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- One post per week
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- Fantasy, Romance, Mutant, Post Apoc
"She expects me to accept him without question…" She scoffed, crossing her arms defensively and closing her eyes. "He's just a bumbling idiot!" Ellelunia's body was half shrouded in shadow, a large apple tree to her side providing her some escape from the strong sunshine. The lithe Sahrian leaned forward, placing her hands next to one another on the bench for support. She was letting her legs dangle, enjoying the suspended in air feeling it gave her. Her mind was racing, it throbbed and she felt like she might get sick. As much as she didn't want anything to do with the druid who abruptly came into her life, she was curious and it scared her. Not once has she ever been interested in a male druid.Her sisters were druids, and some women from town were druids, but Ellelunia never held a good record with males. Perhaps that was Kollidan's plan all along.
She remembered it so freshly: [spoili]The sky was changing with the coming of nightfall; deep orange clouds sped past Ellelunia and the man who had been a beast just moments before. Both of them were facing up in the gritty sand; unconscious. When Ellelunia's eyes flashed open, her hands went to her face instinctively, running over her features nervously. She leaned upwards, propping herself on her elbows. She looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes, looking over her damp sand encrusted dress with disappointment. The druid she had just mistook for a bear grunted and rolled to his side, his long black hair sticking to his sweat drenched face. The tide was coming closer, running over the man's strong muscular legs. His skin was a deep tan which in the diminishing sunlight glowed bronze. Ellelunia took her time standing, her eyes not taken off him. Her knees shook and buckled inward causing her to weave for a moment. After gaining her balance she began inching herself closer to the sleeping druid.
"Dammit" she cursed loudly. Ellelunia looked over his wounds, a couple of them still bleeding heavily. She was agitated,grinding her teeth together as she positioned some moist seaweed over the open wounds. Her eyes watched him cautiously in case he woke up. She knew all too well how strong druids were and how destructive they could be when angered of confused. As she applied one of the last bandages, Ellelunia watched as his eyes began to tighten and his face twisted up into a snarl. Jumping quickly over to safety, she ran her slender fingers through her hair, watching him turn his head from side to side. From what she could tell the guy was all alone,unless he was abandoned. By looking at him Ellelunia couldn't think of a woman who would want to leave his body behind. His dark black hair matched her own and his skin seemed soft compared to the other druids Ellelunia had met; not that the people she met were to use as comparison for good standards. She shook her head, blushing to herself. She felt anxious to leave, not seeing any reason to linger. When she turned to flee, a voice broke the evening silence.
"Thank you…" The grateful sentence was cut short by a groan of pain. Ellelunia turned; surprised to see he was attempting to stand.
"What are you doing?"She couldn't help but snicker watching the large man uneasy on his feet. She hadn't noticed before but this druid was much bigger than she remembered theirkind being. His head seemed to grace the clouds as she watched him stand straight, cringing and wiping the sand off his bare torso. Her eyes were stuck on him, not able to look away as he ran them through his hair, removing more annoying sand.<o:p></o:p>
"Are you alright? You look really red…" His voice startled Ellelunia and she crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her hip out as she swiveled on her back foot.<o:p></o:p>
"I'm fine; shouldn't you be more concerned with yourself? Grygus knows you got your ass kicked. Honestly, he's probably ashamed…" She scoffed and thought of the God of war,laughing at his lack of battle prowess. He stood speechless for a moment then took a slow step toward her, reaching his hand behind his head to scratch nervously at his neck.<o:p></o:p>
"I guess…" Helooked up at the newly fallen darkness around them, the sun fading behind thevast ocean to their side.<o:p></o:p>
"What are you doing out here at this time of night?" His question made Ellelunia's stomach flip, a disgusted expression creeping over her. She turned her face to him and raised her eyebrow. <o:p></o:p>
"How does that matter to you druid? Be lucky I saved your life and didn't abandon you…" Her words stung the wind like angry insects.<o:p></o:p>
His eyes narrowed but he remained calm,surprising Ellelunia again. This Sahrian was going against everything that she knew about them. Not only did it interest her, it enraged her. Ellelunia began twisting her extraordinary black hair in-between her long slender fingers.<o:p></o:p>
"I…" The druid was struggling with his words, which Ellelunia didn't take as an insult or shock. She knew he was busy looking at her; her skin was probably glowing in the darkness; like it always had. <o:p></o:p>
