Impetus (Peregrine x Ragamoofin)

Amaris couldn’t help but let out a hiss at Jukhery’s words. She might not think a lot of the birdbrain’s decision making skills, but she knew that there was no way it would make such an important mistake. Not when Ansell’s life, and therefore its own, was hanging in the balance.

But his words indicated nothing good for either of them. Amaris had experienced a lot of powers in her life, but she found few as annoying as true earth shamans. Their power was tied to the very vitality of the land they controlled, and as long as life still existed within their domain, their power was endless.

Her attention momentarily distracted, there was a wet squelching noise from her barrier, and Amaris promptly reinforced the damaged section. However, even her distraction didn’t prevent her from scolding Jukheyr’s final statement, her words as much instinct as rational. “They won’t stop. Even if you find some way to muffle the power, it won’t stop looking for him as long as a trace of that power remains on this land. It’s not rational. It’ll drain all the life from this land before it’ll stop searching out what’s been taken from it.”

Amaris grunted as a particularly heavy blow struck against the barrier. However, that didn’t stop her from staring at both Ansell and Jukheyr. “Way I see it, you’ve got three options. Find a way to get that power out of him and either give it back or completely destroy it, continue to fight against these abominations until this entire valley becomes a barren wasteland, or get him far enough away from this land it loses track of the power and goes dormant.”

Amaris truly couldn’t see any other options. This tidal wave was not a force that could be reasoned with. It was simply the desperate efforts of the land to regain the power that had doubtless taken it tens or even hundreds of thousands of years to accumulate. Either it got the power back, or it couldn’t find the power anymore.

Of course, the bloodwitch knew full well that there was no way that Ansell would like any of those options. Unfortunately for the boy, though, life was simply like that sometimes.

Another shudder ran through the barrier, hundreds of droplets of blood showering down around them before they gathered into streams on the ground and flowed back into the barrier. It was possible to hear the muffled sound of some sort of high-pitched buzzing on the other side of the barrier. Amaris spat out the mouthful of blood that had pooled behind her lips in the short time she’d spent silent.

“Take your time.”
 
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Ansell cowered under the rattling bang on Amaris' shield, blood drops dousing him before recollecting itself; Ansell had watched the process, as gory as it was, Amaris' blood continuing to ooze like a red sea. He didn't doubt her ability to hold up, it just seemed selfish to make her. He had a decision to make, Amaris had made that much clear for him, and each were unfavorable as the last. Ansell gave his scar a hard stare, briefly imagining carving it out; he quickly realized the useless suffering that would bring. It was in him, like it or not.

The idea of a massacre was - equally unappealing. Ansell wasn't exactly the sharpest on the work of magic; that'd been Jukheyr's thing, at one time, before it'd gotten bored and eventually stopped. However, he knew of mana, how magic was the product of manipulating it. It was a power source, drawing from a force and manifesting in myriad ways. He was starkly reminded of his own situation with Jukheyr. Ansell pictured the conjured force of Thumil, unleashed, untamed.

That left Ansell with a single option. Ansell stepped away from where Amaris had planted herself, taking a long breath that slowly rose the temperature of the dome.

"Amaris," Ansell spoke, though it was closer to a vocalized roar of flame. Ansell stared into the witch, eyes gone in a flash of white fire. "Please keep your dome up."

The veins beneath Ansell's skin began to glow, scarlet soaking through his flesh, bones growing up and visible from his internal pyre. Ansell let out a breath, fire curling around his head, running over his arms in a solid plume. Ansell's hands were molten in their transparency, fire building - shrinking, striking hotter and repeating. A flowing fire bled from one digit to the next, running through his fingers and gaining power, more of the strange fire accumulating.

Ansell breathed again, smoke billowing from his lips, surrounding him then stretching out. Wings, built of gray figments, barely feathers, solid in some bizarre way. "Jukheyr," Ansell's glare melted into the vulture, "Stay with Amaris."

Ansell crouched, wings spreading over the bloody ground. There was a wisp of smoke where Ansell - had been, diving towards the top of the dome and sinking through it. As expected, the hole Ansell had made was a mostly inconsequential gap in the maintained web. As for the creatures that had piled atop each other, they were of no concern, either; they'd been reduced to husks at Ansell's touch.

Jukheyr was left blinking at the recovered hole, taking a few wobbling steps forward. "What is he- Amaris, you have to-"

There was an explosion outside the dome, heat suffusing the dome, the outer most layers bubbling, hardening under the heat. Jukheyr looked shaken, but not unstable; Ansell was still near, and by the sound of shrill death outside the dorm, in fighting form. The onslaught of heat and presumably fire was felt through the dome, though the internal heat was nothing compared to the pale flame that bathed the spawn.

The roar of flame went on, the heat grew, but eventually the screeching stopped. Jukheyr's head cocked, eyes glinting like it knew something. "Drop it," Jukheyr said, squinting at the wall. "It's...safe."

