Always trapped ~ Closed~

Kazalyea was the name they had given her when they found her. Through out the years she has gained a very popular nick name "scynful". The nickname came from her constantly getting herself into trouble in some fashion or another. Also had a way of finding herself in hunter traps. The main reason she is always getting caught in the traps is because they are traps and she doesn't like them. Kaz doesn't like seeing anyone or anything get trapped, if it is of her people, they get sent off as slaves, if it is animals, they are killed more often than not. Only down fall to this plan of hers is she never really learned how to disarm these traps. Just blindly goes in and attempts to destroy them.

One of her biggest advantages is the simple fact that she is small. Smaller than most elves she has ever met. Even the elders that took her in do not exactly what her breed is, she has aspects of the Drow elves with the hint of blue/purple in her skin color. It was not dark enough to be full blood drow. Then there are her eyes, one of her eyes is that of Drow, color of amethyst. At the same time she has hint of wood elf in her as well, the other eye is green as emeralds. The color of her hair is mixed as well, white like the Drows, however, there is hint of dark green and gold streaks through out the white. No one knows where the green comes from. On her shoulders it appears she is suppose to have wings, however, they either never developed, or haven't yet. Or just simply she never learned how to use them. One of the elders felt like they have been removed when she was a baby before they found her. For now they look like birth marks more than anything, scars of where wings would be.

Kazalyea was called many names and none of them bothered her. Some were simple like half breed, others were pretty rude and just no reason to repeat them. They also didn't like how small she was, they felt that she was an easy target all the time. Soon they realized that her small size had advantages and were always using her to get into small areas and to "test" their own traps.

This last trap ended up cutting things a tad bit too close. She can get out of any trap she has gotten into so far and this one was one of the easiest ones to get out of. As she dangled in the air upside down, she heard voices and dogs in the distance. Quickly as possible she cut through the thick rope, sometimes this took some work and when she falls to the ground, it always stuns her for a few moments. Kazalyea knew the voices of these trappers, these were the slaver types always looking to catch the elves that are out in the woods. They were exotic and very valuable to the humans who caught them.

"Sounds like we caught ourselves a good one boys!" as the dogs began to get more and more excited. This forced her to quickly get on her feet and run into the bushes, there was no time to climb the trees like she normally would.

"Damn it, not another one!!!!" this was a new voice, perhaps the son on his first (hunting) trip. "This is the 4th one today that has been destroyed"

Kazalyea knew she couldn't stay here, it wasn't safe and dogs were narrowing in on her very quickly, pulling their humans to her scent. Couldn't take it anymore, had to take the chance and she took off forcing the dogs to get excited again.

"Release the hounds, they will catch her"

Little did they know that she knew how to get into places where the hounds couldn't fit into, also, she had a slight head start on them. It was enough to find her first (rabbit) hole of sorts, enough for her but not so much for the hounds. They had to find other options to get around the bushes she went into.

After running and hiding for what seemed like forever with the hounds still on her scent, Kazalyea came upon a beautiful castle in the middle of no where. She has only heard stories of a castle in these woods, however, this one didn't fit those stories at all. This one was in its prime, bright and full of color, the most beautiful garden she has ever seen in her life. It trapped her for a few moments till the hounds brought her back to reality. She ended up prowling along the hedges for a way in, a place to hide and when she finally found a hole in the hedge, Kaz slipped inside. As soon as she was in, the outside world grew silent. The hounds had stopped, the yelling of the men had stopped, it was as if there was nothing outside the hedges.

From the stories she heard, this place was suppose to be dead and falling apart. The stories of this place were used it as scary, haunting kind of stories. This place was far from dark and dreary or dead looking. It made Kazalyea wonder about those stories and the next thing she knew, she was going further into the yard to explore.

After all, that is how she gets into trouble..... Curiosity is her greatest weakness.

Ree Ghaun was a drow who considered himself doublely cursed. The first curse happened when he was just a young fighter serving under the command of Lady Gvlen of the Nighthawks in the Therdark Kingdom. The Nighthawks had been sent on a mission deep underground, trying to break up a band of raiders that had been plaguing the kingdom. The drive was successful, with most of the raiders ending up dead or captured. However, during the intense fighting, Ree was knocked off of a rock ledge and landed in a deep, strangely crimson colored pool of water. He drank down several mouthfuls as he tried to climb up the steep, slick edges before a rope was lowered down to him.

