath her. She flew towards the girl and the hawk and dropped the mole a few feet away before soaring sky ward again. Maybe Riverfall wasn’t as calm as she had thought it would be, and since she hadn’t found adventure in Syliras she wanted to find something to hold her interest in Riverfall. One could only hope.

[Raiha]

Raiha understood birds. It was just a general feeling… vague sensations of how they were, what they needed, what they wanted. She just knew, the way some Konti knew how people were feeling, or what the weather would be like in five days for then, or premonitions... It was simply the way her gift from Avalis worked, or so her mother had explained it when Raiha had asked her years ago. Avalis blessed each of her children, white, and yes blue, like Raiha – with the gift of sight. How each of their gifts worked varied from Konti to Konti. But she felt no such indications beyond the triumph of the goshawk on the grass when a flitting shadow passed overhead and caught her attention.

Uzima was ripping at the soft fur of the mole, shredding the bloody flesh to prepare it for her meal. Laeraix caught the hawk’s attention as well, and the goshawk let out a warning shriek at the trespassing eagle. Hers! She wasn’t about to leave her prey, not with Raiha so close. She trusted her two-legger. Flightless though she may have been, she was still part of her flock. Raiha shielded her gaze as she looked for the eagle once more. At least, she thought it was an eagle – it was a bit big to be a hawk, but still, she knew that there were some smaller eagles and some larger hawks, and considering the wings and tails were relatively similar, and the flight speed wasn’t an issue…

Well, it could have been anything.

But the Akontak kept an eye out. A normal bird wouldn’t come so close to Uzima with her there, but one never knew what would happen. Mizahar was a big place… birds were not limited to being strictly birds, even if Raiha had never accosted any bird that had been anything but what it appeared to be. But perhaps that was about to change: this wasn't any normal bird in that it wasn't giving her any sensations, and the Akontak searched for its aura in the sky. It was faint, but it was there, and then it was coming so much closer. She followed the bird's progress as it dispatched the mole, and stared as it dropped the velvet-skinned beast nearby.

Huh.

Uzima huddled protectively over her mole, and shrieked at Laeraix again as Raiha tried to figure this out. This was not a normal bird, but it looked like one, and its aura, powerful as it was, seemed normal to her. She clicked her tongue before swiftly bending, reaching and taking a steaming, bloody strip of mole. She held it up enticingly with her gauntlet-covered hand, between her fingers. Enough space for the bird to land on and to take it, but enough that she could bring it back into her palm if the bird refused to land. She folded her tongue and let out a sustained whistle, trying to see if she could coax the eagle down for a closer look. Maybe it was someone else's trained bird that had gotten lost or away. Who knew? She would find out. You should, Kanikra approved. If anything, if it's someone's lost bird and no one around here claims it, finders keepers.

Pay attention, Raiha scolded her twin. Can't you feel that? There's nothing coming from it. Nothing. I don't think it's a normal bird.

All the more reason to catch it, then. Let's see if it will come down to you, bird-girl.

You say that like that's a bad thing.

[Laeraix Cerys]

Laeraix circled the sky, and rode the thermals and currents high above the Akontak girl and her hawk. They seemed to be an unlikely pair, and Laeraix wondered what had brought them together. Trust? Necessity? Fear? Any number of reasons could unite people or animals; it was a reality of Mizahar, and a fact of survival. They were both specks in the sky, and Laeraix felt safe here, perched below a mist filled cloud. From this height, only a master archer could stand a chance of hitting her and she would see them draw their bow long before they could loose an arrow.

The air was thinner at this height, and she had to work harder to fill her lungs with it, but safety took priority to comfort in the wilds, as it always did. She had seen countless people, picked off by soulless marauders and thieves because they thought that some luxuries were too hard to let go of. She pitied them for their ignorance, but she also knew that nature was a cruel mistress, and some people had the misfortune of learning their lessons in the harshest manner possible.

The Akontak’s head followed her flight pattern as she flew across the azure sky, and she bristled her feathers in reaction. Maybe her joke had offended the girl in some way, or maybe she was only curious. Whatever her feelings were, Laeraix didn’t like being watched. She calmed herself slowly as the girl looked away. She was an eagle in this form, a human no longer, though she retained her intelligence and pride. There was no way this strange falconer and bird could tell her from any other bird that populated the vast sky of Mizahar.

