Wild Life

[Tseranc]

Welcome to our little thread, set in a low fantasy setting, it is a closed thread for myself and PaintaPicture, but if you read along, we hope you enjoy.

****************************​

Latro rose that morning, like any other, and began his routine. Enjoying a small breakfast, mostly of nuts, berries, and maybe some other fruits; though those were growing rare as the days grew colder. He inspected his bow, and strung it, dressed in good wool under his leather pants and jacket.

He fed his three 'dogs', more mildly tame wolves, and pulled on his boots. All in all he was about as tame as his pets, which meant left alone were harmless, but didn't mix well with 'civilization'. He made very few trips into the nearest town; which was two days ride away, and longer on foot. Horses were too hard to feed and shelter out in the wood where he lived, and reminded him of reasons he'd left.

He tied his hair back, and combed out his beard with his fingers before throwing his cloak over his shoulders and left the cabin he'd built in the middle of no where to hunt with his bow in hand. Uhei, Isan and Hymi followed; Hymi the she-wolf and eldest the closest too him. She was protective of him, in a way he found almost motherly, as if she were the one to care for and feed him, instead of the other way around. Animals were a strange lot, but better company then most people he'd met.

He had no idea that today would be anything other then hunting deer, and maybe a few rabbits as he and his furry friends started out into their wooded home. But then, who could predict such an event?

 

[PaintaPicture]

The young woman sat in a cave looking out over the woods, while she considered what breakfast was going to be. Her hair short and tangled, almost dreded. Her skin tanned from the bright sun and animal pelts covered her top half and lower half. Weapons and tools sat next to her in the cave, them consisting of, sticks sharpened to a point and rocks sharpened. She had never experienced interaction with others people. She had seen some at a distance and didnt understand who they were.

She had a mysterious past, one she didnt remember, one she couldnt explain. As far as she knew she had always lived in the woods, and loved her cave. She liked the birds and watched them fly all the time, she was a fan of owls, watching them at night. But instead of just watching the land below her she had to go get something to eat for that morning and for later. she grabbed a few spears and climbed down walking around silently.

There were a few things she couldnt explain, strange things would happen when her emotions got strong, that she didnt understand. It scared her slightly and caused her to get a little lightheaded. Answers may come soon and this day would be differnt than the others.

 

[Tseranc]

With is canine friends scouting ahead of him, all Latro had to do was walk quietly and admire the serenity of nature. He could never go back to living in a city, even should he find a reason to do so. The city offered crime, noise, and ever neighbor trying to get ahead of the other, while pretending to be friends. It made him sick. Sure, the wood could get lonely, but being lonely couldn't hurt you like people could. He'd take the occasional dull ache over the pain of betrayal any day.

But the woods were a bit too quiet that day, but with the weather still decent, he decided to press on, even after the dogs came back after finding nothing in their usual range from the cabin. “It's still early pups, lets keep going. We might be late to dinner, but we'll have more for the coming winter.” As if they understood his words, they moved along with him through the brush and trees.

At midday he pulled some dried meat from his belt pouch, and gave some to each of the wolves, then sat down against a large pine to enjoy his portion. This was the plain meet he'd made for both he and the dogs, and not the seasoned goods he liked to prepare for himself. Cooking had always been a hobby of his, and he'd discovered many new herbs in the wild, and his garden to add flavors to his meals. After all, variety was the spice of life.

As he sat, quietly enjoying his feast, petting Isan between his ears, Hymi got up and began sniffing the air. She tensed, and looked back in the direction of the wind that had brought her the scent and then at him; as if to question him on it. “What is it girl?” By this time the boys had picked up on her curiosity and began inspecting the wind as well.

He stood up and grabbed his bow and the still unused arrow he kept at hand in case a rabbit crossed his path. “Go see what it is then.” he told them, and they all trotted off, eager to find the source of whatever it was they smelled. They were acting curious, so predators were not what they were after, they;d have warned him. He hoped that his people weren't he cause, out cutting down trees, or worse, setting up a new town or fort. That too was unlikely, as he'd chosen his home far from any roads or resources, but his past catching up always worried him.

 

[PaintaPicture]

She had, had good luck that morning with catching a few rabbits and brining them back to her 'home'. She then ventured farther into the woods, into parts she wasnt as familiar with. She looked around noticing were the sun was and that she'd need to get back and start a fire soon.