No one knew exactly what the water was, but he was sick for several days after the mission. Soon after, a civil war broke out within the kingdom, the drow families deciding to vy for power. On the last day of being sick, the captured raiders got free, attacking the members of the Nighthawks in revenge. Ree was left for dead in a pool of his own blood. However he found himself whole and alive once more after the attack was over, all his wounds healed. The strange waters had changed him to the point of being immortal.

He spent the next hundred years improving his fighting skills, proving himself invaluable to the ruling family at the time. Another civil war forced him into hiding for a few years before he emerged once more, under a different name. This time he delved into studying magic, this time under a powerful drow mage who lived in solitude away from the drow kingdom. He stayed with the mage until he died before striking out on his own.

Ree traveled the world, being over four hundred years old. He should have been dead several times over, but he learned to deal with it. During his last adventure, though he hadn't planned on it being so, he had fallen in with a human female fighter. They had came upon the castle, abandoned and derelict. They had thought the castle might contain treasure, so they went exploring. The first night they were exploring turned out to be a full moon. The female was actually a werewolf, but she never said anything. She attacked him, biting him several times. The battle took hours, but he finally managed to kill the female.

Feeling depressed by being cursed once more, this time as a werewolf, Ree choose to remain at the castle. He placed several spells over the property, trying to deter anyone from visiting. An illusion was placed over the entire grounds, giving it the image of still being running down. Although he lived there alone, he did his best to clean things up. The garden was well-kept, trees trimmed and roses climbed up the sides of the castle. He had managed to repair everything himself, but made sure anyone else would see the castle as broken and uninviting. The castle was haunted, but only by the werewolf he had killed. She had decided to stay behind, the only company he had in fifty years or spreading the rumors of being haunted.

Ree was staying on the eastern ramparts looking out at the clouds when a tingle told him his barrier had been disrupted. His dark gray eyes looked down towards the courtyard, catching sight of the moving hedges. He frowned for a moment when he caught sight of the small elf trespassing on his land. He stayed where he was, watching to see if the female would leave or stay. His hands gripped lightly at the black stone the castle was made of, leaning over a little to watch.

Kazalyea thought this place was beautiful. At first she was hesitant to get to close to the castle and mostly just kept exploring the outside. Never before has she ever seen anything so beautiful. Every so often she will stop to smell and take closer look at flowers that were not suppose to be there. Some of the flowers she had never even heard of and had no clue what they were.

It was very difficult to believe that this place was the same one from the stories she was told. In all reality, she found it even more difficult to believe that she never even tried to find this castle before. This was the perfect hiding place from everyone, she could easily make this her home. Only other problem is, is this place truly abandoned or not? There were no slave type people around here, in fact it was pretty void of human life. Kazalyea had a small tingle that made her shiver a bit, that feeling that someone was watching her every move. Oddly enough, there wasn't anyone in her direct view when she looked.

Slowly began to work her way towards the castle, searching for a way inside, once again her curiosity was getting the best of her. Up on top of the castle walls there sat a couple of gargoyles and when she saw them, she assumed that's what was (watching) her. They did look like they were watching, but she shook it off thinking they were just statues. The doors were big and looked extremely heavy, it did not appear that they would be easy to open. Kazalyea decided to try them anyway, just to see.

"After all, they are the front door..." spoke out loud to herself.

Surprised that they were easy to open, were not heavy at all just as she hoped.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Kazalyea repeated this in a few different languages, not knowing what breed of human lived here. When no one answered, she continued to explore. The inside of this place was beyond anything she's ever seen, not like she has ever been inside a castle before either. Candle holders made of pure gold, chairs with fine details with velvet cushions, stair railings were carved in the shape of a dragon.

Paintings on the walls told of a story, a very old tale with lots of war behind them. One painting was of a very beautiful human girl, kaz had to wonder if she was the owner of this place. It was then she caught sight of another portrait, this one of a male drow elf and his eyes felt like they were seeing right through her. His portrait was finer than the females though, the frame had very elaborate carvings, the painting itself was on velvet back drop, everything about it fascinated her.

Just like always, she couldn't help herself, Kazalyea began to slowly reach out to the portrait, to trace the face that was looking back at her.

Ree watched the small elf from his perch with curiosity, tracking her every move. He moved along the ramparts as she moved through the garden, tracking her progress. He wondered why she didn't run in fear of the place, not knowing she was seeing through his spells. As she approached the main doors, he went down a trapdoor near him.