As her nerves calmed considerably she noticed that the girl had turned back towards her and was holding out her palm as she whistled. Was there something in it? It wasn’t the short bladed knife that the girl had carried before to dismember the mole. The glint of the knife in the sun would have alerted her to such danger long before now. She flew down, towards the girl and her companion, but only low enough to recognize that she held a scrap of mole flesh and meat in her armored hand. The sight had all the workings of a trap laid out below her: something free and enticing, just out of her reach, but close to predators that could snare her if they chose. The hawk was ripping at the moles musculature, but she knew by its stance that it was aware of her presence and was none too happy about it. Two potential enemies lay in wait for her on a ground that was not her own. Avari would have had her hide if she attempted something so stupid in his presence. If she had gotten hurt she would be no different than the traveler’s that loved luxury. Stupidity had no place here, even if she was tough.

She lamented that her quarter staff and pack were a quarter mile away, hidden in a tuft of grass that, from the sky, looked like a deformed fish. Her weaponry would do her no good in this form, but it was comforting to have options. She made up her mind quickly, and listened to her instincts. The eagle side of herself knew its strength and speed, and relished the thought of a challenge and the adrenaline that inevitably came with a potential fight. She did not trust this girl and her offering, but she would play the game out and see what this side of Mizahar offered.

She swooped down lower and lower, and used her wings to buffer the impact of her descent and she landed gently on the girl’s gloved hand. She stared at the meat, but decided against eating it. Moles were easy to catch and kill, but they were simple to lace with poison as well. Laeraix looked first at the hawk and then at the girl’s face. It was not the face of a killer, Laeraix decided, but not all people who hurt others used killing as their method of choice. She tensed up her muscles and prepared for whatever awaited her, be it a fight, or something else.

[Raiha]

Raiha had watched and waited, curious, wondering if the bird -- if that indeed was what it was, though she had her doubts at the moment -- would come back down. The aura came into sight again, helping to bring her out of the blue sky. She waited, arm outstretched, patient. One didn't rush birds, particularly not strange raptors. It may have been wild. It may not be. The most she could attempt to do would be to lure the bird - it was definitely an eagle if it was a raptor, the Akontak had decided - down. The fact that it had killed and retrieved a mole, and deliberately let it go had Raiha's mind working overtime. No bird of prey ever let go of its prey and flew off. It wasn't even a matter of dropping it - eagles had strong feet, and could clench and unclench their toes at will. That wasn't the issue.

Would it attack? Eagles were ridiculously fast. It could be on her in an instant, and she did have plenty of exposed skin for those talons to grip, rend, and tear. To someone else, she might have looked ridiculous, standing there in her leather pants, vest, and boots, her long white braid hanging down her back. Most of her arms were exposed, but for the leather gauntlets that went to her elbows. Down, down, down, Raiha silently encouraged the eagle. Patience was something usually found in short supply, but if Raiha was out here for the next several bells to try to coax the eagle to land, well, so be it.

And down it came. Raiha held her arm steady as the eagle perched, landing with far more grace than the young Akontak had been expecting. She held her arm out, not wanting to make the eagle feel crowded or trapped there, because if she did, the bird's first range of attack would be right at Raiha's face, which was more than close enough for her to do some serious damage. The Akontak's manner was calm as gold eyes studied the elegant eagle. "Aren't you gorgeous?" her voice was gentle, quiet, and tinged with a bit of awe. "You look marvelous. Beautiful conditioning, feathers. Are you lost and missing your falconer?" There was genuine appreciation in her voice. This was someone who liked, knew, and understood birds - and she knew a fine specimen when she saw one. She didn't bring up her other hand - you moved slowly, you were steady, and you did not frighten the bird with sudden movements.

Much to her surprise, the eagle made no attempt to partake in the mole meat that she had offered. "The only birds I've ever met that wouldn't eat were sick," the Akontak mused aloud, adjusting her wrist slightly to rotate the eagle just a bit to get another look at her. "Your crop isn't full, either, so that means you're not stuffed. Why didn't you want your mole? Was it a diversion so you could snack on Uzima instead?" She smiled a little at the eagle. "No, I don't think it was. You're something special. I can't feel you... but I know you're a hen, from the way you hold your legs," she carefully took the scrap of meat from her palm, and tossed it to the goshawk, who was utterly glaring balefully at the new arrival. This was her flock! What was going on here? Laeraix could tell that the goshawk was calculating her chances of tangling with the eagle that was about her size... and, apparently, so did the Akontak. "None of that," she warned the goshawk. "No fighting." Uzima caught the scrap of meat and swallowed it almost sulkily, but didn't take her eyes off of the newcomer.

"So," she returned her attention to the black and white eagle on her arm, "besides a beautiful queen of the sky, just what are you?"