Her head shot up as she heard the strides and steps of an animal, getting closer to her she stood her ground and held a spear in her hand...waiting for what it was. She saw wolves running at her, and getting closer, the biggest of them all growling and diving for her. She jumped onto the first highest tree branch as she felt the teeth of the middle on her ankle, kicking it as hard as she could and the little one with the eldest barking and jumping to get her as she threw a spear at the one who bit her and jumping up onto the next branch waiting for them to go away.

She yelled back at them and say there throwing small branches at them as they continued to snarl at her. She watched as the one she stabbed started to whimper and she almost felt bad but her ankle was bleeding and that feeling went away. Compassion was not in her vocabulary...not yet anyways.

 

[Tseranc]

He heard the snarls, and knew that somehow curiosity had turned to aggression, It sounded like Uhei, which meant his fears were probably confirmed. Uhei hated people. Latro had rescued him from a small 'zoo' where kids poked at him with sticks, and he'd been bitten more then once for his troubles with the animal. Still, he could never have left the poor creature in such cruel hands.

He raced ahead, pushing himself as hard as he could, and when he knew he was close knocked the arrow and was ready to pull. He couldn't believe the site at first, for all he saw was Uhei whimpering with a crude spear in his side. Looking up at where the other two were barking he saw the oddest of humans. A small girl, somewhat wrapped in hide that was obviously not placed for modesty's sake, was up in a tree, threatening his friend with more sharpened sticks.

“Back Isan! Back Hymi!”He shouted and aimed the arrow at the girl. Had she been some kid from the city, he'd have put the shaft into her chest without a thought, but the poor thing looked more wild then he or his friends. “Why! Why did you have to do this?!” he shouted both at her and Uhei. But as she climbed up further branches, he took the moment to lower the bow and offer his palms to her in a non-threatening way as he looked quickly down at the youngest of the wolves. At a glance he could see the wound was deep, and likely would kill him. His heart sank, and temper grew.

But he saw blood on his teeth too, and grew sadder still, thinking that the dog had brought this on himself. He broke the shaft of the crude spear , and helped the wounded animal limp away. Hymi was ready to kill anything, but he managed to convince her to stay back. They were far enough to keep watch on the girl who had said nothing, but not in any real danger of her sticks, with room for error in judgment of her range.

“Damn you foolish boy, why can't you just leave them well enough alone?” He drew some herbs out of his pocket and packed them into the wound as he drew out the rest of the sharpened wood. Blood poured quickly from it, and some of it black. He sighed, and took another herb out. With it and some water poured into his hand, he convinced Uhei to drink up, and within moments the animal was no longer in pain.

He yelled at the woman in the tree, “Are you happy now?! He's dead! Dead because people have always poked at him! Dead because you never considered his fear! You can burn up in that tree for all I care! Just go back to whatever town rejected you! The forest isn't big enough for the both of us you murderess!”

He had tears in his eyes as he shouted, but then gathered up the limp body of his friend and cautiously made his way back toward his home.

 

[PaintaPicture]

She sat in the tree grimacing over her ankle as her blood came out over her foot and the tree branch she sat on looking down at the wolves. She didn understand their rage towards her, yes she hurt one of them but why did they attach in the first place. Wolves were something she never really hunted, she had no reason too. The next thing she heard was another set of steps, one that was unfamiliar to her and a man appeared. Or a creature that looked slightly like herself.

She saw him look up to her and she held her spear as if to throw it and then heard him yell, some odd form of yelling something that she didnt understand. Ony of the wolves looked as if she were going to climb the tree and kill her and she put her spear down, still holding onto it but not in a threatening manner. She wanted to get to the river to get water and go home but she couldnt get down from the tree, not yet anyways.

She then watched the man trying to fix his wolf friend, snapping her spear in half which was annoying to her since she had worked hard making it. She didnt understand why he was doing that, why he didnt just skin the animal and leave. Then the odd shouting came and she tilted her head and looked angrily at him. She had no idea what he was trying to communicate to her, it sounded vaguely familiar but nothing came to mind.

