From the Shadows

Mathias laid out one of the furs near the entry so at least where he planned to rest was soft. "Gallantry is rare now days but not lost" he smirked "course it helps when the lady as as lovely as you" he complimented as well as teased.

Sitting down on the fur he sighed at what she said next "nor do I" he glanced into the corner where his sword rested against the wall. The armor was long sold off but he kept the blade. It was a reminder as much as protection.

"I was a knight" he said. If there was to be trust between them she may as well know and better hear from him than someone who would speak ill of him. Knights were not what they once were.

"I always wanted to be one. My older brother and father were knights. People loved them, they did good, protected the innocent. I trained from a young age with them and was knighted by the mad king before he went mad.... I served him for longer than I'm proud of...." he let out a defeated sigh "I thought I could change things when it a started to go bad. Tried to raise a rebellian in secret, rally the knights..... of course the king found out. Had them all slaughtered in their sleep along with their families" he glanced at Ruby who was already asleep. "He saved my family for last... made me watch.... I escaped the dungeon and managed to find Ruby, nearly starved to death and injured in the woods. My other pups... my wife....my brother and his family.... all dead....because of me"

He had said more than he had intended but it just sort of came out, he had held it in for so long.

"I suppose my point is.... I do wish for things to change but how can I justify risking the life of my daughter a second time? Or leave her fatherless and alone? she would not survive"
 
Haala wasn't one to blush at compliments, but neither was she the sort who would ignore them. A small chuckle escaped her when she was called lovely. "I'm glad your eyes work well," she replied, the smirk clear in her words.​
She blinked a little at the rest of his words. A sigh escaped her as he told his tale. It was one that wasn't as common as must others, but the ending was something that was. And it saddened her and frustrated her to no end.​
"Don't say that," she muttered after a moment. "About it being your fault? It wasn't. Whatever bad stuff happened to us, your family's fate, my clan's extermination- it was easy for me to blame it on myself as well but-" She shook her head. "No. It's all his fault. Not yours, not mine.​
"I get it though, what's you're saying... you've been through pain and you have someone you need to stay alive for." And maybe it would have been the same for me but... She looked down a moment before finally looking at the werewolf. "There's a reason I have to. I wouldn't tell you but... I feel it's only fair."​
Her hands gripped the furs she was seated on tightly. "Those villagers... one family in particular was taking care of my child. They don't know whose it is, and he's to small to know anything. I just- I wanted him to grow up safely. I thought he would be safe until he was old enough to live with me..." Her voice trailed to a stop as she thought of the fate that might away her cub. "That's why I had to go after them. You understand, right?"​
 
(I swore I replied to this....)

Mathias was somber as they spoke. He missed the days when he could freely joke around and enjoy life. Every moment anymore he felt like he was walking on egg shells.

Hearing her explanation he frowned more. "We can't let your child be taken" he said. "It's not too late. We can go after them....if they took him...they will be traveling towards the capital still. After nightfall perhaps we could sneak into the vamp and spring the prisoners out"
 
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"No," Haala replied almost immediately. She shook her head to emphasize her point. "You have a daughter to take care of... and besides, you being a soldier know that they don't necessarily kill those who go without resistance." She gritted her teeth before letting out a sigh. "Action without thought will just end up biting us in the ass. If they realize someone's let the prisoners loose..." Haala left it unsaid but she knew Mathias probably guessed what she was thinking.​
The prisoners would be killed mercilessly.​
"We should rest and figure out a plan tomorrow," she finished.​

@KJDarKnight
 
Mathias sighed. He did know, too well. He had helped in some cases before he defected.
Looking towards his little girl he nodded faintly "tomorrow" he agreed.if his desire to free people from their fate wasn't strong enough, it was stringer now. Thinking of those poor kids who never stood a chance in the world anymore.

"Rest well" he stood and moved to his position by the entryway before shifting forms and curling up there on the floor where he would hear any possible intruders
 
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"You too," Haala replied as she laid down as well. She closed her eyes and tried to will herself to sleep, but it was hard. So many thoughts continued to roam through her mind like ants making their way in and out of their hole. The last thing she wanted to do was involve someone else in her problems, especially someone with a child... and yet who would know better than someone with a child what she was going through?​
She knew it was her fault. How stupid could she have been, thinking leaving her child with humans would keep him safe? How stupid was she, thinking she would be able to return him to her when the time was right? Now she lost him, he lost his home. Her eyes clenched tightly and did her hands before she forced herself to relax. Panicking and getting upset, wallowing in the past and not moving forward to improve things was exactly the opposite of what would help.​
Turning to her side, Haala curled up and tried to get to some sort of sleep.​

@KJDarKnight
 
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Mathias wasn't having an easy time of it either. Ruby seemed the only one able to get any descent sleep while the adults worried and stressed about things beyond their control.

Mathias's concerns laid not only with seeing his daughter through the inevitably hard winter but now helping Haala. She had helped him twice now he felt obligated to help her get her son back. Besides that it was simply the right thing to do.

Eventually sleep did find him. Though it hardly felt for very long...