The gargoyles were the guardians of the castle's main door, but they made no move to attack or remove the female elf from the castle grounds. After all, their master had not relayed such a command to them, so they remained where they were. The trapdoor brought Ree down into a small passage above the main foyer, a small slit he could see down through.

Though she was closer in his view, he couldn't quite make out her features. His heightened senses from being a werewolf allowing him to pick up her scent, so he found it curious that she lacked any trace of fear. She bore more inspection for him to understand her.

He followed after her as she explored, trailing along a hidden passage in the walls. He stopped behind his portraits when she did. He knew that some people liked to cut out the eyes of portraits so they could watch from a hidden location, but he was not one to damage such beautiful work. Instead he had set a scrying spell so that he could see without actually moving the portrait.

Getting a much better view of the young elf as she stood before him, he had to smile. It had been a very long time since anyone had tried to penetrate the castle, let alone come this far. The thought to take her into his house came to the front, she was an oddity that needed to have a home.

As Kazalyea reached out to touch his portrait, the other occupant decided to make her presence known. The female ghost materialized a few feet from the young elf, tsking softly.

"The Master doesn't like it when his things are touched."

As much as Kasa, the former female warrior whose portrait was beside Ree's, hated to admit it Ree was the current Master.

Kazalyea was always to curious to be afraid of much, things do startle her, like say the sound of a sudden voice right behind her. It was that moment that brought her back to reality and realized that someone did in fact lived here.

"I.... I am so very sorry, I meant no harm. I was always told this place was abandoned, I had to run and hide, and.... "

Kazalyea stopped short once she realized she started to ramble, something she always did when caught doing something she shouldn't. It didn't help that she also realized that the ghost was the same girl that was in the picture, her being a ghost didn't phase Kazalyea at all, she acted like it was a normal thing for her.

"You are the girl in this portrait, aren't you?"

Kazalyea turned back to look at the portrait of the woman, comparing her to the ghost that stood next to her.

"I am sorry, I do not mean to intrude.... or ask questions that are personal. I will take my leave now."

"Tell your Master that I am truly sorry for trespassing, I just needed to hide out for a time."

With that Kazalyea started to head back towards the door, not really wanting to leave because her curiosity is biting her in the ass, sadly, she knew she had to go, she was trespassing after all.

"You are the girl in the portrait, aren't you?"

"Yes, that is me."

Kasa gave a little smirk as she listened to the elf ramble on. The warrior was reminded of herself for a moment in the young elf. As Kazalyea turned away, the ghost looked towards the portrait Ree was hiding behind for a moment before looking back after the elf.

The ghost floated after her, traveling beside her for few feet before speaking.

"It seems that the Master has decided to let you stay, for now."

Ree had to chuckle for a moment at Kasa's actions. The former warrior always did things on her own, but she was probably helping out for no reason. The drow moved along through the secret passage, listening and tracking the two.

Kazalyea was a bit shocked by this. Stay? Why? Stayed silent for a short time, looking around at the rest of the paintings and exploring the downstairs a bit more, since she seemed to be welcomed for now, why not?

"My name is Scynful. What is your name?" Not wanting to give her real name out for the time being, nick names are good for some things sometimes.

"Where is your Master, if I may ask?" Beginning to get curious as to who actually owns this place, it was starting to feel more and more like she was being watched by invisible eyes.

One painting in particular kept catching her attention, other than the one of the drow, it was a pair of wolves howling at a full moon. This one had so much detail in it, the eyes seemed as if they were real, the fur had the multiple streaks of black, gray and white. Again, this one had a very elaborate frame with wolf heads at each corner.

"How long will your Master allow me to stay?"

Kazalyea had so many questions building up and she was doing her best to keep control. Trying hard to not act childish with a million questions. Soon she found her way into the dining hall area, long tables that reached from one end of the room to the other, more portraits on the walls of more stories from the history this castle has been through. A few were of great feasts and what appeared to be ball room parties, a few others were a bit odd to her as well, least for a dinner table area, wolves eating the flesh of some type of animal, one was standing up almost human like. This one really confused her, though she kept quiet and just kept exploring. Keeping her thoughts to herself at this point. Especially when Kasa was watching her like a hawk.

