Eralion

Eralion noticed the exact moment that the small man started moving, but being as big as he was made him a large target. He tried to dodge the arrow loosed from the crossbow but it still hit him on the very edge of his huge calf muscle, sticking in almost halfway down the shaft of the arrow. Eralion yelled in pain and immediately began the change into his favorite druid form. The sound from his mouth went from a man's yell to a bear bellowing out a large roar. Eralion, in his bear form, broke the arrow off right before the fletching, and pulled the arrow out the back of his calf, howling in pain and rage as he did.

"You will PAY for that!" Eralion's bear mouth couldn't form the words but the loud growling 'raghhhh' got his point across. He ran towards the puny human on all fours, quickly and easily catching up to him as Ellelunia's daggers flew and Orion's claws swept at the man. Eralion stopped short and stood on his hind legs, also swiping with his giant paws, claws out, wanting to disarm him.
 
As soon as the woman dodged his leg sweep he pushed himself up off the ground, using his arms and still grounded foot to propel him away from the point of contact. The pair of knives sailed towards him but he had begun moving too early - one of them grazed the back of his hand, drawing a thin red line along his knuckles - and he was able to avoid them. His right, unharmed hand flew to his side to retrieve the knife, pulling it out and using the broad side of the blade to deflect the cat's smaller paws. He took a few unstable steps backwards, the cat's momentum forcing him off his balance.

The loud roar however, caught him off guard. His head swiveled just in time to see the bear, with a small wound in its leg, standing full height before him. A bear?! The man was a druid! son of a-. If the man was already taller than him, in bear form he stood nearly twice the size of Raeos. His eyes widened in shock at the large frame before him, knowing that there was no way to escape this attack. Feebly he brought the blade up to try and deflect it like he had the cat's, but the bears meaty paws knocked the knife clean out of his hand and caught the broad side of his right arm. Raeos was flung to the ground with a loud "oof!", landing face first on the dusty battlefield.

He tried to push himself back up with both his arms which sent waves of shocking pain up his right arm. Climbing to his feet quite clumsily using only his left arm, he wheeled back around to face the trio. His good arm went to the crossbow which had previously been re-stationed along his waistline and readied it, right arm moving only slightly to retrieve another bolt. He lowered the weapon down to the ground, placing his foot over the curved end of it and pulling the string back as he began to ready another shot.
 
Ellelunia laughed at the pathetic display of desperation the human gave as he tried to reload the crossbow. She stepped out in front of her companions-looking into the human's face as she spoke.</SPAN></SPAN>
"Perhaps you should give it a rest?" She held out her hand to him, attempting to show some sort of kindness. She could feel Eralion's breath against her back as she stood there, a shiver going down her spine.</SPAN></SPAN>

"If not, I'll just let my pets get back to pummeling you to death…"</SPAN></SPAN>
 
Eralion stopped swiping as Ellelunia walked in front of him and Orion, noticing how she was unafraid of the small man, and of the beasts behind her. 'Her pets?' He glanced at Orion who had also stopped attacking the little man, and seemed to shrug his cat shoulders, sat down to begin licking his paw again. Eralion sat with a thud and looked at the man with his beady black bear eyes. Putting his bear paw palm up in the air and gesturing towards Ellelunia, which was a 'you better give her that weapon' gesture, he growled low in his throat as a threat that if he didn't hand over the weapon he would, in fact, be pummled.
 
He paused mid-reload, staring down at the ground. She's right, damnit. I can't take on a shapeshifter by myself. Without notice he pulled the bolt off the notch, placing it back in its holder and replacing the crossbow at his side. He strapped his good arm over his stomach, letting his right arm hang loosely at his side. His gaze shifted between the three of them, finally settling on the bear. To the bear he let out a hearty guffaw, a smile creeping over his as his brows furrowed. "So you're her pet, eh? What a glorious life that must be!"

His dull brown eyes darted back to Ellelunia, an arrogant sheen glossing over them. "Have you ever let him take you as a bear? It seems like something you Sahrians would be in to." He let out another laugh, nearly doubling over. His body folded over the arm on his stomach, wretching with laughter for a few moments before straightening itself back upright. Left hand was brought his face, wiping away the beginnings of tears in the corner of each eye.