As soon as she saw the man and the wolves leave she climbed down out of the tree and ran, limping back to her home in the cave. She cleaned off the wound seeing the teeth marks on her leg groaning in pain as she rinsed it off with the river water she had saved. Afterwards she went back to working on sharpening a new spear and looked out at the woods seeing her favorite birds fly around, and she smiled. Her curiostiy was sparked but she was a bit scared.

she finally got tired and crawled in more slightly lighting a fire, getting dry leave and some sticks and rubbing two together until she got angry and annoyed when a spark jumped from her pointer finger to the leaves starting a small fire. she layed down on a large fur and falling asleep waiting for a new day.

 

[Tseranc]

After having carried Uhei back home, he was still grieving, but glad to be rid of the weight across his shoulders. The girl did not follow, and likely had her own wound to contend with, if the blood on Uhei's teeth meant what he was sure it did. Letting the two surviving wolves alone to grieve in whatever way they would, he went around back and dug a grave for his friend.

They howled for what had to have been an hour or more, and when they were done, and gone inside the cabin, he put the fallen wolf in the earth, then set to feeding just three mouths. For the first time in a long, long time he placed the bar across the door, originally built in paranoid of his own kinda, but it had later proved useful against curious animals looking for a free meal.

He thought that night, and the next day, on all that had happened. She had never said anything back. Never cried for help from the wolves, thanked him for calling them off, or responded to his shouts at her. Never a peep. He wondered at how long she could have been out in the woods, and guessed about two years at most in that area. He went for weeks at a time to check on the areas around his home, but it have been just over two years since he traveled very far in the direction the girl must have come from.

Resolving to find out more about her, he left the pups safe at home, and set out with several days rations, determined to get to the bottom of why she was in his forest.

Three days after their violent meeting, he was back at the tree she had hid in, and he looked for tracks to lead him closer to her. He found traces of her passing easily enough; barefoot humans left marks in the dirt that could not be mistaken for any other animal. Following along, he thought he smelled smoke, but could not find a column. Pressing on, he knew his nose had not lied, and soon found himself among a dry river bed, with large rocks and gravel hindering further tracking.

But the smoke was definitely closer, and he assumed that had to be her work.

 

[PaintaPicture]

She had skinned and ate her rabbits, cooking as best she could and storing some for the months to come. And she hoped the man would not come close to her, or bother her, and ha hadnt for awhile until she smelt and hear things that she knew for a fact wasnt an animal. She ventured out slowly looking around taking one of her long sharpened rocks with her. She walked a bit and saw him.

Watching him for a moment she noticed his features, his hands and feet, she then touched her face and feet and looked at her hands. She hadnt been to the river and bathed in awhile so she was rather dirty. She snuck up to get a better look but he was getting a little to close for comfort.

She then leaped tackleing him down rolling down the side holding onto his arms and then as they stopped pushing him onto his back and growling at him almost. looking at him oddly and angrily. She held the rock like knife in her hand not really doing much to it, and her ankle still in lots of pain and not looking well. She sort of yelled at him again and pressed down on his arms with her hands and with her legs which were on his. Her pelts on her body, not doing their best to cover her up.

 

[Tseranc]

He'd heard her come, but not in enough time to get away from her tacking pounce. When the two finished rolling he stayed where he was, on the bottom and made no move to fight her. She held some rock almost menacingly, but by her curious look forgot to be intent on using it.

“Who are you?” He asked, but go response. “Where do you come from?” Still nothing, so he gave up waiting answers, and just started talking to her like he did any of his animal friends. Eventually it seemed they understood him, so why not try it here?

“I am Latro,” having wiggled an arm free to point at his chest. “I mean you no harm.” She just stared at him with that inquisitive but forceful stare, and he knew he;d get no where chatting up a mute. Acting swiftly he grabbed the hand with the rock, and rolled out from under her. He had a rather significant weight advantage over her, but she struggled like some wild animal with all her strength. Once he was free, he let go of her and crawled away until he could stand up, facing her.

Could she really be as feral as she acted? Judging her age was hard, but she had to be near twenty years or so. He wondered what could cause her current situation, was she born in the wild? Abandoned young, or suffering some delusion?


As he looked at her, he couldn't help but notice that under the dirt and ill fitting hide, was a toned body of a woman, something he'd not seen in some years. He tried not to let that cloud his mind, women we're to be trusted sane or wild. But as he followed the shapely legs down he saw the wound Uhei had delivered, and it looked infected.