The heat would not abate when the dome would fall, not when the surrounding landscape had been transformed; the forest had been made into ash, every tree, every shrub, every ounce of dirt had been made gray through the thorough wash of flame. A flood of fire sunk into the earth, still squirming beneath one's notice, streaming over the scorched ground from-

"Ansell?"

Ansell's eyes opened with a snuffing flame, blinking away firelight until his dark eyes stared back at Jukheyr. Ansell's expression was one of focus, arms at his sides, crouching with his wings melding through the ground. Flame poured off him, hands channeling the power directly into the earth, fighting against the life that was all too eager to spawn.

"I'm fine," Ansell finally answered, voice strained. "That was just - a lot, and I can't-" Ansell gasped as an insect head burst from the ground ahead of him, a snarling, hideous creature; it was a crumbling husk of ash a moment later, Ansell's fire devouring it. Ansell shared a shocked glance with Jukheyr, the vulture staring back just as petrified. "I can't keep this up, I'm- I'm going to-" Ansell bit back his words, teeth gritting as he dipped down into his strange magic, fire bursting anew from his fingers.

"I'm going to leave. Jukheyr, I need you to stay. I need you to tell them."

Jukheyr's thoughts went to his family, to his mothers. "I will."

Ansell breathed hard, nodding hard, features agonized by strain. "A-Amaris, I'll find you." Ansell's wings rose from the ground, preparing for flight. "W-wait, okay? Just wait."
 
Amaris kept the corner of her gaze locked on Ansell, even as the vast majority of her attention was devoted to maintaining the blood barrier that was currently undergoing the ruthless assault. Despite her sarcasm from only moments before, she had meant what she'd said. Amaris was good at nothing if not enduring, and she'd buy Ansell all the time he needed to make his decision.

Honestly, she never expected he'd be able to come to a conclusion so quickly.

She could almost feel the moment he made his resolution in the heat of the flames that flickered around his body. For one moment they seemed to exchange a glance, and then Amaris nodded. She wondered what decision he'd made, tried to guess at his intentions in the lines of his face and the weight of his eyes.

But Amaris was no expert at understanding people, and long before she could even begin to guess at his intentions the flame around him swelled further, and Ansell blasted through the barrier, carving a hole through the tough, bloody fibers. The instant he passed through they began to weave back together, sealing the hole and swallowing the brief view of the monsters outside almost instantly. A moment later and a baptism of flame enveloped the dome, causing the temperature to skyrocket. Amaris felt as the roof of her mouth instantly dried out from the intensity of the heat, while needles of pain ran up and down her exposed skin.

The flames surged higher and higher, the sound of rushing air all they could hear. And then it faded away.

Amaris allowed the blood dome to drop at Jukheyr's words, before her eyes locked on to Ansell, one brow raised. Their fight at his house had already shown that a blast of flame wouldn't be enough to stop them for long, but the wasteland around them created from Ansell's flame would buy them a few seconds, maybe half a minute at best, before more could appear from within the earth and work their way over.

"What are you planning, kid?" Amaris asked, but Ansell didn't seem to hear her. His eyes seemed distant, focused entirely on whatever thoughts were consuming him. So she didn't press the issue, instead watching the exchange between him and Jukheyr, waiting to hear his decision.

And then he finally said it. Leave. He was going to leave.

Even as weak as she was at understanding people, Amaris could understand that Ansell was almost panicking. There was little she could do for him other than nod and agree.

"Don't worry," she replied, calm. Maybe reassuring. "I'll stick with Jukheyr until we're all clear of that shrub's land."
 
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Glass beads struck the ground when Ansell nodded, crystalline tears falling off his face. He shuddered, fire looking colder, burning closer to his skin. "O-okay, okay." It was hard to say if Ansell was truly comforted, or simply putting his faith in Amaris' words. Either way, he remained unsettled. His hands, arms like, trembled under their streaming flame, wings flaring at his back - he readied for takeoff with what strength he had left.

Jukheyr made a move, one that halted over the crumbling earth. "Where are you going, Ansell?" Jukheyr asked, voice kept low, as close to calm as it'd ever been.

Ansell met it with a frantic stare, eyes brimming over with waxy tears, falling heavy off his cheeks. "As far away as I have to."

Smoldering wings gave a beat, scorching air rippling over the ground, kicking up a smothering cloud of ash. On the second beat, the heat intensified, light shining from within the smokescreen, and then came a thunderous crack. A flame leapt up out the ash, into the air, a fiery streak that looked to reach the sky.

The ground pulled up in the boy's absence, and then, after a concerning tremor, began to settle. The earth continued to crumble, ashen marshes in the landscape, not a spawned abomination in sight.