"Haala" he spoke mentally to her, hoping to wake her up without making a sound. "Wake up Haala"

He stood in wold form, eyes glued to the entrance, it was still covered of course but if Haala did wake she would hear the distinct crunch of footfalls on the dry leaves and twigs
 
Sleep had finally come to the werecat, but it had been a rather restless one, and Haala had woken up more than a few times from recurring nightmares. The last one was interrupted by a voice, telling her to wake up. And so she did, only to realize it was Mathias.​
It took a moment, but she heard it as well, her ears as sharp as when she was a cat, even if she was in her human form. She could hear the sounds of someone- or more?- approaching their hideout. Without waiting she grabbed her still strung bow and and a couple of arrows, knocking one while holding the other in her mouth. She aimed for the entrance and waited.​
 
Mathias glanced briefly back at her "there's a back way out. I want to avoid a fight if we can" he said, still mentally as to keep quiet and maybe just maybe avoid detection entirely. "Behind Rubys bed, there's a tunnel. Take her and go. I will follow" he explained, keeping still and silent.

Ruby rubbed her eyes as she started to wake, the tension in the room must have been enough to wake her up, either that or Mathias had roused her the same way he had roused Haala.
 
Haala nodded and quickly put away her bow as well as her arrows, securing both on her back before taking hold of her dagger in her hand. She looked over at Ruby before silently motioning to her with her head. "Come on," she whispered softly. She could see the tunnel easily enough when she was in proximity- it wasn't too large, just the right size for Mathias it seemed, which made it well sized for a smaller woman and an even smaller cub.​
Ignoring the dust and dirt, she crouched as she silently made her way into the tunnel, keeping her ears sharp so that she could listen to Ruby's footsteps. There was no time to wonder who could be coming; safety was first priority.​
 
Ruby was scared but she grew up knowing the dangers around her so she had the presence of mind to follow their new friend without much hesitation, though she looked back for her father, he was waiting until they were in a ways before he backed into the tunnel and grabbed a branch in his mouth, pulling back as he backed in, the tunnel entry collapsed leaving only one way out but it was a sure way not to be followed
 
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Haala looked back, feeling the tunnel entrance collapsing behind them. That was a slight relief... they were't sure if whoever was approaching was friendly, but at least this way they wouldn't have any surprises.​
For now, she focused once more on her own path, leading the way through the tunnel until the feel of fresh air tickled at her nose. There it was, the exit. Eyes narrowed, she paused and put her bow away, pulling her dagger from her belt instead. "Stay right behind me," she whispered to Ruby. Once she was sure she was hiding the little girl, she crept forward, warily making her way out of the tunnel, her blade kept before her just in case there was anyone there needing to be struck.​
 
She came out deeper in the woods, no sound or smell of anything out of the ordinary. All was peaceful and quiet. The tunnel came out between the roots of a tree, long grass up around it to help hide the entry, or rather, exit of the tunnel.

Mathias was huffing a little by the time he caught up with them, only having three legs to use put a lot more strain on the other three, still better than being in human form, he would have even less balance that way.

"Is it safe?" Mathias asked mentally, nuzzling Ruby as she hugged her arms around his neck
 
Haala was quiet for a moment, simply taking in the environment surrounding her. She then nodded and crept forward, still in her human form, exiting the tunnel and ignoring the roots brushing against her.​
"So far yes," she replied under her breath, quite sure the wolf would be more than able to hear her. As she finally found herself with open place to stand, she did so, feeling a little relief at feeling less cramped. Her dagger remained in her hand; she wasn't about to leave caution aside.​
"Do you have any idea who or what that was?" she continued. Even as she spoke, she looked around them, her eyes taking in the meager light the night offered so that she could see around herself and into the shadows from the surrounding trees.​
 
Mathias shook his head "not sure, but given what's been going on recently, not risking it" he reasoned.

"I've got some supplies hidden under the tree there, lets get that and get moving, no time to lose" he wished they'd had more to get prepared properly but it simply wasn't worth the risk of getting caught.
 
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Haala nodded, agreeing with the werewolf. "Yes... we've already encountered enough for the day." She frowned lightly before sighing. "Perhaps you were right, Mathias." She pressed a hand against her forehead, rubbing roughly before letting her hand drop. "We need to plan this out... if they took prisoners, they won't kill them... probably have them as slaves. They would be kept alive. We should probably fall back, recuperate and plan ahead." They would probably need allies. "We can't risk your daughter's life, nor yours."​
She looked behind to see if there was any danger before turning around once more. "Lead the way, Mister Wolf."​
 
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Mathias nodded "We will head up to the mountains for now. It will give us a safe place to recover and make a better plan. Can't be risking your life either miss. Kitty" he smiled a half smile, he was growing fond of this cat. She was tough, smart and loving in her own way, helped that Ruby seemed to like her too.

"I've got supplies hidden along the way, as long as nobody has found them we will be set for the trip" he tried to be prepared for every scenario
 
"Seems like you got things sorted then." It was a relief, because whatever she'd had would be folly to go after now. A pity, but there was always more where her hunted vermin as food came from... hopefully.

A cold wind blowing from the distance reminded her that winter was coming; she shivered slightly and pulled her outer cloak closer around herself. The mountains would be even colder, and she was really one who hailed from a warmer climate, but the cold was worth safety. "How long will it take?" she asked after a moment.
 
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(Will reply soon. Been really out of it x.x Just letting you know it's not forggoten)
 
Mathias thought about this, looking up towards the mountains thoughtfully. Direct rout, 2 days, being careful, 3, but had to account for the fact he had a limp currently. Plus Ruby had to stay out of sunlight in the harsh afternoon sun.

"Four, maybe five days I should think, if we're to be careful nobody follows" he explained. "If we sleep part of the day and travel late i to the night, faster"