“Well damn, looks like I'm going to have to either knock you out, or make friends for me to be able to help.” He knew he was talking more to himself then her, but he did that a lot without people around, so it wasn't a strange thing to him.

“Well, everyone needs to eat, right? Maybe you'll like my cooking.” He took out a few pieces of his dried meat, with slight sage seasonings, and bit off a piece, then leaned over and placed some on a near by rock for her, then bit off some more, demonstrating it was food. “It's pretty damn good, so don;t be sticking you're crazy nose up at it.”

 

[PaintaPicture]

She heard him say something, his mouth was moving and slightly familiar sounds came out. but she didnt understand once again. He took his arm and pointed at him self and said something...Latro. She said it in her head a few times, not knowing what it meant. She then realized his strength and how he had a bit more than her as he got away from her grip and she stood up taking a few steps back. She looked at him the same way he was looking at her, except he looked more intently.

She looked back down at her hands and body then at his. He spoke more and she tryed to listen just saying the same word he had spoken earlier, Latro. He set something down near her and he seemed to be eating it. She carefully lifted it up smelling it getting some of the herbs in her nose and coughing rubbing at her nose and setting it down. She tryed again and took a bite, chewing and then eating it much faster, enjoying it.

She finnished chewing and then thought about that word and walked over to him, feeling her chest and shoulders then his, feeling the similarities, and then backing up and pointing at him.
"L..l.laattrroo.."
She studdered as she said it and then put here arm down back at her side then looked up at the sky and back at her cave. She took a step back tripping over a rock and hurting the same foot, his wolf had bitten, grimacing holding her rock knife in her hand.

 

[Tseranc]

Her stuttered attempt at his name was almost comical, if not for the intent look in her eyes, as if she knew she was struggling. But he was glad some sort of communication had taken place, she seemed to enjoy his food, and was making an attempt.

He didn't know what her looking around meant, maybe searching for the pups, but in her search she tripped, and he could tell it hurt like hell. He dug down into his pouch of herbs, and drew out a few leaves, and tore the stalk of a fibrous plant from its buds, putting the buds back inside. He put the stalk in his mouth and chewed it into something softer, and wrapped that in the leaves.

Cautiously approaching, hands not making any sudden movements, or concealing anything he knelt down before her. “Okay, this is going to help your wound. It will feel cool, and needs to stay on there.” he pointed at her hurt ankle. Placing his hand softly on her shin his other hand put the leaves and mashed up stalk into the clearly infected bite.

Once in place he took his hands from her, and looked into her eyes to see any reaction. Keeping that on her might prove difficult, even if she understood. He reached into his pack and tore off a sleeve from a clean wool shirt. “This will keep it on. We're going ot have to clean it out regularly....damn I wish you understood all this...”

He leaned in again and wrapped the ankle with the cloth to keep the leaves from falling off. Tyeing it in place he was proud of his work, and just hoped she'd leave it be.

 

[PaintaPicture]

She grimaced and looked at him as he started to get things out. Giving him strange looks as he pointed at her ankle and took things out and her stares got angrier. He bent down putting things on and tieing it around. Her breaths got deeper, and not in a happy way. She tore her ankle away and ripped it off as it stung and she scrambled back up towards the river and giving him a strange look limping her way towards the water.

Her ankle throbbing as she gets to the cool, soft running water. Putting her feet into it. and then removing her pelts and moving in, swimming around cleaning her skin of where he had touched her. Getting the dirt off her body and hair. Her Hair was short, reaching her chin and completely uneven from when she 'cut' it with a sharpened stone.

Her ankle and foot hurt and she just swam floating on her back and looking up at the sky seeing the sun and letting it his her skin, body covered in water, relaxing after her encounter with Latro.

 

[Tseranc]

He hung his head, and after she took off he salvaged what he could from the balm he made that she discarded. This was going to be anything but simple. As he slowly walked in the direction she had run off he pondered why he was putting in so much effort. She had killed his friend, and was an untrustworthy woman. Had he been a more cold hearted man, he's just shoot an arrow into her and be done with it.