"Forgive me if I've angered you, I had no intention…" When Ellelunia looked into his eyes to comment on the words that his deep honey rich voice had slowly spread over her ears; she was taken back that he was staring back. He wasn't looking at her skin; he was set on her eyes as if staring past her.<o:p></o:p>
"Ugh! What the hell?" His eyes were torn from Ellelunia's focusing on the side of his arm; he used his other arm to try and reach the painful spot, but groaned when he couldn't reach. <o:p></o:p>
Ellelunia watched from the distance, clicking her tongue gently against the roof of her mouth. A breeze sent a shiver down her spine, goose bumps covering her white skin. The druid looked up at her, his eyes almost black in the darkness of the night. The uncomfortable stance he was taking made Ellelunia uneasy but she stepped closer and closer.<o:p></o:p>
"Turn around"She demanded, still gripping the broken shell. His eyes widened and when Ellelunia was in close enough range, she realized that his eyes were brown,like the massive trunk of the trees she lived among. He had to look down at her due to her petite stature and Ellelunia grumbled under her breath at his gifted height. She was supposed to be taller, like the other women of her race, but she fell only a couple inches below average. When the man didn't move quickly enough, she lost her temper, throwing her hands in the air.<o:p></o:p>
"Do you want me to help or not druid?" She let out an aggravated snort and crossed her hands over her chest. The druid must not have been hurting that bad because he took a good look at Ellelunia body as her damp silk dress clung to her every curve.When she caught on she didn't hesitate to smack him on the injured arm.<o:p></o:p>
"Don't look at me like that druid. Not if you know what good for you!" She clenched her teeth and hissed her warning. His eyes faced front and he knelt down to give her full access to the wound.<o:p></o:p>
She inserted the shell into the long deep tear shaped gash on the back of his arm. The sharp gasp he withdrew made her smirk and she stopped her movements. "You're going to make me mess up..."
He bit down on his lip, which Ellelunia couldn't help but notice. His handsomeness caught her off guard causing her to become sloth-like, slowly reaching her index finger across his skin. He shivered and she shook her head, convincing herself this was not the time for her imagination to run wild. Ellelunia inserted her finger into the wound, feeling around the sharp object that was embedded within his flesh. He jumped, grunting and calling out in pain.<o:p></o:p>
"What are you doing to me!?" He breathed hard and attempted to twist himself around to face her. She quickly placed her other hand on his good shoulder and snapped at him.<o:p></o:p>
"Don't you dare move- you hear me?" She hissed through her teeth and when she got a good hold on the knife like object, she pulled it out fast.<o:p></o:p>
The druid's head went back in a gasp of pain, sand flying up over their heads when his reflexes shot his arms upward. When he seemed calm, Ellelunia moved on to patching up the bleeding wound with more seaweed scraps.<o:p></o:p>
The moon was high in the deep purple sky, casting a soft light over them both. Their black hair held what looked to be blue halos, bouncing gently rays of moonlight back into the sky. Ellelunia stood up, her long trained legs stretching easily. She walked to his front, holding out her palm to him; her mouth open slightly in disbelief. In her hand was the tooth of a Razor Snap fish. The Razor Snap was only found in the depths of the ocean in large deadly groups. Ellelunia was not only curious but amazed that he managed to survive. The fact that the Razor Snap could not live in shallow water sealed Ellelunia's assumptions. She held the tooth out to him to take, the pure white of the enamel sparkling under the gentle touch of night. He looked up, but completely missed the tooth, looking over Ellelunia as she stood on the stunning beach scene.
Her hair waved on the wind, mixing with the deep purple sky. Finally noticing her white skin,the druid couldn't help but stare. With most of the pain gone, he was now realizing what was going on. He blinked and rubbed at his eyes, reassuring himself that Ellelunia wasn't a beautiful vision that Fleuryn, the Goddess of creation, presented to him before death. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand gently. When she pulled back and took a defensive stance, he blinked his eyes and leaned back on his muscular hands.<o:p></o:p>
"I'm not dead…" he started, leaning back with a heavy sigh followed by a sharp gasp and a wince as he support himself on the palms of his hands. "Thanks to you..." he said, his eyes wandering."What is your name, miss, so I can thank you properly?"She turned her chin and looked out to the calm ocean that watched them closely.
"My name is none of your business, though I am puzzled you don't know of me, especially being what you are." She cast a finger in the air, pointing at the man's broad shoulders and face. He grumbled, drawing his legs up and draping his arms around his knees to sit as comfortably as he could, for the moment.