Jukheyr's head craned upward, looking skyward - it looked for Ansell, any sign, any spark of the boy being there. The sky was dark, devoid of fire beyond the spots of starlight. Jukheyr looked to the ground, testing with with an outstretched talon - it sunk deep, Jukheyr's weight pushing it through the ash.

"Careful here," Jukheyr warned, flapping it's wings to get itself airborne, forgoing walking through the gray marsh. "You'll sink if you're not." Jukheyr warned, and it was an odd thing from it. The vulture didn't dwell on it, a part of it hoped Amaris wouldn't, either. It flew lowly, more drifted on generated vents of heat until it could find solid earth. It hopped along, finding the path Ansell had carved out from the farm.

"They're waiting on him."

Jukheyr muttered, sounding...troubled. It's claws raked up earth, visibly frustrated. "And he's not coming back." There was a sure venom to the vulture's hiss, wings flaring out, gliding into the darkness.
 
Amaris' eyes closed unconsciously as the heat wave from Ansell's takeoff washed over her. However, she opened them a second later, staring up at the sky, watching the streak of fire disappear towards the horizon.

"That was... unexpectedly decisive," Amaris mumbled, to no one in particular. Considering how long it had taken Ansell to come to a decision when he'd been confronting the Wildling, how many times he'd waffled and looked for another solution, she hadn't expected him to so readily come to this conclusion. To take off, without even saying goodbye to his family.

Eventually, Amaris shook her head. Apparently he found it easier to sacrifice himself.

Jukheyr's voice gathered the bloodwitch's attention once more. She nodded in response, not saying anything as she followed behind the bird. It was clear that Jukheyr had been off-put by Ansell's sudden departure, and while whatever trace of emotion Amaris might have felt had already stabilized into her usual mild apathy, she still felt like she understood it. A thought she never would have imagined possible less than forty eight hours ago. As long of a life as she had lived, there was no denying that Ansell had made an impression on her.

She wouldn't push the issue. Not now, anyways.

True to Amaris' speculation, without Ansell's presence to draw them out, the mass of forest-made monstrosities had completely vanished, leaving nothing behind but a trail of devastation. It made their progress back easier, in that regard. Or, at least, it would have, if it wasn't for the wildly unstable ground Amaris had to tread.

She looked up from picking places to put her feet at the sound of Jukheyr's voice. A slight frown wrikled her forehead. "Are you actually upset about that?" the bloodwitch asked, somewhat incredulous. "Ansell's left the valley, and you'll get to go with him. I find it hard to believe that's not something you wanted. All you have to do is pass on a message to people you've never really spoken to before, and then leave."

Her words were undeniably insensitive, if she took into consideration the fact that Jukheyr had been living with the family, albeit indirectly through Ansell. However, without the boy there to temper her words, Amaris found her patience for the birdbrain's surliness almost instantly running short. Considering how much she'd seen Jukheyr torment Ansell, and how desperate the boy had clearly been to keep the god away from his family, Amaris doubted that Jukheyr had ever expressed anything like goodwill or kindness to the little family.
 
The earth sizzled, bubbled with an amber glow - Jukheyr's claws leaving molten impressions in it's wake. The vulture didn't answer immediately, chose instead to hold it's tongue, as much as that tasted like sulfur. "I'm not upset," Jukheyr said, not at all sounding like someone who was remotely calm.

"They were expecting him, Amaris. Now, we're returning with this news? It's feathers ruffled, and it's shape seemed to sharpen - metal warping sleeker, friction between it's feathers left a shower of sparks. Jukheyr's stride grew longer, it's patience thin. "I'm not going to be the one upset, they are."

That's what the visibly furious vulture said, at least. It was a vision in red, blazing a furious trail through the woods.

The walk was a surprisingly quiet one; Jukheyr was in no mood to talk, and Amaris was in no mood at all. The two were through the woods before long, back onto charred grass - burrows riddled the yard, empty. Jukheyr didn't give the lot of them a passing glance, stalked through the wreckage with a growl.

"Hounds, shrubs, insects," Jukheyr listed, each one with more vitriol than the last - the vulture's plumage erupted in a spiderweb of red. "Good riddance to this place, it's one infestation after another." It griped.

Jukheyr's eyes narrowed into crimson silts up the hill, the house soon coming into view. The glow of candlelight filled the windows, Jukheyr's beak curled with it's displeasure at the inviting gesture. "I don't imagine you have anything to say to them?" Jukheyr asked the witch, it's stride not breaking as they neared the house. "I'd rather not linger here, not when Ansell is out there alone."
 
Amaris’ immediate, almost instinctive reaction to Jukheyr’s statement was quite simple. So what? Why did the birdbrain care if Ansell’s family was upset? It wasn’t as though either of them were going to have to deal with it for more than the couple minutes it took to inform Ansell’s family about his leaving.

Of course, Amaris didn’t feel particularly good about the situation, and if possible she would have rather brought them happy news. Ansell’s family, after all, had been kind to her, and she was always one to repay her debts where she could, however simple they might be. But did Jukheyr really feel any such debt to them? Any good will?