But he never turned his back on an innocent creature in need, and so far she seemed as innocent as one could get, aside from the first few moment after emerging from the womb. As he walked on toward the wound of water, he thought on her trying to say his name, and figured she had to have been exposed to language before this, else she'd never have grasped those sounds so swiftly.

His thoughts shifted to who might be looking for her, and thus brining more people into his woods. An arrow would do him no good then, as those seeking her would just look for her killer. No, he would have to help, and see her well, then work on where she came from and why she was here.

As he came up over a ridge he saw her, it had to be her. A wonderfully shaped, and now clean women lay floating on her back in the gentle river. His pulse quickened despite his reservations about women. The last time he saw a naked woman was his fiancé, many years ago. They met and made love under the stars in secret a month before their wedding. That was before he found her in the arms of another, when he returned early from the front lines.

He pushed the thoughts away, and made his way down to the water, bandage and dressing still in hand. “You know, this really does you a world of good better on the wound. I promise.” He joked, ignoring the fact he was the only one to understand. He'd stopped thinking talking to everything was odd long ago. He was odd, that was enough.

He sat down next to her hides and sharp rock, and waited for her to collect them.

 

[PaintaPicture]

She loved the feeling of the water, very tranquil and peaceful, one of her favorite places. Until he showed up. She saw him walk over. And speak at her again. She wanted him to leave, to let her be alone, she had never had companions or friends, atleast non that she had known of. She couldnt understand why he wanted to follow her and it was getting to her.

She held herself up in the water looking even more pissed off than before and yelled at him, screaming almost. She shoved her hands forward like she wanted to splash water at him and instead water shot at him like a pistol for a brief moment and she looked down at herself once it stopped, her eyes widened and she got nervous swimming back to shore grabbing her things and crawling away and looking at the water just holding her things.

She held her head as her mind shot back seeing herself in a familiar situation, but she was clean, and pretty, and people were hurt, she was hurt, but faces couldnt be made out. Her mind came back to what was going on and she let go of her head trying to catch her breath.

 

[Tseranc]

He wasn't entirely sure he'd seen what he thought he had, must have been a trick of the water and light...right? But as wet as he was, he knew no mere splash could reach him at the distance they had been at.

She gathered her things from around him and he made no move to stop her, and she scurried off a small distance and sat. She looked almost as confused as he was. “Oh bloody hell. Please don't tell me you're some lost and damaged sorceress...” He groaned, an got up. Someone would definitely look for her. Maybe one of those rumored students of the 'arts' as they called it, who got burnt out on magic. They told stories like that, thought he thought that was to get any who showed any talent to join the schools. In any case people never came back the same from those places.

“You'll be the end of me, won't you girl?” Shaking his head he advanced again, slowly. He pulled out another few bits of the meat, handing one to her and demonstrating again to eat it with the other. Kneeling down again, he reached for her wounded foot, gently taking it hand and getting a closer look now that it was clean. “Yep, infected, though it could be worse. At least you like your baths, else you'd be dead already.”

He tried very hard not to look at the woman, but only the wound. “You going to let me put this on you again?” He raised the dressing up for her to see, and pointed at her foot, praying something would sink into that pretty melon of hers.

 

[PaintaPicture]

Her hands trembled and she sniffled as a tear ran down her cheek. She always got so freaked out when it happened, since it had happened before. She always hid in her cave in the fetal posistion. She stretched her body out, her head hurting greatly like she had just smacked it on a rock. She rubbed her eyes getting the water out and taking a deep breath.

She no longer felt violent she felt vulnerable and scared and this time let the man walk over touching her. She watched him and didnt move. Her leg twitched as he re-bandaged her, feeling the coolness once again and letting it stay. She didnt want to fight, not now anyways. She rolled onto her back once he was finnished and looked at him again, attempting to speak, "Latro", but this time it rolled off her tongue easily like she was going to ask him a question, or innitiate conversation. She could speak, just remembering how was the hard part.

She then pushed herself up so she was sitting and put the top back on which was basically a vest with a tie in the front and crude bottom, like skirt thing. She saw the work he had done on her ankle and muscled a smile at him, not sure of what to do next, she looked up seeing her cave close by and then back at him and the river, getting scared again.

 

[Tseranc]

He sighed in relief and smiled back at the woman, if she could be called that. Her body said she had earned that title, but her mind seemed somewhat behind....way behind.

