Anira and Kresch

Once they had finished their food, Anira sat against a tree, far across from her odd companion, using special oils to clean her bow. She took precise care of her weapons just as her father had taught her to do. She glanced up at Kresch who seemed to be meditating. She could feel a dark sadness begin to build inside her heart. The day Kresch had shifted into the form of her father was the last time she had seen her father alive. Before she had left for her hunt that week, she had fought with her father over something that seemed rather pointless now. Before she could allow herself to fall deeper into her thoughts, she heard a stick snap in the woods behind her. Stringing her bow quickly, she swiftly and gracefully jumped to her feet aimed towards the noise.

Kresch opened his eyes and stared at the paranoid Elf before him. He chuckled quietly and watched her, slightly entertained by her antics. He thought he had calmed her nerves earlier when he assured her that if anyone were to attack them they would regret it. Apparently, the years of running had really gotten to her. Before he got a chance to open his mouth to calm her once again, he felt the cold steel of a blade against his neck. "Move and I kill you." A deep voice growled.
 
Kresch eyed the blade. He then looked into Anira's eyes, and she could tell he was smiling at her with them. He then very swiftly and silently changed forms again. Anira couldn't quite make him out, but she could tell he had grown wings. He didn't grow in size, but once he spread his wings the person holding the blade made a slashing motion which would have cut a normal man's head off. The blade simply slid against Kresch's neck and the moment he was released he grabbed the soldier behind him and slammed him to the ground. He looked back up at Anira with that same smirk across his lips. He was in the light of the fire now and she could actually see him for what he was: he was an oily, dark color, almost like black leather. He had horns protruding from his head and parts of his back. The other prominent feature aside from his enormous wings was a tail of impressive length. His eyes were a royal blue and and they glowed with a misty-blue aura. His long claws were wrapped around the soldier's neck. The sheer terror in Anira's eyes was unmistakeable.

The soldier struggled, and Kresch swiftly dispatched him by snapping his neck. He then turned to the other soldiers, and quickly glided toward them. He seized them both in his claws, and dragged them away into the darkness. Anira lost sight of them, but she could hear their cries of agony. After mere moments, they were silenced. Shortly after their lights were extinguished, she saw him flying towards her. She had no time to avoid him and he scooped her off of the ground. Within seconds they were airborne, leaving the air of death behind them.
 
After being airborne for a few minutes, Kresch started to descend towards the ground. He began to change back into the form Anira knew, still in the air causing both of them to crash into the ground rather hard. Once Anira hit the grass she started to roll and she ended up a few yards away from Kresch who landed a little more softly than she. She laid there on the ground, staring up at the starry sky above, trying to grasp what she had just seen. She could feel blood rushing down the side of her face but she paid it no mind. She heard Kresch stir from where he was laying and she contemplated pretending to be dead. Sighing, she decided against it and tried to stand. Once on her feet, she felt lightheaded which caused her to fall back down. She wasn't able to move for a few moments from the dizziness.
 
It took Kresch a few moments to get to his feet. He looked around the area to make sure they were away from any would-be attackers. As he was surveying the area, he saw Anira on the ground. He slowly walked to her and offered her a hand to help her up. Her eyes met with his, and she simply stared at him for what seemed an eternity. There was no smirk on his face, and he was bleeding on the side of his head. She reluctantly took his hand and he brought her to her feet. After a couple seconds, she found her voice, "What in the world was that back there?! What are you?!" Kresch simply stared at her. He looked at her and felt a little unappreciated at the thought that she hasn't thanked him for saving her. But he shook this thought from his mind and slowly started to speak. "I did what I had to do. I told you, if I deem the moment necessary, I will do whatever it takes to accomplish my goal-" she interrupted him, "And what was your goal, Kresch?! What could you have possibly gained from nearly killing us as we fell from the sky?!"

Kresch had seized the opportunity to speak once she finished her sentence. "I feel that a thank you is in order. I did save you from three Imperial soldiers." Hearing this, she started to calm her nerve and she sighed deeply.
 