Kasa wouldn't allow her to touch anything and at times it was quite annoying. Even the fake plants she couldn't touch. Kasa prevented Kazalyea from even snooping in the kitchen cabinets, it was beginning to get pointless to explore when one can't explore. She really wanted to go upstairs and explore up there, sadly Kasa was making that option difficult.

Instead Kazalyea made her way back outside, least outside she can actually explore the gardens more and not get in trouble by a silly ghost. The rose vines that crawled up the castle walls really amazed her, they were full of colors too, blues, purples, reds pinks and yellow roses all entwined as one. In the back it appeared that there was a maze like hedge that stretched out as far as she could see. Slowly made her way to the entrance of this maze and contemplated about going in. It was feeding into curiosity big time, at the same time, how lost would she get if she went into it too far.

"My name is Scynful. What is your name?"

Kasa gave a little smile to the elf for a moment.

"You can call me Kasa."

"Where is your Master, if I may ask?"

The ghost glanced towards the walls for a moment and giggled softly like a little girl.

"He's not my Master, he's just Master of this castle. And it looks like he is playing a bit of hide and seek for the time being."

As Kazalyea studied the picture of the two werewolves howling at the moon, Kasa floated behind her. She shifted to her werewolf form, spreading her arms wide above her head as if she was going to attack the young guest. Ree just smirked as he continued to watch from the shadows. When the elf turned to face her, Kasa resumed her human form instantly.

"I don't know how long he is planning on letting you stay."

Kasa was enjoying tormenting the elf as she explored the castle, not letting her touch anything. She was doing it out of spite mostly, and she could tell the young elf was getting annoyed. Ree followed in what secret passages he could, laughing at Kasa's antics and being intrigued at Kazalyea's curiosity.

Even out in the garden Ree could move around without being seen. As she made her way to the maze, he followed from a distance. He hadn't planned on reveal himself to her yet, but he would find out what he could at the same time. Kasa glanced at him for a moment before nudging Kazalyea's shoulder for a moment.

"Go ahead and enter the maze."

The way Kasa was acting with the maze it gave off that trap kind of feel, as if she was daring her to go in for some reason. Kazalyea was starting to wonder about this ghost chick, just like most ghosts though, she liked to play and that's all it is, a game to Kasa.

Kazalyea shrugged and figured what the hell,

" sure, why not....."

Kazalyea will play along with this ghost chick, not like she had anything else to do and it was fun in here. Out there, she would just go home, get picked or yelled at for being out so late, for being almost 200 years old they still treat like a child sometimes. Then again, Kazalyea was stubborn like a child at times as well.

With that, she went ahead into the unknown maze, she knew she would most likely be able to get out.

Kasa knew that Ree had taken an interest in this little one, just from judging at the way he was trailing after her. Though the ghost female was intrigued in the strange elf as well, having ever seen one that looked remotely like her. The ghost followed after Kazalyse, staying close. She knew the maze like the back of her transparent hand, but she wasn't planning on helping the young elf.

Ree watched the duo disappear into the maze, waiting a few moments for them to move further in. He followed after, but leaped on top of the hedges themselves. He was light on his feet, barely moving the shrubbery beneath his footfalls.

The maze was very well-maintained, towering over the duo a good eight feet. Even at his six foot height, Ree would not be able to see over the hedges himself. The same type of roses which climbed the castle were entwined within the hedges, giving it a very colorful aspect. Somewhere inside the maze several fountains could be heard, water splashing down.

Kazalyea was starting to play back with their little game of cat and mouse. Every so often she would catch a shadow above her when she made a certain turn, never looked up to find out what it was, just glimpses of shadow as the sun hit him just right. Kasa was just tagging along behind her, naturally not leading the way. This maze was actually pretty easy once she got in it, Kaz had always had a way of finding dead ends just from simply touching the trees and bushes, that is how she was able to escape the hounds so easily. Basically called it rabbit hole hunting, a name she made up but it worked for her.

Course, she didn't let them know, she was going really slow testing their patience, smelling the roses, even plucked a white one before the ghost could stop her and stuck it in her hair.

"So, Kasa, how did you become trapped here as a ghost? Are you able to leave the grounds at all?"

Trying to strike up some kind of conversation, having met all kinds of ghosts she wondered if she could help this one, some she can, some she can't, it all depended on the situation. When Kazalyea heard the fountains, she stopped again to (smell) the roses, making them wonder how many times she needed to smell the damn roses. In reality though, she was feeling the roses, finding where the water source was coming from. Purposely went to a dead end here and there, pretending to be lost.... She knew this game all to well though, hide and seek was something she was good at. Something she needed to be good at, for good reason.