Before she could say anything about it, however, Jukheyr was off, storming across the ground as though the dirt under each step had done it some sort of person wrong. Idly wondering if the birdbrain might try and fight her again if she pushed the matter too far, Amaris walked in silence, organizing her thoughts.

By the time Ansell’s house came back into view, torn ground and all, the bloodwitch had basically figured out what she would say. It was a massively oversimplified summary, but it would serve to give them an overview of what had happened, and what it meant for Ansell. Especially if the family knew anything about nature and earth magics.

However, Jukheyr’s words brought her back out of her thoughts, and she turned to face the bird with some surprise. “What, you’re going to explain what happened to them?” she asked, clearly taken aback. However, a second later and she shrugged. “Fine. Works for me. I have nothing to add; let’s get this over with.”
 
Jukheyr gave Amaris a disgruntled leer, feathers shivering with the visible thrum of barely withhold fury; not precisely aimed at Amaris, just- everything it seemed. It's form peeled into a dark fire at the edge of its feathers, subtly burning closer. It was beyond furious, it was pissed.

"Fine, then." Jukheyr said, clipped by the grating crash of it's beak. It was stomping ahead again, not bothering to check to see if Amaris was still by it's side. "I won't be long." It had every intention on making it's explanation as suffice as possible. Would they have questions? Of course, it was inevitable, but it wasn't there to answer questions.

It was there to deliver a message, and it's form was- inappropriate. The vulture peered down at itself, it's head shaking with a vent of flame from it's nostrils. "I can't believe I'm-" Shutting it's beak, Jukheyr's talons scratched at the grass as it walked, gait becoming longer, feathers shivering along it's back.

For each stride, Jukheyr's frame warped, metal shifting it's limbs longer, feathers meshing together in a shifting web- crawling up it's neck, skeletal features hidden under smoke, clinging to it's distorting face in smoldering layers. It's eyes blinked through the thick smoke, blazing red growing dimmer in it's sockets, wide open until it blinked with newly formed eyelids.

Jukheyr made a noise of disgust, beak sinking into it's face, splitting open into a scarlet gyre. It's ashen skin covered the gash, growing over and splitting once more, smaller and much more mouth-shaped. It's mouth spread wider, curling along the edge, lips forming. Jukheyr ran it's tongue, hot like a poker, over it's new skin, a breath of smoke leaking between it's teeth. "It's been a while since I've tried looked like one of them," Jukheyr spoke, sounding- not softer by any mean, but more human; the grate of Jukheyr's tone was gone, it was smoother now, words catching on it's odd accent.

Jukheyr stood tall, talons now feet- bare, skin resembling soot. It's claws were hands, nails still a deadly curve, but there weren't anything like the vulture's. It's feathers took place around it's neck, the prominent collar to it's swooping coat. It's head remained bald, it's features practically sharpened into it's face, skin pulling tight to it's thickened bones. Jukheyr's arms stretched out the wispy smog around it's form, stretching into sheer sleeves, becoming opaque against it's skin.

By the time Jukheyr had set foot on the first step, it stood as a new woman. Jukheyr's lips twisted up as it took a steady pace up the stairs, arriving at the last one too sooner for it- her liking. Jukheyr stood nearly level with the doorway, her crimson gaze flicking down, curling her nails back into a fist to knock on the door.

Jukheyr's ears pricked at the scurry of footsteps behind the door, the quick thud of hands against it's frame, swinging open; Nala, eyes wide and his name already falling off her lips-

"Ansell-" Nala blinked, looked upward, her eyes hardening into a piecing glare. Jukheyr felt her skin - shiver, the chill of the night feeling all the more prominent. It forced a steaming breath out of her, swallowing it back and taking a cautious step back. She hadn't...felt that in some time. It felt like the wind that began to grip her arms in freezing, invisible holds stole at her inner fire.

Nala's eyes widened, Jukheyr's breath was stolen from her chest. The aeromancer's hands wound the wind tighter, Jukheyr's ribs feeling squashed under the pressure.

"Where is he?!"

Jukheyr's expression soured, arms fighting against an invisible threat. "If you'd- just let me- catch my breath-!" Jukheyr choked out, wincing down at Nala's infuriated glare. "And was I that- obvious?"

Nala's eye twitched, Jukheyr felt something in her arm snap- her form rearranged itself again, but still, ouch.

"You think you can pull on a new skin and fool me?" Nala's hand wound. Snap. Jukheyr winced, steeling her features. "Where is he?"

Jukheyr's mouth hardened into a line, staring into Nala's eyes, the woman's chest heaving. "Please," she begged. "Just tell me."

He was..