She gently pressed her fingers to her temple, her left temple saturated in blood and closed her eyes tightly trying to regain her composure. She was now even more scared of this changeling and she had no idea how to handle anything like him. She took and deep breath and opened her eyes. She stared into his for a very long time before actually finding her voice to speak. "Fine, thank you. I thank you for saving me from the soldiers, but you need to explain yourself. How am I supposed to believe you won't kill me in my sleep? How can I trust you if I almost died from falling out of the sky!"
 
He took a step closer to her. "My lady, what exactly would I gain from killing you? There would be no point to it. Besides, you and I have a common goal in mind, although mine does differentiate from yours, we still have a common enemy. And as said before, I am here for business, not pleasure. I would not kill you unless I deemed it necessary. And I do not think that will ever happen." She turned away from him and stared out into the distance. She knew he was using her to accomplish his goals, but she could tell that he was not a liar.

As she thought to herself, he took the moment to speak, "And my apologies for falling out of the sky like that. I can only maintain that form for a few minutes." He then paused for a moment, and then he continued, "Tell me. Why do you think I will kill you in your sleep? Am I that heartless to you?"
 
She felt a tad guilty when he asked her if she believed him heartless. She sighed and stared at the ground. "No, not completely. You did allow me to see my father alive once more. You did also save me. I just don't understand you." She finally looked at him once more, "You're cold, yet calm. You swear you're only using me then you save me, yet I know you could find anyone else to help you with your plan in an instance. You are...an unknown territory to me. I fear for my life for I can not see what it is you're planning." He just stared at her for a few moments before she felt as if she said something wrong so she turned away.
 
As she turned away, he began to speak, "Yes, I did feel a little sympathy for the loss of your father. Yes, I did save you from those Imperials, and yes, I could get rid of you at anytime if I so willed it. But I am not going to. You are useful to me, you will help me accomplish my goals. I cannot allow anything to happen to you." After those words left him, he sat on a nearby rock and began to immerse himself in thought. He knew his goals came first, and he knew that he could not be emotionally compromised because it would interfere with his intentions. After a few moments, she turned to him. She did not understand him at all. She had heard stories of these creatures, but she had never encountered one until now. She wanted to ask him what he truly was, but she felt as though that was pushing it.

After an hour or so, Kresch stood. "It's time we got moving, who knows who might be watching us." Anira quickly surveyed the area and started a brisk pace with him out of the area. The next stop they would be making was in the town of Serellia, which was the halfway point between Anira's woods and the City of Derath.
 
A few days had passed since their altercation with the Imperial soldiers, and they had finally reach Serellia. The rest of the journey had been one with a deep quiet between the two companions. They spoke but it was limited to very few words. Anira was still trying to understand what he truly was and Kresch always seem as if deep in thought. Once they had reached the edge of town, Anira began to wear a hood over over her head to hide her face from and Imperial scum that might be searching for her. The two companions decided to stop at a tavern to rest and rent rooms for the night. Anira felt nervous for, being raised in the forest with her father she wasn't used to be around so many people and the smell of mead was making feel slightly ill. Kresch glanced at her from across their table and smirked, "What's the matter? Have you never tried mead before?" She glared at him and nodded her head.

"Of course I have! I'm going to get some now." Kresch chuckled as he watched Anira disappear in the crowd of people. Moments later she returned with two pints of mead in her hands. She offered him the other pint but he refused with a slight nod. She looks down at her cup and hesitated for a second but she felt his eyes on her so she took her first sip. The liquid hit the back of her throat and burned for a few seconds but after a few more sips she was starting to like it and the light headed feeling it was causing.
 
It took her a while, but she finally managed to finish her cup of mead. After she was done she looked at the second cup, and then she looked at Kresch. He was leaning back in his chair watching her, that familiar smirk across his face. After a few moments, he sat up, and took the cup from her. He finished his very swiftly, never taking his eyes off of her. After he was done, he slid the empty cup back to her. "You can't be done already. What's the matter? Can't handle a little mead?" With that he rose from his chair, and disappeared into the crowd. After a few minutes, he returned to the table, bringing with him a tray full of pints filled to the brim with alcohol. He set the tray down and looked her dead in the eyes and said, "I'll make you a deal, for every one pint you drink, I'll drink two of them." She looked at him, already feeling a bit light-headed from the first pint. She was not one to back away from a challenge and this seemed easy enough for her, "How much can he handle?" she thought to herself. And with that she proceeded to drink a second pint of mead, this time a little bit faster than the last. The light-headed feeling was even stronger now.