When Kasa was asked about her death and reason for staying, she was quiet for a few moments. She wondered briefly on how to best answer the question. She smirked for a moment, hoping to upset the elf a little bit.

"The Master killed me long ago, I believe it was ten years ago. I just stuck around to torment him."

She again changed to her werewolf form behind Kazalyea, reverting back to human when the elf turned to look at her. She didn't seem bothered by the stopping to smell the roses, since she had all the time in the world. She didn't plan on going onto the afterlife just yet.

Ree wasn't bothered by the elf's stopping either, after all he had to learn patience when he was studying under his former teacher. He was also enjoying the teasing done by Kasa, since it had been a long time since anyone held his attention so much. He did have to decide what he would do with the elf for the next day, the night of the full moon.

Kasa floated up beside Kazalyse, grinning.

"You do know a werewolf has been sighted around these parts, don't you?"

After a few more moments Kazalyea decided to just go to the fountain she was hearing, her fingers kept trailing the hedge for guidance, this was actually a bigger maze than she truly realized and a few twists did throw her off at times.

Listening to the ghost and realized that she does like to torment, it only figured that would be the case. Wondered for a moment if she should push further into the story or just leave it at that.

"I rarely talk to people, so no I have not heard recent stories about a wolf in these parts. As for you sticking around to torment the Master, I suppose everyone needs a hobby."

Smirked a little to herself at the thought of it being a hobby for a ghost, it was clear this one didn't want help though. The werwolf part however, intrigued her, only heard stories as a kid about werwolves, but has never seen one, or at least she doesn't think she has.

Kazalyea lingered around the fountain for quite sometime, it was starting to get dark but she didn't care, she preferred the dark anyway, there was always comfort in the night. All she wanted to do was stay here, somehow, she actually felt safe here, a feeling she couldn't quite understand, there was just something about this castle.

Sitting the ledge of fountain, twirling her fingers in the water, she finally caught a quick glimpse of the figure that had been following her, all she could do was smile, knowing that there was someone following them.

"What is this Master like? Why is he playing cat and mouse? Is he scared of a tiny little elf girl?"

Asked in a teasingly way, knowing that he had to of heard that, never lifted her eyes from the fountain though, hoping to catch a better glimpse of him.

Kasa's giggled as she settled on top of the fountain, the water flowing right through her body.

"What's the Master like? He's many things, loving, nice, mean, patient, eager, perverted, all the typical male things. Surely you've been around enough men to know that."

Ree smirked as he heard Kasa's answer, shaking his head. Her cryptic answers weren't helping one bit. However Kasa's had always had an obnoxious streak in her from time to time.

"I don't think the Master is scared, he's probably just very interested in you. Most intruders don't stay long, running screaming from the castle in a very short time."

He did hear her comment, moving closer to her. He stayed out of her sight until he was near the fountain, leaning in a bit so his face was seen in the water's surface. However when she looked up, he was already gone. He repeated the action several more times, always moving out of view. He was acting like a bit of a child, but it had been awhile since he has such an interesting time.

It really was like three children playing some game with each other, a very odd hide and seek. Here they are in plain sight, yet vague answers from a ghost, another one acting like a shadow, Kazalyea started to figure out why she liked it here, they were like her in that child like sense, free, fun and no real care in the world.

"No, I've not been around many men, or boys for that matter."

Looked down at her reflection in the water, kind of sadden for a split moment.

"I am not like the ones that raised me... To them, I'm a freak of nature as most of them put it."

It did make her smile a bit every time he allowed her to see his face in the reflection, he looked just like his portrait in the halls.

"I am a loner .... I guess is the best way to put it, no one really wants me around. I do...."

Let things trail off, Kazalyea was giving them far more information that she had intended, things they really didn't need know about. It all the sudden felt like she pouring out all her problems onto them, strangers, that is normally something she does not do. Always kept things to herself, like any loner would do.

"I don't understand why people are afraid of this place.. It is far too beautiful, nothing like the stories I've been told growing up."

Kazalyea looked up at Kasa and smiled

"unless you are the one that scares everyone off?"

Was hoping to change the subject off her.. not wanting to talk anymore about herself.