The winds let up, Jukheyr's breath found its way back into her form. "He's safe, but he's far, far from here by now." Jukheyr managed, feeling her feet touch the ground again. She was unsteady at first, but found her balance, staring down at Nala, an oddly...sympathetic look in Jukheyr's eyes. "Please, I'll explain-" Jukheyr cut herself off, gaze flicking towards the doorway, blinking at Holly's sudden appearance. Jukheyr showed her hands, a small inkling of regret in making her nails so long, but she hoped the gesture would be enough to goad them both into a peaceful approach.

"Yes," Jukheyr answered, before Holly had a chance to ask, her sigh heavy in her voice. "It's me." Jukheyr rolled her eyes. "In the flesh, as it were."

Holly blinked, looking to Nala, then back to Jukheyr. "Is Ansell-"

"He's-" Nala began, a hint of panic in her voice.

"Fine." Jukheyr finished, emphasizing it with a grit of her teeth. "Far from here, out of danger, and fine." Jukheyr breathed, feeling the sparks roll over her tongue. "Please, can we-" Jukheyr peeked over her shoulder, eyeing Amaris. If anything was still out there, they'd be fine. "Take this inside?" Jukheyr asked, voice dipping lower, softer for the sake of the quiet. "I'd rather explain this to everyone at once."

Holly and Nala shared a look. Jukheyr felt her jaw tighten, throat working to get out a plea. "Please," she insisted, taking a slow step forward, gauging Holly's subtle creep back as a sign of caution. "Let me do this for him."

That got a nudge from Holly's brow, giving a quick glance towards Nala before her eyes flicked back to Jukheyr. Her features steeled as she stepped aside, Nala following suit. Holly gave a silent nod of her head, beckoning Jukheyr inside.

Jukheyr was quick to duck inside, deciding not to waste the small kindness of either women. Nala left the doorway shortly after Jukheyr, leaving Holly on her own- staring out into the yard. The woman's eyes focused on the figure standing at the end of the staircase, having go take a short rush forward to realize...

"Amaris?" Holly announced to the world, eyes wide and darting around the ruined yard. "Goodness," Holly breathed, hand resting over her chest. "I thought you were one of those...nevermind," Holly cut herself off, shaking her head before offering Amaris a beckoning gesture. "Please, come inside."
 
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Amaris rolled her eyes at Jukheyr's vitriol, the words sounding almost like an argument between children in her ears. Fine. Fine then. She couldn't be bothered with trying to deal with anything further from the birdbrain at the moment, not when all of the fighting was finally over and done with. Amaris wasn't tired, not physically or emotionally. She couldn't be. But that didn't mean she didn't long for rest. The past two days had been packed with event after event, twist after turn after surprise. Now, all she wanted to do was leave this cold, miserable, foggy valley behind and resume her trip south.

However, there was one last impediment in her way, the doubtlessly unpleasant conversation that awaited with Ansell's family. She knew they wouldn't be happy. How could they be, when their son was forced to flee his home without even being given the chance to say a proper farewell. As much as she'd been planning an explanation, Amaris was more than wiling to hand that unpleasant responsibility over to Jukheyr.

And it seemed that the birdbrain was taking the responsibility... unusually seriously. A part of Amaris had been prepared to watch Jukheyr blow the conversation off, show the same blatant disregard for the family's feelings as it had shown for Ansell's when she'd first met it in the forest. But, as she watched the flame shifting around Jukheyr's melting form, Amaris began to fully realize that wasn't the case. Even if it was just for Ansell's sake, Jukheyr was taking this seriously.

Amaris followed along somewhat casually behind Jukheyr's changed back, eyeing the birdbrain's new form with some curiosity. Other than the time it had come to fetch her from the boat, when it had barely been intact enough to string together two sentences, Amaris had never seen Jukheyr outside of a bird form. It's attempt to imitate a human body was... well, she wouldn't quite call it unsettling, but she couldn't help but find something off about it. Almost like the birdbrain was trying too hard.

Amaris came to a stop at the edge of the porch's stairs, leaning back against the railing with her arms folded as Jukheyr walked up to the door and knocked on the wood. Her eyes remained half closed as she listened apathetically to the conversation between the two, and then three women, not even reacting at the occasional snapping sounds that came from Jukheyr's form as she was subjected to Nala's rage and worries.

It wasn't until she heard her name, spoken in a rushed gasp of relief, that Amaris turned around, staring up towards the doorway into the house. She shook her head at Holly's offer. "This is a family matter," Amaris replied calmly. "And as nice as you've been to me, that's not going to change. I'll wait out here until you're done with the birdbrain, and then we'll be off."
 
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It was apparent by the taken aback look on her face and the recoil in Holly's posture that Amaris' statement stung, but the other woman didn't voice much on it. Her lip tucked beneath her teeth, and with a quick turn, she'd walked back into the house, door shutting behind her.

And it would remain shut for- a while. One could imagine it wasn't the short visit Jukheyr had in mind, but at least she might be thorough about it.