"What do you mean, 'what you are'?" he askedcuriously, cocking only one eyebrow this time. Ellelunia watched his eyes andnarrowed her own, glaring at him with as much disinterest as she could managedespite her deep curiosity in the druid sitting but a couple feet from her.<o:p></o:p>
"You're a druid, what else!" She spat the words thick with malice. "Men ofyour kind don't have the best reputation with me; we'll put it that way"She smiled her normal seductive grin, making sure he saw it. A slight smirkdrew across his face, quickly softening his hard features. His eyes werefocused on hers the majority of the time, although once or twice he simply couldn'thelp himself and allowed them to dance across her just like the reflection oflight from the water was doing.<o:p></o:p>
"Surly I am not a representative of my kindas a whole..." he said quietly, one eyebrow still cocked. <o:p></o:p>
"You may not be a representation, but I have known many druids, none of which have swayed my opinion in the least..." Her voice trailed out as she raised her hand slowly to her neck, feeling the spot where the druid had punctured her skin years before. Though she had no physical proof of the viciousness, she remembered the feel of his fangs on her flesh all too clearly. She closed her eyes and shivered, wrapping her free hand around her own ribs. He broke eye contact for a moment, pretending to look off into the distance. The druid lurched forward and stood up on one slow, but fluid motion, wincing only slightly before extending a large hand in Ellelunia's direction.
"My name is Eralion..." Ellelunia laughed to herself as he looked away from her sultry display. She kept her vision narrowed on his body, watching the way his muscles twitched and pulled as he shifted his weight in the sand.
"I have no need for your name..."
Eralion's mouth twisted a bit as his other eyebrow rose when he looked towards his dangling hand; with a slight smirk and a slow nod he drew his hand back to his side,using the moment she had closed her eyes to let his own eyes wander over her again. He turned slowly and faced away from her, putting both hands on the rock formation steady himself as he bent one way and then the other, perhaps trying to loosen his muscles up after having been attacked. Ellelunia could hear a grunt or two, and saw that there were several other scars and wounds that marred the druids back.
"Perhaps in time then..." he started, his movements stopping for a moment as hestood up straight, his head turning back ever so slightly.
This man not only looked different, but he was acting far too humble to be a druid. She cursed within her mind at the comment she had made about him, thinking of what Morial had told her in the past. <o:p></o:p>
'Kollidan knows our best fate…' the kind woman would have said. She let her bright blue eyes cut through the darkness of the night and over his bronze skin.<o:p></o:p>
"Who's to say there will be a next time?" Ellelunia twisted on her heals, keeping her eyes on him from over her shoulder. Her voice was smooth and alluring; she couldn't help but try and draw him in.<o:p></o:p>
Eralion's head lowered when she questioned what he considered fate. He turned around, perhaps too quickly because it caused him to drop to one knee with a stifled grunt.<o:p></o:p>
" I've got to remember I'm hurt" he said quietly, mostly to himself. He raised his head slowly and managed a strangely shy, awkward smile in Ellelunia's direction.<o:p></o:p>
"I don't know what brought you this far out here, but again; you have my thanks. He said quietly, using his knee to push himself back into a standing position.<o:p></o:p>
"Kollidan has me in your debt."<o:p></o:p>
"You owe me nothing; don't bring the gods into this…" Ellelunia rolled her eyes dramatically and watched him stumble, wondering if the Razor Snap tooth carried any venom. If he was poisoned, it would take a while for it to affect him. From in the distance came a familiar call, which forced Ellelunia's head to turn; hair fanning out with the force of her twist. Ellelunia sighed and looked at the druid,knowing there was no way to hide him from Morial's sights. The elderly woman was close enough to see that someone else was with Ellelunia, when she realized it was a man; she picked up her speed. The last time she had stumbled upon Ellelunia and a man, she had to cover her eyes and turn her back.
"You know this woman?" Eralion's eyes were cautious,and he had taken a few steps away from the oncoming woman.<o:p></o:p>
"Her name is Morial, just bow and say hello when she comes near." Ellelunia's voice was empty of emotion though she waved contently toMorial. <o:p></o:p>
"She will do everything in her power to take you back to town with us, so just be a good druid and say no, got it?" Ellelunia had a fake smile plastered as best she could on her face, running a hand through her long ink river hair.
"Well Ellelunia, he's a bit tall for you, don't you think?" Morial laughed adeep matriarch-like laugh and smiled at him. Elleluniablushed crimson, gawking at Morial.
"It's not like that at all! The idiot almost died, I just bandaged his wounds!" She held up the Razor Snap tooth, and scoffed. "He somehow got deep enough in the water to run into these!" Ellelunia realized she sounded like a tattling child and crossed her arms over her chest, grumbling under her breath. Eralion bit his lip for a split second as he heard what Morial had to say and stood several feet away from the trio, blushing ever so slightly when he realized he was still the topic of conversation, wrinkling his nose a bit when Ellelunia quickly washed away the possibility that they had been some kind of friends.After listening to the woman for a moment more, Eralion's ears perked up a bit at the mention of Ellelunia's name; a sly smirk spread across his face as he nodded a 'thank you' towards Morial.
"Ellelunia,thank you for your aid then" It irritated her to hear her name come from his mouth;cheeks still full of fresh blood that pulsed so loud she could have sworn Morial could hear it. The face she was giving her pushed her to believe it even more. The elderly woman stepped past Ellelunia, making her way slowly to Eralion, looking him up and down.