"I am not like the ones that raised me... To them, I'm a freak of nature as most of them put it."

Kasa gave a little grin at the comment.

"Well, you are a freak of nature, looking the way you are. I think that's why the Master is interested in you. People might call him the same."

The ghost was silent as Kazalyea continued, watching the sun slowly set over the horizon of the garden. The sun would be gone in a few moments, replaced by the stars. A few strange looking lampposts flickered on around the area where the fountain was, but the rest of the maze was dark.

Kasa looked back down at the elf as she asked why everyone was scared off.

"The Master has liked his privacy for awhile now. I do help in scaring people away, but mostly that is handled by the Master. People usually only sees what he wants them to see."

Ree watched the pair for a few moments longer before he decided to leave them alone. He was hungry and he was sure his guest would be too. It had been too long since he had company, and there was something about this one he wanted to keep her around.

"So this Master of yours likes freaks of nature does he?"

gave off a little laugh at the thought of it, traced his face in the water from the last time she saw his reflection. Kazalyea could see the wolf in his eyes, it made her wonder at times, that was just another thing to keep to herself though.

"At least he knows what he is, I don't even know that much about myself."

"Also, does this Master have a name? It feels odd to have to keep calling him Master all the time."

As she said that, it made her wonder where he went, she couldn't feel his eyes watching her anymore, with the sun down his shadow was clearly gone. It was very strange to her that he'd be interested in her though, no one has ever been interested in her before. The thought did make her smile however, he did bring out feelings she's never felt before and he made her just as curious about him in return.

"I should be going, I don't want to overstay my welcome. It is getting late and it has been sometime since I've ate anything."

Course, she knew she would just be going home to lectures about being out so late, how worried she made her elders, being late for dinner and now it's cold, a lecture that always bored her to death. Half the time she feels like sticking her fingers in her ears and just go nannanananana at them.

Kazalyea stood up from the fountain to start making her way out of the maze, it would be easy to get out now that she knows the path, it never took long to memorize things like that.

"Also, does this Master have a name? It feels odd to have to keep calling him Master all the time."

Kasa smirked for a moment.

"Of course he does, and it fits him perfectly. His name is Ree Ghaun, or cursed one in his native language."

Kasa floated after Kazalyea as she decided to leave the maze, choosing to head home. She floated up around the girl, floating backwards as she moved in front of her.

"Going home already then? I'll let him know that you decided to leave. If you decided to come back, go ahead. It looks like you'll be welcome here anytime."

She grinned for a moment before flying off towards the castle, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts. Inside the castle Gee was trying to figure out what to feed Kazalyea with. Since he was immortal he didn't need to really eat, but it was more of a habit. However since he really didn't leave the castle to shop, there wasn't much to feed her.

There was lots of raw meat stored away in chilled boxes downstairs, but he only ate meat when he was a werewolf. The need to eat raw meat was always great in that form, despite how much he ate. He always went hunting on the full moon, bringing in more that he needed.

"I can come back?" spoken more out of thought than anything else, after the ghost had left, Kazalyea was truly alone for once. The noises of the night started to sing out, the roses on the hedge went to sleep, along with all the other flowers. She hadn't gone to far from the fountain as the ghost left fairly quickly, almost to quickly and excited that she was leaving.

Kazalyea knew there were others looking for at this point in time, it was after dark now and the elders don't like anyone being out after dark. Though, she did not hear anyone yelling for her, just the like the hunters and hounds, those kind of noises were silent, it was just wild out here.

Attempting to hide in the maze just a bit longer, that feeling of actually being wanted was different, let alone welcomed here is something new to her. Looked back into the maze where the fountain was, then towards the castle where the Kasa and Ree are most likely at. She was hungry yes, however, she was curious if he would come looking for her.

A smile crept across her lips,

"if he wants to play hide and seek, lets see if he can find me."

Kazalyea plunged deeper into the maze, finding the darkest paths possible, knowing he was a drow would give him the advantage, somehow she knew that he would realize she hadn't left yet, after all, he knew she was there from the start.

Kasa floated into the kitchen where Ree was looking through the cabinets for more food. He did have regular food, but most of it was edible roots. His attention was drawn towards Kasa up popped up in front of him with a smile.

"She is leaving now."

Ree blinked for a moment, standing up. He closed the cabinet door that Kasa had popped up in front of, the door passing through her body.

"You were the one who told her I said she could stay."