Eventfully, some time after the door had shut, it finally slung open and out came Jukheyr with something in hand; it was hard to make out what when she was just out the door, but once she'd made it down the steps, the encroaching fog seeming to split around her, it was fairly obvious.

It was a bag, cloth brimming with its contents, straps looking ready to burst under the strain. Jukheyr didn't seemed bothered carrying it, though the sour look on her face didn't make that apparent.

"We're done here," Jukheyr said as she came within earshot of Amaris. "They..." It was a strange sensation, to lose her words before they came to her mouth. Jukheyr tried again, breath catching oddly in her throat- why? "They know." Taking a moment to clear her throat, Jukheyr looked towards the mountains, standing still for a moment.

Her eyes fell shut, senses stretching- searching through the trees. Jukheyr made a sound of realization. "He's far," Jukheyr announced, taking strides forward again, stopping herself again. She gave a sigh, turning to look at Amaris, just looking tired for the most part. "But he did want me to stay with you." Blowing a puff of smoke past her lips, Jukheyr squinted at Amaris. "I take it you're heading out, then?" Nudging towards the town, Jukheyr cocked a dark brow. "To the docks, I assume?"
 
It might have seemed as though no time at all had passed for Amaris, despite the length of time Jukheyr had spent inside the cabin, talking to Ansell's family. The bloodwitch was still leaning against the porch railing, one knee half bent, arms folded across her chest. It wasn't until Jukheyr spoke that she gradually unfolded.

Cocking one brow at Jukheyr, Amaris straightened from her slouched position. "I guess that's that, then," Amaris agreed, unconsciously turning to glance back at the house. It didn't seem like anyone had followed Jukheyr out from inside. Amaris supposed that the family had a lot to process right now, and wasn't in the mood to prolong their departure. All the same, she waved one hand towards the house's windows, just in case anyone was watching.

It wasn't as though the family would never hear from Ansell again. Once they got past the river canyon and out of the mountains, cities would spring up everywhere. Amaris would see Ansell settled in one of the nearby ones, and make sure he knew how to send a letter to his folks. The amount of trade in Ilsworth would start increasing again shortly, now that the threat from the Hounds and the stupid shrub was gone and the sailors would feel comfortable staying for the night, so there would be plenty of people carrying cargo up and down the river.

Speaking of boats... "Not unless you plan on waiting a couple of days before getting back to the kid," Amaris replied flatly. "In case you don't recall, you made me miss my boat out of here this morning. The next one won't be coming for a few days, so you're going to need to think of another method if you want to leave as soon as possible."

Unconsciously, her mind flowed back to earlier that day, flying through the sky on Jukheyr's back. It hadn't been the most comfortable method of transport Amaris had ever used, but it had been one of the most efficient. She couldn't help but wonder if her anxiousness to get back to Ansell would lead Jukheyr to accept such a demeaning method of transportation.
 
Jukheyr's lips pursed, eyes rolling towards the clouds, mind recalling her panicked attempt at getting Amaris off the boat. Back then, it'd known it would be an inconvenience to the woman, which only made her willingness to come all the more surprising; it hadn't cared that Amaris would be delayed, but now it was a problem they both shared...unless-

Jukheyr's eyes rolled with frustration, claws gripping the straps of the bag tighter. Her eyes were shimming with heat in her skull, teeth briefly sinking into her lip. "Waiting days for a ship brimming with weeks of filth," Jukheyr just about hissed, stepping closer to Amaris- stalking, really; her shoulders hiked, the contained black of her sleeves billowing, hands and dangling bag lost to the issue of smoke. "I'm done wasting time here, so if you don't mind-"

Jukheyr's generated smoke swept over her arms, flooding backwards and jutting out along the spread of her shoulders; the smoke grew on, humongous on her, distinctly wing-shaped. They dripped with ash, the initial flap shedding the gray at once; the dark, feathered edge appeared, curling back towards Jukheyr and Amaris, wingspan enough to encircle them.

Jukheyr offered her arm, a slightly less...annoyed look on her face. "We leave now, I'll get us there faster than a ship would." Jukheyr said and, again, winced at her choice of words. It sounded like bragging, even to her. "Besides, I trust you don't believe I'll drop you?"
 
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Amaris neither flinched nor retreated at Jukheyr’s sudden approach. The bloodwitch’s chin jutted forcefully forward in implicit counter to the woman’s aggressive approach, but she held her tongue in the end. In many ways, Amaris agreed with Jukheyr’s opinion. The ships were not a pleasant method of travel, and there was a good chance that the only reason the sailors had left her alone was because she’d shown she was strong enough to rip to bits any man who approached her unwelcome.