[Laeraix Cerys]

The Akontak girl mentioned snacking on the bird --Uzima, as it seemed to be called. Laeraix turned her head slightly and scanned the bird. It was of roughly the same build as she, and quite obviously territorial. Could this bird fight her? Would it fight with the instincts of a predator or prey? Would it fight to protect the Akontak girl, or merely for it’s own survival? These questions weighed heavily on Laeraix for a few seconds, because she knew that will and heart could make all the difference in fighting. Motivation was a key factor in the wilds, and she pitied any vulture that attacked a nest of sparrows. She had tried the same thing once, out of curiosity. The hatchlings mom had swooped down from above and attacked her with a ferocity that she had thought impossible for a bird so small. If any creature has something worth fighting for, Laeraix had found, they are ten times more dangerous, and had no reservations about whether the fight would bring victory or defeat. It was a nasty combination, and one she hoped to avoid with the goshawk and her owner.

Laeraix looked at the falconer’s gauntlet’s. They were made of strong, reinforced leather, but they had a few stray talon marks where birds had landed, or readjusted themselves. She spoke and offered the meat to Laeraix once again, and then threw it to Uzima, who seemed less suspicious of the morsel. The hawk devoured the scrap of meat instantly, with full and complete trust in her falconer’s intentions. It seemed that these two had a strong bond, and she wondered how long they had been together. She did not understand the concept of trusting another completely, and she feared such vulnerability when she saw it, but it seemed to work for these two quite well.

The Akontak addressed her "Besides a beautiful queen of the sky, just what are you?" She flapped her wings for a second, momentarily perturbed and caught off guard. How could the girl expect she was anything but a bird? She looked like many other eagles in the sky, and she acted the exact same as the others. Only she didn’t. She chastised herself for her stupid trick, played on a spur of the moment impulse, the kind that Avari and many others had warned her against time and time again. She worried less about how the girl had found, but rather what her intentions were, now that she had an inkling that Laeraix was not normal. If she flew away now, into the skies, she could leave, maybe to Taloba and hope to never see this girl again. She didn’t seem like the type to use such knowledge in a harmful way, she seemed like a falconer, as simple and complex as the skies of Riverfall, living her life in the endless dance of Mizahar.

Flying away wasn’t the only option, though it seemed like the smartest, given how her previous blunder had ended up. She steadied herself for a split second on the makeshift perch before launching airborne and landing a few feet away, near a medium length stick that was gnarled and eaten away in some places by worms and other creatures that Laeraix knew little of. She perched on the stick, and it sunk into the ground a slight bit due to her weight. That, in itself was a bad omen, but she could blame it on the loamy soil that Riverfall was so popular for, instead of the stick.

She calmed her nerves and shifted back to her human form. As the cloud of smoke dissipated she quickly appraised her muscles. None were too stiff for combat, if it presented itself. She grabbed the stick, and it broke almost instantly; the rotted piece of wood was in no way her quarter staff, but it would make do for now. She faced the girl, and kept Uzima in her peripheral vision, for she knew how vulnerable she was now, naked, and without the light armor she usually wore. She didn’t know what to say in reply to the girl’s statement, so she said nothing at all. It seemed that something in these wilds made her more impulsive and less heedless of danger, but she felt alive for the first time since her final fight with Avari, and Riverfall seemed to have plenty of adventure to keep her here for awhile longer.

[Raiha]

With a bit of disappointment, Raiha let the bird take off from her arm. Perhaps she had startled her, as much as she had tried not to. Maybe the words had done it - this wasn't necessarily a normal bird, at any rate, and possibly, possibly having her cover blown had been the final straw. Without the eagle on it, Raiha lowered her arm to her side, resting the gauntlet on her leather-clad hip. Her head was tilted slightly as she watched the bird's flight, wisps of white hair having been pulled free of her braid, the tendrils curling around behind her ears and against her dark blue skin. That was a shame. She would have liked to have figured this little mystery out.

You could try to catch her, Kanikra suggested. You're capable. Use Uzima to corner her or bring her down or guide her to Sanctuary and a net.

No, Raiha shot back. Anything she does has to be of her own free will. You don't capture a bird because you think they're pretty, especially when they're not a bird. Besides, she'd rip me open from limb to limb. A cornered bird is a nasty animal. We both know it.

And you are more capable of dealing with one than you realize. Don't sell yourself short.