"You're a druid right? I can tell by the way she resents you…" Morial winked, her wrinkled face glowing with honesty. She pointed a crooked finger toward Ellelunia, who had refused to turn toward them.<o:p></o:p>
Eralion's eyes watched Ellelunia closely, a slight smile on his face as he saw her reaction to both his, and Morial's words. As the older woman stepped closer to him, Eralion stood up straight, watching her with his big, dark eyes, blinking slowly but not looking away; trusting her as he had been instructed to.
"Child, please,let me see to your wounds. Ellelunia did a fine job patching you up, but-ya-need real bandages; not seaweed" Oddly enough, excitement was the predominant emotion surging through the air as Morial smiled and attempted to tug him along.<o:p></o:p>
"Ma'am…"he began, allowing himself to be pulled forward a bit, glancing up and catching Ellelunia's gaze.<o:p></o:p>
"I don't think that is a good idea…He could be a madman for all we know!" Ellelunia held her arms directed out toward the sky as if pleading. "We don't have room anyway!" [/spoili]
Despite all her pleading, there was not swaying Morial, Eralion took up permanent residence at the Silver Top tavern with them in the small village of SomberCall. As she recalled the event, she walked back to town heading to the stables to prepare for the journey to Void Fog, where her sister had instructed her to go.
Eralion tilted his head up as he looked into the trees that surrounded the town; the tall ridge of forest looked impenetrable from the ground. He searched for Ellelunia, squinting in the afternoon sun. She sat by stables to the side of the tavern, the smell of hay bales wafting in the air.
"Morial gave me this letter for you. It seemed urgent..." Eralion's cheeks flushed crimson, his eyes washing over Ellelunia in her blue silken dress. The silver braiding wrapped around her breasts perfectly and his height advantage gave him the view of a lifetime. Eralion smiled, taking the letter out of his belt and holding it out in Ellelunia's direction. She reached out quickly and snatched the paper from his hand, tearing into it with her sharpened Sahrian canines. She pulled out a piece of parchment and that was equally as long as the envelope that held it. Her eyes darted off every cursive letter, flowing with the melody of the text. Ellelunia's trimmed brows arched, a sigh coming from deep in her chest.
"My sister…" Ellelunia's lips parted slightly, her sweet breath passing through onto the thick parchment. Her hips swayed as she stood in place, her fit body tensing and relaxing as she continued to read. Eralion had been watching Ellelunia read, although he found himself gazing over her whole body while she was distracted by reading.
"So you have a sister?" He said slowly "I hope everything is well…"
"Everything is fine" Ellelunia nodded but a look of aggravation crossed her face. "My sister wants me to meet her at her home in Void Fog. The letter says they looking for volunteers to run an errand. It gives no description of the errand, but my sister wants me to lead... at least it seems."
"Is that a bad thing?" Eralion turned his head, his ponytail falling over his shoulder slightly. He wasn't sure how to feel about the news. "Are you alright Ellelunia?" He said gingerly as he approached her from the side, watching her as she stared emotionless at the horses.
"You don't seem happy…Do you want to talk about it?" He took a seat next to her, having to place his hand behind the back of the bench to fit properly. Eralions heart beat faster as he felt her body next to his. He knew it was a long shot to ask her to talk about it, and by the way she started laughing, his thoughts were confirmed. His eyes traveled up her arm to her shoulders and neck as a flirtatious smile spread across his face.
"I'm sorry, what did you say? Talk about it? With you?" Ellelunia jokingly pretended to clean her ears. She laughed out loud, throwing her head back in a dramatic display. Her cheeks were red from laughing as she tried to catch her breath, locking her eyes with Eralion's. Ellelunia pursed her lips as she stood and collected some apples from the tree, joining Eralion next to her newly acquired horse.
"This is going to sound crazy, but let me come with you" a strange longing reflected in his eyes as he spoke. He couldn't go back home, and he couldn't let Ellelunia go alone, what if something happened to her? He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he could have protected her. Ellelunia turned her body away from him to watch the sun as it burst through the branches of the apple tree. The branches swayed in the wind, making a dazzling display as the sun danced over the ground.
"Do you know what I did for that horse?" Her tone was cold; vacant.
"This horse?" Eralion patted the stallion and raised his eyebrow curiously, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer. "What?"
"I killed a man for this horse" Eralion cringed with her honesty. He shook his head as if casting the thought out of his mind. He reached out and gently grabbed the back of her forearm. Ellelunia whipped around to meet his eyes with her own, her hair shinning as it wrapped around her shoulder and neck. She was stern, but there was a softness to her face that Eralion couldn't ignore.