And even more than that, Amaris wasn’t keen on waiting. She’d never admit it, perhaps not even to herself, but she was almost as worried about Ansell as Jukheyr had to be. At this point, it was more than just a matter of repaying him for the kindness and concern he constantly showed her. She’d fought for his sake so many times over the past two days that Amaris had already lost count of the battles. Against the Wilding, against the bugs, and against Jukheyr itself. Somewhere in this time, concern for Ansell had embedded itself deep into Amaris’ immovable mind. She didn’t love him. Didn’t consider him as family. Something so passionate was impossible for the bloodwitch. But still, she cared.

As the smoke curled behind Jukheyr’s back, Amaris knew that she had reached the same conclusion Amaris had. If they wanted to leave promptly, they would have to fly. And since Amaris didn’t have wings, the only conclusion was for Jukheyr to carry her. Having Jukheyr in the form of a woman would probably make the already uncomfortable flight even less enjoyable, but the thought didn’t bother Amaris for long. It wasn’t as though she’d get sore.

“I hope you’d be faster than a ship,” she replied lightly. The words could almost be taken as a compliment, albeit a bit of a backhanded one. Amaris stepped closer, taking Jukheyr’s offered hand. “And I’m sure you’re well aware of how futile dropping me would be. So let’s go catch up with the kid.”
 
Jukheyr's eyes rolled as her lips went crooked, pulling in Amaris close when the witch took her hand. "Yes, yes, believe me, I know." She gave a scoff, managing to sound offended, or perhaps she really was. "I swear...threaten it one time, and suddenly you're the one who does it all the time." Jukheyr's eyes went low, lips pulled into a weak attempt at looking sympathetic. "Surely you have more faith in me than that?"

Hands sweeping under Amaris' legs, Jukheyr stood upright, swinging the packed bag upward - landing it in Amaris' lap. Jukheyr gave a nod towards it. "Hold that, will you?"

Wings spreading, craning at their massive joints, a single flap was all that was needed to send the winged woman soaring upward. Jukheyr's eyes grew into slits as she curled her hands tighter around Amaris' arms and legs, holding her breath as gravity took hold - wings throwing out, flapping again, propelling her higher, the verdant expanse of the farm far, far below.

Jukheyr took a breath of the cool air, wings burning hot in the fog, clearing the airspace around her with each enormous spread. "He's further than I thought, feels like he didn't want to take a chance." Jukheyr's brow quirked down at Amaris, lips pulling into a tight line. "I'd say hold your breath..."

Jukheyr's wings held still, falling then springing open, a thunderous flap sending her through the fog, air sizzling in her wake.
 
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"Faith?" Amaris repeated. "In you? Surely you must be jesting."

It was the same insulting ribbing that Amaris had flung at Jukheyrhileth over the past two days. It was not in the bloodwitch's nature to change her behavior, the way she spoke, how she interacted with others. And yet, at the same time, it was different somehow. Different because it was easy to tell that her words had been spoken more by instinct and habit than by any true desire to demean the fiery woman. For Amaris, at least, it was nothing more than play.

Amaris took the bag, flinging it over one shoulder to join her own shoulderbag, still as mysteriously intact as the bloodwitch herself, even after everything it had endured. And as Amaris made sure she had a solid hold on the bag, Jukheyr took hold of her, and the two were flung up into the sky.

This wasn't the first time Amaris had been in the sky, but it wasn't a frequent experience for her. Most of her exposure to the sky had involved an equally long fall shortly afterward. However, her expression remained calm as Ansell's family farm spread out beneath her, the old buildings of the town of Ilsworth visible in the distance. Without the constant pressure of the Wildling, and the harassment of the hounds, the hunters would no longer be able to drain the town dry. As they moved on and the merchants returned, money would flow into the town, and it would begin to flourish once more. Of course, some day some other being or creature would find its way into the valley and may try and claim the cold little village as its own. Such was the inevitable cycle of time. But in the meantime, Ilsworth would be safe and prosperous, its numerous residents completely unaware of the great struggle that had happened to lead to their unexpected new prosperity. It didn't matter to Amaris. She'd likely never be back.

As Jukheyr hovered in the air, Amaris turned her eyes to follow the other woman's gaze. "He went south," she murmured, her words all but swallowed up by the thin, cold air that flowed past them. She didn't know if he'd chosen that direction on purpose, couldn't even remember if she'd ever told Ansell where she'd been heading, but it was convenient. At least she wouldn't have to re-cover ground she'd already traveled. She'd bring him with her, if he would come. To one of the great cities in the south, where people's skin turned dark from exposure to the heat of the sun.

And then there was no more time for word or thought, as Jukheyr's wings carried them south, chasing after Ansell's path, and Amaris' attention was stolen away by the freezing pressure of the wind.
 
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Their flight was swift, Jukheyr's wings making her a flaming spear through the sky, every moment she drifted on generated thermals took her that much further away from the dreary township. The buildings were much to far away to make out distinct shapes, but it made no difference to Jukheyr; she'd seen nothing but the town for the entirety of Ansell's life, to say she had her fill of the place would've been an understatement.