"You know, I kind of like you. Not in a 'I'd like to have an ale with you' kind of way, but in an 'I'd bend you over a bench' kind of way." His hand pointed towards the bear, two fingers outstretched while the others remained curled against his palm. "The pets would have to stay outside, though." That cocky smile of his never left his face, even faced with imminent defeat. The option of hightailing it away from the three was always on the table; he was incredibly well conditioned and could most likely escape in to the surrounding forest with little trouble.
 
Ellelunia wasted no time, as soon as the words flowed from his mouth, her fist was coming at him lightning fast, smashing into the bridge of his nose. This was a definite blow, with no escape. She narrowed her eyes, leaning in to comment on his mouthy talk.</SPAN></SPAN>

"I'd sooner let myself starve to death than let you take me, filthy human" She spit on him, turning her back to him and running her fingers through Eralion's course fur. I'd sooner sleep with Eralion for that matter she thought to herself, a light blush crossing her face. She picked up her belongings, putting them back in her bag and placing over her shoulder once more. </SPAN></SPAN>
 
Eralion growled at the comment, and when Ellelunia punched the puny human in the nose he let out a grumbling hiccup that was actually a laugh. As her hand grazed his fur he felt a shiver down his spine, and if he had been in his Sahrian form he would have blushed at the touch. The bear stood on all fours and picked up one front paw and swiped dirt at the little man, grunting. 'I don't know how Elle didn't just kill you, I would love to rip you to shreds for the blasphemous words that came out of your mouth.' He thought at the man as he started following Ellelunia. He nuzzled her arm as she started walking away and pointed with his giant claw to where his pack had fallen, silently asking her to get it for him and put it on his back, as big claws did not help with putting on anything except scars.
 
The woman's fist landed squarely on his nose, splitting the flesh along the crest of it. His entire body recoiled from the force of the impact, causing him to brace himself on one knee and his good hand. He could feel his face reddening as the woman's saliva fell on his cheek. Ready to launch another salvo of vicious verbal assaults he looked up towards them, only to be met with a wave of dust that entered in to the cut on his nose, his eyes and his mouth. He spat the clumps of earth out on to the ground and rubbed his eyes furiously.

"You damn feral beast!" He exclaimed, a rage-filled fever pitch appearing in his voice that had not been present before. "You stupid, ignorant, pathetic ursine pretender!" He pushed off his knee and stood on shaky feet, curling his one good hand in to a tight fist and holding it above his stomach. "And you, harlot. Should you ever touch me again I'll mar your face so bad that not even the lepers would want you." His words fell short of the mark, the tenacity gone from his statements as he once more fell to his knees.

The gash on his face ached and he brought his fingers to it, gently pushing them in the open wound. He winced and let out a small exaggerated "pfeh!", angrily flipping open the flap on his leather satchel and thumbing through the contents of the previous haul. After two minutes of aggravated searching yielded no results he turned his head upwards to the women and her companions, a scowl growing where there had just minutes prior sat an arrogant smile. "You owe me something," he spoke through gritted teeth, his voice low and guttural. "Give me a dry piece of cloth."
 
"Oh i'm so sorry..." Ellelunia started, her voice thick with a bitter sarcasm. " Were you looking for help from this pear shaped harlot?" She placed a hand on her hip, her leather armor parting just enough to expose some of her milky white skin underneath. She scoffed, grabbing Eralion's bag and turning on her heel to face the demanding human. She laughed, widening the straps on his bag and helping him stick his massive bear paws through the holes, fitting the pack to his wide muscular back.

"I don't think you could ever scar me enough " She teased him, doubting his skill and mended the pack she had set on her horse, tucking things back in that had been jostled by the startled horse.

"Besides, why would I want to help you?"
 
Something about this group was different. For some reason, they had not decided to kill or maim him even with the clear ability to do so. They piqued his interest in a way that the average party he ambushed did not. His eyes darted back and forth between the woman, the bear, and the cat. The cat had sustained injuries that he did not dole out. Perhaps...