"Let me help…"
Ellelunia laughed but didn't reject him. She simply pulled out of his grasp and started walking back to the tavern. She could tolerate the druid for now, but only because the distance would be easier traveled with an extra source of strength. Also, her sister was looking for recruits and the druid would fit right in. She called over her shoulder to him, a small amount of uncertainty in her voice.
"Don't get in my way and follow my orders; got it?"
MAP
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
She remembered it so freshly: [spoili]The sky was changing with the coming of nightfall; deep orange clouds sped past Ellelunia and the man who had been a beast just moments before. Both of them were facing up in the gritty sand; unconscious. When Ellelunia's eyes flashed open, her hands went to her face instinctively, running over her features nervously. She leaned upwards, propping herself on her elbows. She looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes, looking over her damp sand encrusted dress with disappointment. The druid she had just mistook for a bear grunted and rolled to his side, his long black hair sticking to his sweat drenched face. The tide was coming closer, running over the man's strong muscular legs. His skin was a deep tan which in the diminishing sunlight glowed bronze. Ellelunia took her time standing, her eyes not taken off him. Her knees shook and buckled inward causing her to weave for a moment. After gaining her balance she began inching herself closer to the sleeping druid.
"Dammit" she cursed loudly. Ellelunia looked over his wounds, a couple of them still bleeding heavily. She was agitated,grinding her teeth together as she positioned some moist seaweed over the open wounds. Her eyes watched him cautiously in case he woke up. She knew all too well how strong druids were and how destructive they could be when angered of confused. As she applied one of the last bandages, Ellelunia watched as his eyes began to tighten and his face twisted up into a snarl. Jumping quickly over to safety, she ran her slender fingers through her hair, watching him turn his head from side to side. From what she could tell the guy was all alone,unless he was abandoned. By looking at him Ellelunia couldn't think of a woman who would want to leave his body behind. His dark black hair matched her own and his skin seemed soft compared to the other druids Ellelunia had met; not that the people she met were to use as comparison for good standards. She shook her head, blushing to herself. She felt anxious to leave, not seeing any reason to linger. When she turned to flee, a voice broke the evening silence.
"Thank you…" The grateful sentence was cut short by a groan of pain. Ellelunia turned; surprised to see he was attempting to stand.
"What are you doing?"She couldn't help but snicker watching the large man uneasy on his feet. She hadn't noticed before but this druid was much bigger than she remembered theirkind being. His head seemed to grace the clouds as she watched him stand straight, cringing and wiping the sand off his bare torso. Her eyes were stuck on him, not able to look away as he ran them through his hair, removing more annoying sand.<o:p></o:p>
"Are you alright? You look really red…" His voice startled Ellelunia and she crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her hip out as she swiveled on her back foot.<o:p></o:p>
"I'm fine; shouldn't you be more concerned with yourself? Grygus knows you got your ass kicked. Honestly, he's probably ashamed…" She scoffed and thought of the God of war,laughing at his lack of battle prowess. He stood speechless for a moment then took a slow step toward her, reaching his hand behind his head to scratch nervously at his neck.<o:p></o:p>
"I guess…" Helooked up at the newly fallen darkness around them, the sun fading behind thevast ocean to their side.<o:p></o:p>
"What are you doing out here at this time of night?" His question made Ellelunia's stomach flip, a disgusted expression creeping over her. She turned her face to him and raised her eyebrow. <o:p></o:p>
"How does that matter to you druid? Be lucky I saved your life and didn't abandon you…" Her words stung the wind like angry insects.<o:p></o:p>
His eyes narrowed but he remained calm,surprising Ellelunia again. This Sahrian was going against everything that she knew about them. Not only did it interest her, it enraged her. Ellelunia began twisting her extraordinary black hair in-between her long slender fingers.<o:p></o:p>
"I…" The druid was struggling with his words, which Ellelunia didn't take as an insult or shock. She knew he was busy looking at her; her skin was probably glowing in the darkness; like it always had. <o:p></o:p>
"Forgive me if I've angered you, I had no intention…" When Ellelunia looked into his eyes to comment on the words that his deep honey rich voice had slowly spread over her ears; she was taken back that he was staring back. He wasn't looking at her skin; he was set on her eyes as if staring past her.<o:p></o:p>
"Ugh! What the hell?" His eyes were torn from Ellelunia's focusing on the side of his arm; he used his other arm to try and reach the painful spot, but groaned when he couldn't reach. <o:p></o:p>
Ellelunia watched from the distance, clicking her tongue gently against the roof of her mouth. A breeze sent a shiver down her spine, goose bumps covering her white skin. The druid looked up at her, his eyes almost black in the darkness of the night. The uncomfortable stance he was taking made Ellelunia uneasy but she stepped closer and closer.<o:p></o:p>
"Turn around"She demanded, still gripping the broken shell. His eyes widened and when Ellelunia was in close enough range, she realized that his eyes were brown,like the massive trunk of the trees she lived among. He had to look down at her due to her petite stature and Ellelunia grumbled under her breath at his gifted height. She was supposed to be taller, like the other women of her race, but she fell only a couple inches below average. When the man didn't move quickly enough, she lost her temper, throwing her hands in the air.<o:p></o:p>
"Do you want me to help or not druid?" She let out an aggravated snort and crossed her hands over her chest. The druid must not have been hurting that bad because he took a good look at Ellelunia body as her damp silk dress clung to her every curve.When she caught on she didn't hesitate to smack him on the injured arm.<o:p></o:p>
"Don't look at me like that druid. Not if you know what good for you!" She clenched her teeth and hissed her warning. His eyes faced front and he knelt down to give her full access to the wound.<o:p></o:p>
She inserted the shell into the long deep tear shaped gash on the back of his arm. The sharp gasp he withdrew made her smirk and she stopped her movements. "You're going to make me mess up..."