And if this was the god Eywaat, I'm sure he'd approve of my capturing a bird that didn't want to be captured. Suppose it's a divine test. This is not a normal bird. She watched as the eagle landed on the stick, and tilted her head slightly. Why the stick? There were enough trees overhead that this stick was practically useless as a perch - and it made utterly no sense. Normally, they wanted height so that they could dive. Going from the ground wasn't typical raptor behaviour. Uzima, hunched over her mole, hissed, wings partially outstretched and her tail flared. Her flock, the goshawk informed Laeraix in no uncertain terms: if she was going to start something, then the goshawk would enter the fray. Her two-legger!

At the transformation, realization struck her, and the Akontak's eyes widened, just a little, and brightened. Well! That explained it. Kelvics, bird or not, she couldn't hear, apparently. Where her friend heard all animals, including Kelvics, Raiha's gift only seemed to extend to the avians amongst them. She smiled at the naked young woman, and held her hands up, palm out. Her knife was in its sheath on her belt, and with her arms bare but for the gauntlets, it wasn't like she had a knife to pull out of thin air. "I'm not going to hurt you, wing-sister. I'm Raiha. What do you call yourself?"

[Laeraix Cerys]

Laeraix could hear the goshawk’s resentment and ferocity in its cry as she completed her shift. It was here to protect its flock, and it was not afraid of her, eagle or human. She admired the animals tenacious spirit, and its bravery in the face of danger. The bird was well suited to the Akontak, as both a friendly companion and a defender. In a city, few would suspect a bird flying down from above as a potential enemy, and ever fewer could counter the hawk if it caught them by surprise. She suspected that the girl was far from helpless though. No one survived long in Mizahar without a strong amount of pluck and a hearty dose of bravery. Having a companion such as a hawk, however, increased ones odds of survival. It was a strategic move, and one that Laeraix approved of immensely.

The Akontak’s girls eyes widened as she changed before her. The air around her was crisp, and the conditions around her were perfect for battle. If the Akontak girl had any ideas about challenging her now that she was in a weakened state, she would show her that she would show her that true strength had no limitations. Inwardly, she smiled. The song of battle sung in her heart, as a sweet harlequin would to her potential patrons on the street. She quelled her instinct to fight when she noticed that the girl was not reaching for a weapon. Instead, she held her hands out, palm up in a sign of friendship and peace. It was a gesture that Laeraix was not used to seeing, and her the corners of her lips turned upwards, and she realized that she was smiling.

She spoke: "I'm not going to hurt you, wing-sister. I'm Raiha. What do you call yourself?" Laeraix had never shown anyone her other nature, and she had never intended to. Maybe the Gods were playing with her, testing her, but she had never expected the situation to turn out the way it was. She laid the stick on the ground, far enough away that it was not a threat to Raiha.

“I am known as Laeraix, though few know me.” The words had barely left her mouth before she realized how utterly stupid she sounded. It seemed that her social skills had not improved magically, and that they still needed much work. She did not relish the idea, but if it would keep her from making a fool out of herself, she could give it nothing but her best. She decided to ask Raiha a question.

“I see you are a falconer, but why are you out here, hunting moles?” The question was a valid one. There were much more difficult prey to capture and kill. Some animals in the wild would test all of Uzima’s reactions and be a challenge for the goshawk. She didn’t understand why Raiha was caging Uzima’s predatory nature.

[Raiha]

When Laeraix smiled back, Raiha's smile broadened. No need to fight, and the Akontak didn't want to, not with this lovely young Kelvic. She lowered her hands, but kept them still enough and away from any weapons, palms open and up at her sides. She was different, exotic, striking. Raiha studied her a little, wondering what the Kelvic must think of her, a blue-skinned female. She wasn't the best in social situations herself, though she was getting some more experience in it, bit by bit. "It's a good name. Lay-rye-ex," Raiha repeated thoughtfully, sounding it out slowly. In some ways, it sounded like her own name. "I like the tattoos on your face," she lifted her head a little. "I always thought about getting one, but decided not to. Not yet, anyway," she smiled a little at that.

Wimp, Kanikra scoffed. That's why you haven't gotten any. You're scared.

I haven't found anything I like enough yet to actually put something permanent like that on display. Besides, aren't you the one who tells me not to draw attention to myself if I want to sneak around? Tattoos draw attention. Uzima was glaring at the Kelvic, still, until Raiha crouched beside the goshawk and touched her feathers. The bird nipped her falconer's leather gauntlet just to remind her she was not happy about this situation, but she trusted her to deal with it. "Eat your mole," she told the bird, shaking her head at something as the bird hissed and raised her wings a little. "No, you may not have the second one. No. There are other critters that would like a bit of mole." She shook her head. "Uzima can be greedy," she told Laeraix with a bit of a grin, figuring that Laeraix had understood what Uzima wanted. "There's a barn owl, Mouser, at Sanctuary, but he only has one eye. He might like a bit of a treat. And there's some other animals there, like my dog, or maybe even the bear, that would." She stood back up, then, and stretched. Stretching and ruffling one's feathers was generally a sign of relaxation in birds. Raiha clearly was comfortable with her.