He watched her dress, and wondered at what prompted her to do so. Her garments offered little protection from the elements, and covered less flesh. Was it some ingrained habit she had from a time forgotten?

He nodded yes at her saying his name, and again pointed to himself, “Latro.” then pointed at her questioningly. He made a few more gestures as if for her to give him something, and pointed at her again. He repeated this a few times but it only seemed to frustrate the girl further, so he stopped. So he figured he'd ask where she lived. Making gestures of sleeping, using his hands a s pillow and pointing at her, “Where do you sleep?”

He stood up, and offered his hand down to help her up. He figured he could carry her easily as light as she was for several miles. And might do so if she limped too bad.

Deep down he was glad for his upbringing in the city, and all the knowledge he had to survive. This girl had survived without that it seemed, and he had to respect that raw will to fight to live each day. “Lets go, and let you rest. You need rest and to stop walking on that ankle.”

 

[PaintaPicture]

When he had pointed at himself repeating what she had said she nodded and when he pointed to her she shrugged. Whatever it was she didnt know, completey unsure of anything, who she is, where she was from, so on and so forth. Then he used hand gestures of sleeping and she paused.
"ssssleep." Studdering once again slightly to repeat the word.
And she pointed up to her cave up the hill from where they were. Hoping thats what he meant by his questions and gestures.

She took his hand, as he helped pull her up and she just stood there, not putting much pressure on the bad foot. After standing up she slowly let go of his hand and then adjusted what she was wearing. She stepped back slowly, limping and attempted walking away before tripping again falling to her knees. She grunted as her knee's and hands hit the dirt and tryed to get up looking at her cave.

 

[Tseranc]

He cringed as she fell. “Yes, you will definitely be the end of me girl.” He helped her back up, and looked in the way she had been looking and pointed before. He stood her up next to him, and wrapped his arm around her waist to support her. Walking this way would take forever, but he was again sure he could carry her, if only she'd let him. He took off his pack, and set it on the ground.

Kneeling down in front of her, he gently took one of her hands and wrapped it over his shoulder. “Come on girl, we need to get you inside, and this is the fastest way.” As if his words helped at all. He then gestured to her until her other arm came over the other shoulder. “Okay, don't be scared, now, I'd really prefer not being strangled by someone I'm trying to help.” He took a deep breath, and at once stood up, while reaching behind to grab behind her knees and lift her legs up off the ground.

At first she choked him, and her legs latched on in instinctive support, so he took the opportunity to pull her hands from his throat. “Don't choke me, but hold on, okay?” Holding her hands in place away from his windpipe, his other hand moved to better place her strong legs, so that she could better hold on, and not kick him anywhere that might truly ruin his day. “Please don't kick me either.”

He let her settle in, or react before he tried to reach for the pack, and further throw his weight off.

 

[PaintaPicture]

She felt him posistioning her strangely and she wiggled and gave him an angry look wrapping her hands around his neck and then squeezing but heard him choking and not fighting back and she let go. If he wasnt going to hurt her she had no reason to hurt him. She relaxed in his arms and let him carry her as he tryed to get his bag.

Her arms held on around his neck tightly, but not too tightly. She was still nervous but could handle what was going on. He spoke to her and looked concerned and let him do what he needed to do. She held on as he walked towards her cave and she pointed in the direction to her cave, to help him with hte best route to get there.

As they approached she slowly wiggled herself out of his arms limping over to her cave, looking back at him with a look that either said "follow me" or "please leave", Letting him interpret. She sat down and ate some of the cooked rabbit meat she had wrapped up, next to her spears. She looked out at him, and got her fire together repeating the processs from the night before getting flustered and the spark letting the fire start.

 

[Tseranc]

She looked at him, and dashed inside, so he sighed and followed. The meat she ate was cooked, but he wouldn't have guessed she knew about fire, and was again proven wrong when she tried to light one using flint, but when sparks failed, it seemed out of frustration she threw down, and sparks leaped from her fingers to ignite the fire.

“Well bloody hells, you really are. Water and fire huh?” he put his pack down, which he had carried slung over one arm since she took up his back, and began messaging his aching muscles. Maybe he should have left the pack on his back and carried her in his arms, might have hurt less in the end.