He bit down on his lip, which Ellelunia couldn't help but notice. His handsomeness caught her off guard causing her to become sloth-like, slowly reaching her index finger across his skin. He shivered and she shook her head, convincing herself this was not the time for her imagination to run wild. Ellelunia inserted her finger into the wound, feeling around the sharp object that was embedded within his flesh. He jumped, grunting and calling out in pain.<o:p></o:p>
"What are you doing to me!?" He breathed hard and attempted to twist himself around to face her. She quickly placed her other hand on his good shoulder and snapped at him.<o:p></o:p>
"Don't you dare move- you hear me?" She hissed through her teeth and when she got a good hold on the knife like object, she pulled it out fast.<o:p></o:p>
The druid's head went back in a gasp of pain, sand flying up over their heads when his reflexes shot his arms upward. When he seemed calm, Ellelunia moved on to patching up the bleeding wound with more seaweed scraps.<o:p></o:p>
The moon was high in the deep purple sky, casting a soft light over them both. Their black hair held what looked to be blue halos, bouncing gently rays of moonlight back into the sky. Ellelunia stood up, her long trained legs stretching easily. She walked to his front, holding out her palm to him; her mouth open slightly in disbelief. In her hand was the tooth of a Razor Snap fish. The Razor Snap was only found in the depths of the ocean in large deadly groups. Ellelunia was not only curious but amazed that he managed to survive. The fact that the Razor Snap could not live in shallow water sealed Ellelunia's assumptions. She held the tooth out to him to take, the pure white of the enamel sparkling under the gentle touch of night. He looked up, but completely missed the tooth, looking over Ellelunia as she stood on the stunning beach scene.
Her hair waved on the wind, mixing with the deep purple sky. Finally noticing her white skin,the druid couldn't help but stare. With most of the pain gone, he was now realizing what was going on. He blinked and rubbed at his eyes, reassuring himself that Ellelunia wasn't a beautiful vision that Fleuryn, the Goddess of creation, presented to him before death. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand gently. When she pulled back and took a defensive stance, he blinked his eyes and leaned back on his muscular hands.<o:p></o:p>
"I'm not dead…" he started, leaning back with a heavy sigh followed by a sharp gasp and a wince as he support himself on the palms of his hands. "Thanks to you..." he said, his eyes wandering."What is your name, miss, so I can thank you properly?"She turned her chin and looked out to the calm ocean that watched them closely.
"My name is none of your business, though I am puzzled you don't know of me, especially being what you are." She cast a finger in the air, pointing at the man's broad shoulders and face. He grumbled, drawing his legs up and draping his arms around his knees to sit as comfortably as he could, for the moment.
"What do you mean, 'what you are'?" he askedcuriously, cocking only one eyebrow this time. Ellelunia watched his eyes andnarrowed her own, glaring at him with as much disinterest as she could managedespite her deep curiosity in the druid sitting but a couple feet from her.<o:p></o:p>
"You're a druid, what else!" She spat the words thick with malice. "Men ofyour kind don't have the best reputation with me; we'll put it that way"She smiled her normal seductive grin, making sure he saw it. A slight smirkdrew across his face, quickly softening his hard features. His eyes werefocused on hers the majority of the time, although once or twice he simply couldn'thelp himself and allowed them to dance across her just like the reflection oflight from the water was doing.<o:p></o:p>
"Surly I am not a representative of my kindas a whole..." he said quietly, one eyebrow still cocked. <o:p></o:p>
"You may not be a representation, but I have known many druids, none of which have swayed my opinion in the least..." Her voice trailed out as she raised her hand slowly to her neck, feeling the spot where the druid had punctured her skin years before. Though she had no physical proof of the viciousness, she remembered the feel of his fangs on her flesh all too clearly. She closed her eyes and shivered, wrapping her free hand around her own ribs. He broke eye contact for a moment, pretending to look off into the distance. The druid lurched forward and stood up on one slow, but fluid motion, wincing only slightly before extending a large hand in Ellelunia's direction.