He stood back to his feet once more, the initial dizzying factor of his injuries less severe now. Crossing his one good arm over his chest and grabbing his other shoulder, he stared the woman down. "You look like you were in a scuffle before I showed up. By the looks of it, you encountered more than one marauder." He stopped his thoughts for a moment, realizing he had referred to himself as a 'marauder'. Some time long ago he had rationalized his lifestyle but there were times when he felt small glimpses of morality."My arm is bruised but my legs work fine. I'll tell you what. Let me follow you to whatever town you're headed to. I can offer top-notch reconnaissance so you don't get jumped again...for a small fee of course." The bear let out a low growl at his last comment. "Fine, fine. For free."
 
Eralion was proud of himself for "persuading" the human, nodding his head as Ellelunia seemed to be contemplating the deal. He would have raised his eyebrow, but his bear face was scrunched into a strange mixture of anger and curiousity. Would Elle really just let this guy join them? If so, it wouldn't just be the three of them anymore and Eralion felt the need to watch the human closely. They didn't know him, how could they trust him if they needed to?

"I don't like this" He said in Ellelunia's direction, his voice turning into a collection of moaning and growles. He lowered his head, realizing she couldn't understand him.
 
Ellelunia clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, contemplating if the human would actually be of assistance to her. She finished packing the horse and tightened the last worn leather strap. She ran the fleshy pads of her fingers over the horses hide as it snorted out of it's equine nostrils. She tucked her hair behind her softly pointed Sahrian ear and shook her head from side to side.

"No, I don't think we will need you" Ellelunia mounted the horse in one quick motion, her booted feet sturdy in the foot rests. She narrowed her eyes at the man, watching as he gripped his nose to stop the bleeding.

"You really should get that looked at" She teased, winking at him as she directed her horse to start walking slowly down the path. Eralion and Orion both following along side loyally.
 
The blood ran over the cracks in his finger as he held his nose, dribbling down over the back of his hand and falling in small globules to the dusty ground. That woman, who does she think she is? To deny me...does she not realize who I am? The frustration in his mind manifested itself in the grip on his nose, tightening the hold until his nose was numb with pressure. He watched the trio walk away from him, his eyes watering up. If you asked him, he'd blame it on the injury to his nose, but most would assume it was his pride, which had been battered and bruised, bringing him a pain that his body could never duplicate. His chest felt heavy, like when a childhood crush fell in love with another man.

Allowing them to gain some distance on them, he trickled after in distant pursuit. If that woman would not see his talents outright he'd damn well show her them. All he had to do was swoop in and prevent their next confrontation and he'd demand their respect. The respect they should already have for me. These fools couldn't see a bonfire at midnight.
 
Eralion follwed next to Ellelunia looking back every so often, sensing that somehow they weren't done with the human. He looked up to Ellelunia, his eyes yearning to speak to her. The more time they spent together, the more connected he felt to her. Despite the fact that she didn't seem to like him much, he still wanted to be there for her; to protect her.

" I wish you would open up" He said bravely, knowing she couldn't understand the growling strangeness that came out of his muzzle.
 
Ellelunia rolled her eyes as she continued walking, looking down at Eralion and Orion respectfully. She was happy to have such protection, unsure if she was actually going to be able to fight the human if need be. She nodded to Eralion as he gave her a toothy grin, showing his fangs in a non-assertive manner. She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"It would be much easier to communicate if you weren't a member of another species-that's for sure" She seemed to understand him, though it was only coincidence.

The group went silent then, for some time as they traveled, reaching the brink of the fog that encompassed the mysterious town of Voidfog. The forest grew increasingly dense and the fog become more difficult to see through as they continued on. The stallion she rode was growing nervous, disliking the fact that he could not see were to place his feet over time. Orion too, seemed to be uncomfortable, grumbling and complaining in his own feline way as Ellelunia pushed them forward. Eventually, she stopped them, dismounting and looking behind her at where she knew the human was stalking them.