Kresch, honoring his wager, quickly downed two full pints of mead. After he was done he looked at her, the smirk never leaving his face and said, "Come on. Have another. The night is young." Hearing this she grabbed for another pint and then Kresch started to chuckle. This was upsetting her, "Why are you laughing at me?!" she demanded. Kresch leaned in and said in a very low voice, "My lady, you are grabbing at my hand. Not your drink." With that he slid her another pint. Feeling fearless, she downed it just as fast as Kresch did. After she was done, the room started to spin. Kresch quickly gulped his two pints down and looked her. The smirk was still on his face as he said, "You don't look so good, my lady. It seems as if you've had enough for one night. 'Tis a pity, I thought you could handle more than this. I guess I was wrong." She was still coherent enough to hear those words, and she managed to grab a hold of another pint. "I am no lightweight you fool!" And with that she drank her fourth. Kresch followed up by slamming down two more pints.
 
After finishing her fourth cup, she watched as Kresch finished his second of the two he was supposed to down. Suddenly Anria started laughing at him for what he though was no reason. She began to laugh so hard she managed to fall out of her chair and onto the floor. Kresch found himself chuckling at her being drunk out of her mind. He stood and helped her back into the chair. She saw six more pints on the table and reached for another one, which he stopped by grabbing hold of her wrist. "I think you've had enough for the night, my lady." He mused. She glared at him and staggeringly stood, bringing her face close to his,

"No one tells me when I've had enough!" She declared, grabbing hold of the pint with her free hand and downing it as fast as Kresch. She smirked at him drunkenly, "Now you have to drink two!" He smiled, beside himself, and quickly chugged his two pints. She picked up her last one and held it up, "A toast! For the downfall of the Empire!" She surprisingly said quietly. Shaking his head, he lifted one of his drinks and held it up.

"A toast then, my lady. To you being a drunken fool." Now completely incoherent, she ignored what he said and downed her drink along with him. Once she was done she tried to make her way to get some more mead but once again he stopped her. "I believe it's time for you to go to bed now." He said throwing her over his shoulder and starting to climb the stairs to the rooms above.
 
He made it up the stairs with her over his shoulder with relative ease. As he hit the top of the stairs, she started to squirm. She did not like being handled like this, "I demand you let me down this instant! I am not something to be man handled!" She fought him for a few more steps until she finally gave in. A few seconds later, Kresch heard the sound of her crying uncontrollably. He was laughing hysterically in his mind. All of a sudden, she broke away from his grasp and made a run for the stairs. She didn't get very far, as she fell after her third step. Kresch casually walked over to where she lay and scooped her up into his arms. He then walked into where her bed was and laid her down easily.
 
Once she was on the bed, she tried to make another break for it. She pushed him away and made her way for the door. Before she could even reach the handle there he was leaning on the door, blocking her ridiculous escape. She frowned and crossed her arms, "I demand you remove yourself from my path this instant! You can not treat me like this!" She demanded. Kresch smirked and started to chuckle,

"What are you going to do if I don't, my lady?" He inquired, in a calm tone knowing it would anger Anira even further in her drunken state. She growled in frustration and swung at him, which he easily avoided.
 
"You are drunk. You should get some rest. You aren't getting out of this room, so you should accept that." Kresch was becoming a bit impatient with her. He wanted to sleep a little before they started a new day and it was already late enough. Hearing this, she took yet another swing at him. He avoided this as well. He seized her by the shoulders and threw her onto the bed. She tried to get back up only to fall back down. Kresch walked over to her and said very gently, "It is time for you to sleep my lady." She suddenly began to feel extremely tired, as if there was an outside source causing it. She was able to muster a few more words before she fell asleep.
 
She tried to force her eyes to stay open, but was fighting a losing battle. She yawned and started to let her eyes droop as she snuggled into her pillow. She smiled to herself and whisper, "Maybe you're not such a heartless jerk after all." Then she slipped blissfully into a deep and undisturbed sleep. Kresch stood there for a moment before walking into the hallway to his room. As he walked he pondered what she had meant when she said he wasn't a heartless jerk after all.
 