"My name is Eralion..." Ellelunia laughed to herself as he looked away from her sultry display. She kept her vision narrowed on his body, watching the way his muscles twitched and pulled as he shifted his weight in the sand.
"I have no need for your name..."
Eralion's mouth twisted a bit as his other eyebrow rose when he looked towards his dangling hand; with a slight smirk and a slow nod he drew his hand back to his side,using the moment she had closed her eyes to let his own eyes wander over her again. He turned slowly and faced away from her, putting both hands on the rock formation steady himself as he bent one way and then the other, perhaps trying to loosen his muscles up after having been attacked. Ellelunia could hear a grunt or two, and saw that there were several other scars and wounds that marred the druids back.
"Perhaps in time then..." he started, his movements stopping for a moment as hestood up straight, his head turning back ever so slightly.
This man not only looked different, but he was acting far too humble to be a druid. She cursed within her mind at the comment she had made about him, thinking of what Morial had told her in the past. <o:p></o:p>
'Kollidan knows our best fate…' the kind woman would have said. She let her bright blue eyes cut through the darkness of the night and over his bronze skin.<o:p></o:p>
"Who's to say there will be a next time?" Ellelunia twisted on her heals, keeping her eyes on him from over her shoulder. Her voice was smooth and alluring; she couldn't help but try and draw him in.<o:p></o:p>
Eralion's head lowered when she questioned what he considered fate. He turned around, perhaps too quickly because it caused him to drop to one knee with a stifled grunt.<o:p></o:p>
" I've got to remember I'm hurt" he said quietly, mostly to himself. He raised his head slowly and managed a strangely shy, awkward smile in Ellelunia's direction.<o:p></o:p>
"I don't know what brought you this far out here, but again; you have my thanks. He said quietly, using his knee to push himself back into a standing position.<o:p></o:p>
"Kollidan has me in your debt."<o:p></o:p>
"You owe me nothing; don't bring the gods into this…" Ellelunia rolled her eyes dramatically and watched him stumble, wondering if the Razor Snap tooth carried any venom. If he was poisoned, it would take a while for it to affect him. From in the distance came a familiar call, which forced Ellelunia's head to turn; hair fanning out with the force of her twist. Ellelunia sighed and looked at the druid,knowing there was no way to hide him from Morial's sights. The elderly woman was close enough to see that someone else was with Ellelunia, when she realized it was a man; she picked up her speed. The last time she had stumbled upon Ellelunia and a man, she had to cover her eyes and turn her back.
"You know this woman?" Eralion's eyes were cautious,and he had taken a few steps away from the oncoming woman.<o:p></o:p>
"Her name is Morial, just bow and say hello when she comes near." Ellelunia's voice was empty of emotion though she waved contently toMorial. <o:p></o:p>
"She will do everything in her power to take you back to town with us, so just be a good druid and say no, got it?" Ellelunia had a fake smile plastered as best she could on her face, running a hand through her long ink river hair.
"Well Ellelunia, he's a bit tall for you, don't you think?" Morial laughed adeep matriarch-like laugh and smiled at him. Elleluniablushed crimson, gawking at Morial.
"It's not like that at all! The idiot almost died, I just bandaged his wounds!" She held up the Razor Snap tooth, and scoffed. "He somehow got deep enough in the water to run into these!" Ellelunia realized she sounded like a tattling child and crossed her arms over her chest, grumbling under her breath. Eralion bit his lip for a split second as he heard what Morial had to say and stood several feet away from the trio, blushing ever so slightly when he realized he was still the topic of conversation, wrinkling his nose a bit when Ellelunia quickly washed away the possibility that they had been some kind of friends.After listening to the woman for a moment more, Eralion's ears perked up a bit at the mention of Ellelunia's name; a sly smirk spread across his face as he nodded a 'thank you' towards Morial.
"Ellelunia,thank you for your aid then" It irritated her to hear her name come from his mouth;cheeks still full of fresh blood that pulsed so loud she could have sworn Morial could hear it. The face she was giving her pushed her to believe it even more. The elderly woman stepped past Ellelunia, making her way slowly to Eralion, looking him up and down.
"You're a druid right? I can tell by the way she resents you…" Morial winked, her wrinkled face glowing with honesty. She pointed a crooked finger toward Ellelunia, who had refused to turn toward them.<o:p></o:p>
Eralion's eyes watched Ellelunia closely, a slight smile on his face as he saw her reaction to both his, and Morial's words. As the older woman stepped closer to him, Eralion stood up straight, watching her with his big, dark eyes, blinking slowly but not looking away; trusting her as he had been instructed to.