"If you insist on following us, you might want to come closer, these parts are more dangerous than you can imagine"
 
The air around them grew increasingly cloudy, almost to the point it was tangible. As the density increased, the distance between he and the group decreased, Raeos' pace quickening to keep them in sight. By the time the woman turned to call out to them he was no more than twenty-five meters behind them, easily within earshot of even their casual conversation. His face beamed bright red as she called out to him, his own senses picking up on the thickening tension in the environment.

"Just where exactly are you headed, Sahrians?" The venom is his tone was palpable, dripping especially thick off of his last word. In light of his arrogance, he was truly worried about this predicament. Fog was not something he had had pleasant experiences with, unable to rely on his eyesight. Generally, beasts and creatures with stronger olfactory or audial sense trumped him in these situations and he had a scar or two to remind him of it. He fidgeted slightly, gripping his hand around the knife that had been retrieved from the previous scuffle with the trio. If anything comes close, I won't let it get away without a nice scrape to remember me by..

He closed the distance between he and the party to an uncomfortable ten meters, just close enough to see their full-fledged outlines but still far enough to portray his lonestar personality.
 
Eralion grunted with distaste as the human grew near, his scent making his nose wrinkle.
"Can't he just go die somewhere?" Again his voice wasn't traslated, but he found a veil of strength in it; being able to say whatever he wanted. From the distance there was a distinct howl, followed by in company by a chorus, all calling out together. If it was a warning, or a greeting; Eralion wasn't sure. He turned his big head to Ellelunia, worry in his eyes.

The fog made him uncomforatble, normally, he wouldn't have to depend on his senses to lead his path. Shifting for survival was new to Eralion, and he wasn't the seasoned warrior he would have liked to show off to Ellelunia.

"Please tell me you know where we're going Elle..."
 
Ellelunia laughed, at both the human and the worry in Eralion's eyes. She decided, even though she knew the familiar howl of her druid sister, Lamira; that she would play along.

"Dammit...they know we're here" She said, pretending to be afraid. If anything, she thanked her previous life as a prostitute for helping her become a better actress. She kept close to her stead, patting the large stallion to keep him calm. She let her knees wobble as if over come by fear, playing into the role of the damsel in distress.

"Be prepared..."

The trees and shrubbery around them shook violently as a sudden wind crested the forest. The howling drew closer, a haunting sensation shivering down Ellelunia's spine. She clicked her tongue, calling Orion closer to her. The large cat walked to the inside, padding next to his master with a defensive stance. Ellelunia's eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for her sister so she could give her a playful wink, obviously encouraging her to play tricks as she knew Lamira loved to do.
 
The wind whipped up the long end of his stolen silk scarf, sending it dancing in violent waves as the air rushed over him. He gripped the handle of the knife tight now, knuckles whitening in response. His other arm, feeling a little more useful after hours of rest, was brought up to the level of his chestin a defensive posture. It was bruised, sure, but not broken. He stood apart from the trio and their horse, holding the knife at an angle in front of him. HIs swept back and forth as he spun on his heels, constantly checking behind him in feverish paranoia.

This is my chance. The woman seemed weak, the bear uncertain, and the cat ready for a fight. If they were attacked by these...whatever they were, possibly feral wolves, he would make his move. In just a few moments the woman would be bowing down before him, offering to kiss his feet and relieve his tensions. His mind wandered momentarily in to this dreamworld of patriarchal dominance, but stayed only briefly before being jolted back to the grave reality of the situation by another round of howls. "Don't worry, female. I excel at close quarters combat." In fact he excelled so much that he had been beaten just hours before.
 
Ellelunia turned her head against her horse, on the outside looking distraught, but in reality, she was laughing. She knew her sister was close by, she already knew that Ellelunia would be on her way. The wind tossed Ellelunia's hair up into the air, fanning it out in a stunning display of bluish blacks and deep purples as the muted light reflected off it's sheen.

"Who goes there?" A growling voice came from deep within the fog, another chorus of howls ringing through the dense atmosphere. Ellelunia readied her throwing knives, for show. She held them tightly between her fingers, letting them tremble a bit as she smiled into the abyss. Soon, her sister would set things right, and hopefully scare the shit out of the cocky human. That would make her happy.
 
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