He sat down across from her and pulled out his own food to munch on. Just a little, he'd eaten enough just demonstrating to her what he meant earlier. He looked around and saw no bowls or means of keeping water, so he took his water skin, and tipped it back, showing her how to drink from it, then passed it over to her. He wondered if she had to walked down to the river to drink each time, or just summoned some into her hands. There was no telling, though the later would be a convenient trick.

“Well here is how I see it girl. Ol' Latro is going to have to sit here with you until that ankle is better. You might have killed my friend in defense, but your death would be just as tragic. So where do we start?”

He looked at her and looked around the cave. He doubted she ventured far from it, and thus why he'd never seen her before. He'd seen the cave before, some years ago, but always steered clear, since it was previously the home of a bear. He sat back against the wall of the cave and started to think on what he would need to teach her first; the most important things to communicate.

 

[PaintaPicture]

She finnished eating watching him sit down, glad thay he had. He showed her some odd thing with water and she shook her head and walked further back to get a bucket that she had found, filled with water and set it down next to him, showing him that she had her own water, scooping it into her mouth with her hands and then putting it back into the back of the cave.

She watched him speak again and shrugged. She mimicked the hand motion he had done about sleeping as she yawned. pointing to the large skin she had layed down and she crawled over to it. laying down and looking at him. When she heard his name again and she pointed at him and said it, "Latro".

Watching him as he thought about things and she layed there looking at her fire and warming herself still laying. she sighed and put her finger in the dirt doodleing little symbols and letters not even realizing she is doing it; such as a heart, m, k, w, and such.

 

[Tseranc]

She made the gesture for sleep then took up her fur rug, and proceeded to lay down. She then pointed at him and said his name, and he thought there might be a little hope in communicating with her. Water, sleep and his name; it was a start.

He got out a good blanket and put it under him, the caves floor being cooler then the air, especially with her fire going. He watched her as she ran her finger through the dirt. After a few moments of watching he started to think her dirt designs were not random, but looked like writing!

Sitting back up, and scooting a little closer, he found he was right! She made letters, and shapes that would have no purpose in the wild. More of her past was being reveled, though none of the letters or shapes formed any words. He was excited, and wanted to start showing her how to spell the words she new, but thought better of it. Instead he;d let her sleep, and just pointed at her writing, “Very good.” Smiling he retreated back to his blanket, and lay down.


Some sorceress that could read ant write had to be missed. He wondered who could better help her. Thinking that he could get her foot healed, and then make a trip into town to ask some questions. No sense in handing her into the hands of someone that would just abuse a innocent girl.

But what if this had been done too her? What if the world thinking she was dead was the best thing for everyone? As he drift off to sleep, he had decided to learn more before making any rash decisions.

 

[PaintaPicture]

She watched as he got comfortable by her fire and the way he smiled at her doodles, she didnt understand why. She went back to get comfortable on her 'bed'. She was scared to go to sleep, maybe because he was there and maybe because she didnt want the nightmares to come back. they had been getting worse and driving her insane.

She chewed her lip laying onto her back and staring at the ceiling and then down at her bad foot. She looked at her new found friend and smiled. She closed her eyes and rolled onto her side facing him and slowly drifted to sleep. The night went on nicely, sleeping sweetly but then thats when things went bad.

She started sweating and tossing and turning. Arching her back and groaning. Things shot through her head, her being attacked, tied down as her magic was used against her to hurt her. she shouted out "STOP!" "DONT DO IT...LET ME GO". Still sleeping, not realizing any of this is going on. her legs kicking and arms swinging. Breathing hard and sweating, not being able to wake-up.

 

[Tseranc]

The screaming and thrashing about brought him from his peaceful sleep, and his large hunting knife was in hand as soon as his eyes opened. Searching for her attacker, he found none, but noticed if she flopped around much more, she might hit the fire. Looking around again, to be sure there was nothing but her nightmares in the cave with them, he re-sheathed his knife, and moved to wake her.

Astonished at her full sentence, he decided to call back to her, “Hey, hey! It's just a dream, wake up!” But that, and gentle shaking of her shoulder failed to wake her from her torment. He didn't want to become part of her nightmare, so looked around to find something that he hoped was not in her head.

Finding her bucket of water he scooped a bit into his hand, and splashed it over her, cool droplets landing from face to stomach.