Kasa shrugged for a moment, floating past him towards the dining room.

"Maybe she is going to come visiting tomorrow. Who knows."

Ree growled at Kasa for a moment, remaining where he was. Although he couldn't really blame the ghost for the turn of events. Kasalyea was free to go as she wished. Giving up on fixing food for his visitor, Ree went up to the ramparts to watch her off.

The almost full moon gave plenty of light for him to see the entire courtyard. He could also feel the blood in his veins yearning for the change, only a day away. He frowned as he didn't see any sign of her in the courtyard, believing her to be gone already. He moved along the ramparts to find some sign of her, curious as to weather she had left or not.

The movement was subtle, but he noticed some of the hedges moving in the hedge maze. There was no wind, so such a thing shouldn't have happened unless someone or something was in there. Curious, he climbed down the side of the castle, moving along the top of the hedges as he had done earlier.

Kazalyea smiled as she heard him on top of the hedges again, it was a very faint rustle, just enough for her to know it was him. Made herself small, hiding inside the hedges while climbing as quietly to the top of them and waited.

She wasn't on top of them just yet, just barely below the top surface and when he went passed her, she jumped up behind him.

"TAG, your it"

Then took off down below into the darkness again, laughing.

Ree blinked for a moment, surprised at the girl's suddenness. He wasn't exactly expecting to find her in here, but it wasn't a bad thing. He chuckled, a little happy that she had decided to stay around.

"So you want to play?"

He chuckled for a moment as he remained where he was when she had found him. The idea of hunting her made his blood pound faster, drawing on his senses. He listened for a few moments, picking up a faint rustling further into the maze.

Smiling, he leaped down to the ground to track her better. He leaned down, sniffing at the ground for a moment before he picked up her scent. He licked his lips for a moment before moving along the maze after her.

In the center of the garden the fountain stopped flowing and the light went out, leaving the maze in darkness. However the near-full moon provided some light to see by.

In reality Kazalyea didn't know what came over her, she is used to playing games like this with the ones that raised her. Ree on the other hand, he was a total stranger, unknown to her, it was something in his eyes that told her he liked to hunt. It was fun to have someone that will actually play back and not get upset for a change.

Kazalyea always had a way of manipulating the plant life, wasn't major or anything, she wasn't even sure how she does it, let alone learn to master it. It was always enough to allow to her hide within the hedge. Humans and hounds always had a tough time finding her when she did this, now it was time to test Ree, see how good of a hunter he is.


Finding a dark corner of a dead end, she blended herself into the hedge, was not completely in the hedge like she was when she tagged him. It was a enough to hopefully throw him off a tad. She could feel where he was by how the hedge moved around her, yet she remained still and quiet as possible.

Ree picked up her scent easily, following it through the maze to the dead end where she was hiding. Her scent mixed with the flowers, but he knew how to separate the scents how. His eyes looked towards the hedge where she was hiding, but he made no more to tag her.

No, he decided on a different course of action. Pretending he hadn't found her, he went back the way he came. Knowing exactly were the portion was that she was hiding in, he came upon her from the other side. He stopped as if he was peering into the hedge, although he could smell her very well.

He made no effort to tag her, instead leaping up on top of the hedge row. He sat there for a little bit before he suddenly thrust her hand down into the hedge. His fingers wrapped over her shoulder, squeezing for a moment.

"Gotcha little one."

He was close to her, his eyes seeing right through her hiding spot, his scent filling the air around her. It took everything she had to stay still, his reflection and portrait had nothing on the real thing. Kazalyea couldn't understand this tinge she felt in her gut, being this close to him made her heart beat faster. Spaced out for a second or two, not paying attention to where he went, or what he was doing in that moment.

Next thing she knew his hand was gripping her shoulder and it made her squeal a little, looking up towards him. Kazalyea climbed the hedge to the top this time, trying to catch him, but he was gone by the time she got there. She was still able to feel his warm hand on her shoulder.

They had played this game for a few good rounds, time was lost and they were just having fun. Kazalyea doesn't remember the last time she had fun like this and most importantly, she couldn't remember the last time laughed this much.

This last time she tagged him with a short and quick kiss to his cheek. She managed to get better at traveling inside the hedge as they played this game. Kazalyea saw an opportunity and took it by sneaking up beside him when he was looking in another direction.

"Your it"

was whispered in his ear before she took off again.