As he closed the door to his room, he couldn't help but think about her last words to him. This was different for Kresch, as he had never really thought of anyone he had previously encountered. She was different. There was something about her that wasn't the same as all the rest. He made his way to his bed, and he sat down. He immersed himself in thought once again, and pondered over her words. He knew what he was, and he was never surprised when people came to hate him. But why was she in his head? Why was he thinking about her like this? He shouldn't care about things like this. This was supposed to be about business and nothing more. After a while of torturing himself, he finally laid down. She was still on his mind, but he was able to drift off into a deep slumber.
 
When Anira awoke she felt as though she had been hit in the head by at least a hundred Mage's staffs. She laid there on her bed, vision still extremely blurred from the night before. She cursed herself for drinking the accursed mead and she cursed Kresch for making feel like she needed to prove something to him. She stopped for a second and sat up quickly. All of the previous night's events came flooding back to her. She had tried swinging at him twice, he had carried her to bed, and she had basically complemented him! She groaned and fell back onto the bed once again. She felt a mixture of emotions. Sick, from drinking, embarrassed, for making herself look like a fool, and angry at herself for allowing those things to happen. She swore to herself that she wouldn't allow herself to drink that way again. Sighing she stood up and gathered her things, it was time for them to go and she felt as though she needed to apologize for her horrendous behavior.

Finding her way to Kresch's door, she gently knocked hoping she wouldn't wake him, in fear of angering him.
 
As she knocked, she heard footsteps from within his room. She became extremely cautious and made no sound whatsoever. As she listened she heard a whisper from the other side of the door, "Come in, my lady." She knew it was Kresch, so she let herself in. He was standing in front of the bed in his familiar form. She approached him and began her apology for her behavior the previous night. As she started, he quickly waived his hand and stopped her. "It's fine. I was amused by your antics. I haven't had tat much fun in a while. There is nothing you need to apologize for." "I was not myself last night. I should never have swung at you, you were only trying to help me." She said this with such regret that it pained him a little.

He just stood there, staring at her. She was still in his head and he could not get her out. She had no idea what was going through his mind. It was better this way, as one person being compromised was much better than both of them. She caught his gaze, and this prompted her to leave. Before she left, she said "I will meet you out in front of the inn. Come out when you're ready and we will continue our journey." He nodded and allowed her to leave. He closed the door behind her and began to think once more. He knew he over-analyzed situations, and he was doing just that. It was most likely something that came out because she was drunk, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Without wasting any more time, he briskly headed to the exit of the inn.
 
Anira was standing out front by a large black horse with a white tipped nose. She was smiling and petting the horse's nose gently. She had loved horses, even as a child. Her father had a horse name Talleo whom he rode everywhere. This horse reminded her of him and she missed the horse greatly. She sighed and whispered in the horse's ear in Elvish tongue. "May you be strong through your journeys and nimble through your battles." The horse gently nudged her head which made her laugh slightly. Suddenly her eyes caught Kresch standing before the inn's door staring at her, causing her to look down realizing how childish she may have looked.
 
"Are you all ready to head out?" Kresch said as he began walking toward her and the horse. "You know, I remember another horse that looked like that. Damn thing tried to trample me while I was running through the woods." She glared at him, for she knew this was the same horse she remembered, "You must have been doing something foolish, then." She turned back to the horse and continued to pet him. Kresch shrugged as he said "I am always doing something foolish." With that he began to walk down the road so that they could continue their journey. "Wouldn't it be easier to use these horses?" she was just looking for an excuse to keep the black horse around. Kresch stopped, and walked back to her and said in his calm, cold voice "My lady, you, of all people, should know that if we need transport, we have a much more efficient avenue of travel." She shot back quietly with "At least a horse won't drop us out of the sky! We should take them, they are much more reliable."

Kresch sighed and nodded. "Fine then, we will take them. No use hearing you complain the entire way to the city." After he said this, he found the horse owner and bought the black horse for her, and a white stallion with a black spot around it's left eye for him. After his transaction was finished he looked at her and said "Are you satisfied?"