"That's a good question, actually," the Akontak nodded her head. "There's always bigger game and there's plenty to hunt here, very true. Uzima could take out far larger things than a mole," she glanced at the goshawk, who chose that moment to look back at her, however briefly. "But we hunt moles because beyond these fences is Sanctuary... a place where we look after animals, take care of them, help them get better, and sometimes, find them homes. We even have a few Kelvics around... one of them is the bear that I mentioned. We have horses there, and these moles, as you know, well, they like to dig holes," she shrugged a little. "And that's what they do, what they were made to do, and I don't fault them that. But we have horses beyond these fences, and if a horse steps in a tunnel, they could break their legs, and that's not good at all. Neither Kavala -- she's a Konti, a healer, and runs Sanctuary -- nor I can heal that, and most horses can't live with a broken leg. So while the moles have a right to be here, as much as the stars and the trees, and maybe more of a right than we do, since this was their home first... I need to protect those horses. It's part of my job. So if it comes down to a mole or to a horse, the mole has to go."

She rested her thumbs in her belt. "So Uzima and I, we take care of that. It's a bit of exercise and playtime for her, but we sometimes go after bigger prey. Depends on what's around. I suppose you could say we're opportunity hunters," she grinned at that. "How about you? Where are you from? What brings you to Riverfall? Are you cold?" The Kelvic was naked, after all, and she had just given up her warm plumage.

[Laeraix Cerys]

Laeraix relaxed her shoulders and moved slightly away from her shoddy make shift weapon. Raiha did not mean her any harm, and it would be insulting to remain so defensive after the Akontak had been so friendly and open towards her. Laeraix laughed lightly as Raiha pronounced her name. Many people struggled on the odd combination of syllables but, somehow, Raiha had managed to say her name correctly.

She touched her face lightly at the mention of the small tattoos on her face. She rarely carried a mirror in her pack as they were too expensive and shattered quickly when she was running. The tattoos were an impulse buy from a wondering bard and tattooist. His work wasn’t the greatest in all of Syliras, but the dark lines were clean and the symbols had a unique artistic flare that she hadn’t seen anywhere else.

"I always thought about getting one, but decided not to. Not yet, anyway,"

Laeraix nodded knowingly. Unless one was gifted with Illusion, or carried a copious amount of makeup and paints, tattoos were hard to disguise and often made people more wary of your intentions. She pictured Raiha with tattoos. Colored inks were much more costly than plain black, but a bright green or a purple would accent the Akontak’s skin beautifully.

Uzima was still distrustful of her, and the bird was most obviously sulking as it ripped apart the mole. The mention of another Kelvic was highly interesting. Why would a Kelvic, especially a bear, be around a Sanctuary that catered to birds and other animals? Was he injured? Was he bonded to someone at the sanctuary? Bears were fearsome in the wild, and the pure weight of such a large mammal was enough to scare her. She cringed inwardly as she imagined a Kelvic bear punching her. It was an attack that was solely human, but with enough momentum, it could be more damaging than an attack that a wild bear would employ. Laeraix rarely saw others of her kind and considered trying to find the bear kelvic. Though bears were fearsome her curiosity overrode her fear.

Raiha began speaking of the day to day functions of the Sanctuary. It made sense that the mole holes could be highly damaging to horses, as she had stepped into many on her way to Riverfall. The holes could be covered with grass or loose foliage that would be impossible for a rider to spot. It seemed that this Sanctuary would be a good place to visit when she finally made it to Riverfall. She had journeyed here with no particular destination in mind and she was incredibly relieved to have finally found someone and something that perked her interest.

Laeraix had no doubt that Uzima could take down larger prey. Maybe Raiha would let her watch the bird hunt one day. The prey and fighting styles of Mizahar were vastly different from region to region and she intended to learn as many as she could. Her thoughts jumped around as she considered all that Raiha had spoken about.

"How about you? Where are you from? What brings you to Riverfall? Are you cold?"

“I’m from the wilds. Well, specifically from the Cyphrus and Syliran borders. I haven’t been to many cities in my life so I figured that Riverfall was a good place to go. I don’t have anything in mind, but I would like to learn more about weaponry while I’m here. Other than that, if adventure finds me, I’m all for it.”

She stopped and continued

“I am a bit cold, but I can go get my pack, it’s about a half mile away.”