"Child, please,let me see to your wounds. Ellelunia did a fine job patching you up, but-ya-need real bandages; not seaweed" Oddly enough, excitement was the predominant emotion surging through the air as Morial smiled and attempted to tug him along.<o:p></o:p>
"Ma'am…"he began, allowing himself to be pulled forward a bit, glancing up and catching Ellelunia's gaze.<o:p></o:p>
"I don't think that is a good idea…He could be a madman for all we know!" Ellelunia held her arms directed out toward the sky as if pleading. "We don't have room anyway!" [/spoili]
Despite all her pleading, there was not swaying Morial, Eralion took up permanent residence at the Silver Top tavern with them in the small village of SomberCall. As she recalled the event, she walked back to town heading to the stables to prepare for the journey to Void Fog, where her sister had instructed her to go.
Eralion tilted his head up as he looked into the trees that surrounded the town; the tall ridge of forest looked impenetrable from the ground. He searched for Ellelunia, squinting in the afternoon sun. She sat by stables to the side of the tavern, the smell of hay bales wafting in the air.
"Morial gave me this letter for you. It seemed urgent..." Eralion's cheeks flushed crimson, his eyes washing over Ellelunia in her blue silken dress. The silver braiding wrapped around her breasts perfectly and his height advantage gave him the view of a lifetime. Eralion smiled, taking the letter out of his belt and holding it out in Ellelunia's direction. She reached out quickly and snatched the paper from his hand, tearing into it with her sharpened Sahrian canines. She pulled out a piece of parchment and that was equally as long as the envelope that held it. Her eyes darted off every cursive letter, flowing with the melody of the text. Ellelunia's trimmed brows arched, a sigh coming from deep in her chest.
"My sister…" Ellelunia's lips parted slightly, her sweet breath passing through onto the thick parchment. Her hips swayed as she stood in place, her fit body tensing and relaxing as she continued to read. Eralion had been watching Ellelunia read, although he found himself gazing over her whole body while she was distracted by reading.
"So you have a sister?" He said slowly "I hope everything is well…"
"Everything is fine" Ellelunia nodded but a look of aggravation crossed her face. "My sister wants me to meet her at her home in Void Fog. The letter says they looking for volunteers to run an errand. It gives no description of the errand, but my sister wants me to lead... at least it seems."
"Is that a bad thing?" Eralion turned his head, his ponytail falling over his shoulder slightly. He wasn't sure how to feel about the news. "Are you alright Ellelunia?" He said gingerly as he approached her from the side, watching her as she stared emotionless at the horses.
"You don't seem happy…Do you want to talk about it?" He took a seat next to her, having to place his hand behind the back of the bench to fit properly. Eralions heart beat faster as he felt her body next to his. He knew it was a long shot to ask her to talk about it, and by the way she started laughing, his thoughts were confirmed. His eyes traveled up her arm to her shoulders and neck as a flirtatious smile spread across his face.
"I'm sorry, what did you say? Talk about it? With you?" Ellelunia jokingly pretended to clean her ears. She laughed out loud, throwing her head back in a dramatic display. Her cheeks were red from laughing as she tried to catch her breath, locking her eyes with Eralion's. Ellelunia pursed her lips as she stood and collected some apples from the tree, joining Eralion next to her newly acquired horse.
"This is going to sound crazy, but let me come with you" a strange longing reflected in his eyes as he spoke. He couldn't go back home, and he couldn't let Ellelunia go alone, what if something happened to her? He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he could have protected her. Ellelunia turned her body away from him to watch the sun as it burst through the branches of the apple tree. The branches swayed in the wind, making a dazzling display as the sun danced over the ground.
"Do you know what I did for that horse?" Her tone was cold; vacant.
"This horse?" Eralion patted the stallion and raised his eyebrow curiously, not sure if he really wanted to know the answer. "What?"
"I killed a man for this horse" Eralion cringed with her honesty. He shook his head as if casting the thought out of his mind. He reached out and gently grabbed the back of her forearm. Ellelunia whipped around to meet his eyes with her own, her hair shinning as it wrapped around her shoulder and neck. She was stern, but there was a softness to her face that Eralion couldn't ignore.
"Let me help…"
Ellelunia laughed but didn't reject him. She simply pulled out of his grasp and started walking back to the tavern. She could tolerate the druid for now, but only because the distance would be easier traveled with an extra source of strength. Also, her sister was looking for recruits and the druid would fit right in. She called over her shoulder to him, a small amount of uncertainty in her voice.
"Don't get in my way and follow my orders; got it?"
MAP
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