Yet, for some strange, compelling reason, Jukheyr's eyes drifted down - taking one last look at the acres of forest, the eventual transition point between land and lake, following the long, winding veins of water through the land until she broke over the mountain pass. It was a rocky sight dripping with the cold, obscuring fog - Jukheyr briefly imagined how the journey by boat would've been, the days it would've taken was time they simply didn't have.

But they were that much closer to Ansell, now - there were still miles between them, but Jukheyr could sense that Ansell had settled, her senses pointing in the same direction, even as the landscape below her changed time and time again. Luckily for her, there wasn't any true trail to follow; she simply knew where Ansell had gone, she'd need only let her wings guide her there.

...Their flight grew slower, but the difference could hardly be felt. The winds were a constant pressure, flying along with the gales pushed Jukheyr along, arms as tight as ever around Amaris' form.

"You know," Jukheyr began, in the quiet moments between the mighty flap of her wings. "You never said why you came here," Jukheyr's eyes went down to Amaris. "Nothing in that town worth much, so it begs the question, once you were back on your boat-" Jukheyr's brow hiked up, eyes narrowing scantly. "Where were you off to then? What are you going to do?"

Jukheyr had already begun plotting out what would be best for Ansell and herself - housing came first, acquiring one wouldn't be hard; humans were easily beguiled by the riches of the earth, she'd pluck the gold, the jewels from the earth if that's what it took. It'd be a house purely for Ansell's sake, perhaps she could even assist in moving his family out of Ilsworth.

Amaris didn't have to worry about such affairs. She was without need of rest, of a home. Tireless, from what Jukheyr had seen on several occasions. There'd be no reason for her to stay, and Jukheyr found herself...curious.

"What's next for you?"
 
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Unlike Jukheyr, who appeared unbothered by the speed and pressure of the wind, Amaris could only focus on ignoring the speed and discomfort of their travel. Even as the wind stole her breath and forced her eyes closed, Amaris simply endured. However, as the valley of Ilsworth got further and further behind them, swallowed up by the wild mountain peaks that surrounded it, Jukheyr’s hurried flight slowed somewhat, and Amaris was able to comfortably open her eyes once more.

“I was heading south,” Amaris replied to Jukheyr’s questions, her voice sounding somewhat faint and breathless even to her own ears. “To the desert city of Al-Yaazdim, the headquarters of one of the 12 Mercenary Kings of Jasid. It’s far from a nice place, but there’s always work to be found there. And it’s also always warm. I’m tired of snow, and don't want to see it again before I have to.”

Amaris hesitated briefly, before shaking her head slightly. “But it’s still a long journey from here to any of the Desert States,” she continued. She couldn’t speak for Jukheyr, but how far would Ansell really want to travel from the place he’d presumably lived all his life?
 
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Jukheyr let a grumble in her throat be heard at Amaris' disdain for the weather that frequented the dreary town. "You and I both..." Jukheyr's eyes found the snow caps below with little difficulty, her eyes looking beyond them, to the miles she had to go before they'd met with Ansell, and miles more to go before they found anywhere worth settling. "I'll make sure Ansell gets settled, I'm sure he'll want to reconnect with his family as soon as possible."

Jukheyr scoffed, wings beating just fast enough to keep them going against the wind, taking the pressure off the both of them. "I swear, if I have to fly them, too..." It was an absurd thought, but considering the lengths Ansell had to in the past to protect them, it wasn't an impossibility. She supposed it all depended on what Ansell wanted to do.

"Nevertheless, this-" Jukheyr's mouth vagued uttered the word to the wind, then aloud. "Al-Yaazdim..." Jukheyr said the city's name with a fierce intrigue in her voice, a sharp smile on her lips. "And it's warm, you say?" Jukheyr's lips curled up with a hum. "Consider me interested, and I wouldn't fret over Ansell," Jukheyr added, giving Amaris a lingering stare. "He wouldn't admit, but he'd...always wanted to leave this place." The wind swept over Jukheyr's wings faster now, beginning to pick up the speed she'd lost. A bitter frown marred her expression, eyes looking towards the horizon. "I only wish he'd been able of his own choosing."

He had, in a way. It was very unlike Ansell to make such a drastic choice, to go with it was even more surprising. But, he'd done it, and now, they were off to a new land. A new start, as it was. It might not have been at a very opportune time, but she'd long since had her plans to leave Ilsworth - who knew all she had to do was wait?

The wing picked up around them, Jukheyr curling her arms tight to Amaris' form; howling, cold until Jukheyr's form began to warm, a mild heat surrounding them as she flew into the gale. "Watch your breathing," Jukheyr warned again, wings beating faster, faster still.

From below, from the trees, if one had looked up, they might've seen the phoenix bliz off in a fiery dart, burning a path through the clouds. Soon, it was nothing more than a flicker on the sky's edge.

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