Junea Vrass's Story

"Pas mane! Pas mane!" Cried a voice. It was high in pitch, though womanly in sound.

And her feet flitted through the leaves on the ground, bearing colony shoes. As she ran, she had undone her hair, leaving a wild mane to trail behind her. She ran, past the guards in the trees, and the tribesmen to the side, crying out to any who would hear it, until she had reached the Vanduo camp.

From a distance, the structures that littered the camp site were so well obscurred by leaves and branches that they were practically invisible to the unaided eye. Yet, as one drew closer, shapes would begin to emerge, dome-like structures with holes in the top to let out smoke from sheltered fires. A long, wigwam like structure stood at the center, and was the pinacle meeting place for the Vanduo tribe. Now, fallen leaves littered every surface, and it seemed as if the people of the Vanduo tribe had taken every effort to ensure that they blended in with their surroundings.

Many of the tribesmen halted when they heard the frantic cry of the scout. Women paused in their work, and the youth who were practicing their mage work paused to look up. The entire area had fallen silent, waiting for her eventual appearance.

One woman appeared from the centras, the main building, and it was clear by her dress that she was of far more significant social standing than the people around her. Her coat of furs trailed off of her shoulders, dragging behind her in the dirt as she stepped to the head of the crowd that had started to gather. Her hair no longer hung about her shoulders in a symbol of girlhood, but it was knotted back, away from her face, hanging in a braid that reached to her hips.

Sharp eyes, grey as stormclouds, narrowed at the approach of the scout. Her steps became more purposed, quicker, arms opening to recieve the younger woman. Her expression was stoic, but her eyes concerned.

"What have you seen?" she whispered in the common tongue of her people.

Vedra tumbled into the clearing. She was wearing colonist clothes still; they were drab and boring, without fur, and looked much more like a potato sack than an outfit. She belonged, though. The girl had wild eyes and wild hair to match it, which was no longer tamed by the strings of the colonists. She quickly disrobed her feet before proceeding further, and then slid her hands over the woman's wrists, with a squeeze. She bore bad news.

"I scouted the colonies! I infiltrated them; I was plain of face, so they didn't suspect a thing. The man who presented the contract - he, the leader of the colonists, lied about us!"

Her wild, chestnut eyes flickered to each tribesperson who lay around them, and she raised her voice. "They stood up there, in front of their people, and told them we were not people of peace! That ..."

She looked to the woman. Those wild eyes narrowed and welled. She looked to her for a sign of approval; a sign that she could continue to tell her story without reprimand in front of the entire tribe.

Aja's eyes were wide. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps as the news began to sink in.

"Not here." she murmured in response. She took the young woman by the arm, turning around and leading her back to the confines of the centras. The doorway was pulled aside by one of the men, and the two women disappeared inside with no-one to follow.

No one, that is, except Nanuk. He had the look of her father, with broad shoulders and a well-muscled chest. He was a warrior, through and through, with a brave heart and a passionate spirit. But Aja was not looking for his passion or his indignation. Not now, she simply needed Vedra to talk to her.

"What news does she bring?" he insisted, loudly, to the point where Aja knew that the others outside could hear. He had been chosen by the elders as a suitor for Aja. As a result, he believed that he was allowed to demand things of her, as if they were already wed. The look she gave him was a reminder that none of that was the case.

"Once I have had a chance to consult her, Nanuk, the people will know. You are excused."

The man's handsome face pulled into a scowl as he met the unrelenting gaze of his betrothed. "You are promised to me!" he insisted, practically seething. "I demand to know!"

"Demand as you like!" Aja replied, raising her voice. "Word of mouth holds no power here. Leave before I have you removed."

There was no question now. She had spoken. He had no choice but to obey. And he did, albeit grudgingly, turning out of the centras and muttering curses under his breath. When Aja was sure that he had gone, she turned to Vedra, both hands coming to gently cup the woman's shoulders. Her thumbs stroked her skin soothingly, and she drew her over to the fire to sit and warm herself.

There was nothing hidden in Aja's expression. She feared the worst.

"Tell me everything." she breathed.

----

They were not in there long. Yet, when the story had been told, Vedra emerged alone, a worried expression on her face as she quickly flitted away, eager to avoid the prying eyes and hungry questions that lingered on the faces of her kin. Nobody dared approach the centras, not after Aja had thrown her own betrothed from her presence. Darkness settled, and the camp was alight with the warmth of fires. People sat around, quietly speaking amongst themselves, gossiping about what could have happened, what might have been said.

Silence, as the doorway was pushed open.

Yet, as Aja appeared, she did not appear with her cloak of furs, her dress of deer skin, or with her hair tied back. Her hair hung loosely about her shoulders, and her body was clothed with strange attire. A close-fitting tunic and breeches, soft-leather boots that reached to her knees, and a hood that rested against her brow, nearly shadowing her face.

A gasp rippled through the community,but no one could think of what to say. Aja had shouldered a long-bow, and a satchel was tied to her opposite shoulder. Two hunting knives were strapped to her hips, and a quiver of arrows lay dangling in her opposite hand.

"It seems," she began, her voice carrying strangely through the camp. "...the colonists have made permanent enemies of us. They have constructed our people into a thing of nightmares, and they lie about us to spread fear through their communities." When she lifted her face, her eyes were caught in the glow of the fire, and they lit up like stars.

"I promised Illiam Ormond that my face would be the last he saw before he died." Her voice was strong. "And now, I go to fulfill that promise."

"Stop, child." A male's voice came. From the crowd, Junea pushed through. He was broad-shouldered and strong, yet a cloth bandage still wrapped around the side of one of those strong shoulders. His face was stern as hers, and even reprimanding.

"What do you seek to accomplish by doing so? I, too, have thought of revenge, but a sane man would not try it, would he? Even then, would Tetis, whose heart had been claimed to have been pierced by our arrows, approve of such a thing? We do not need your death on their hands, and if I let you leave here, mine."

He moved forward. "Do not be so blinded by revenge and anger that you ignore Motina's pleas, as well."

"Motina adores her children!" Aja responded, her voice edged with raw emotion. "And all others should fear her the way a hunter fears the bear who has had her cubs threatened. They will hide behind their walls, rot there in their graves of stone, but I will not stand for my people's names to be defamed by their lies."

She pointed a finger at him. "You will stay, and I will leave. This is no one's burden but my own."

"You are immature, and young. Men are a different game than deer. They do not fall so easily as you would like. Even in their stone walls and guarded buildings, they build brotherhoods as we do, and they forge harsher weapons." Junea quipped back, quickly. His chest rose and fell, and his breaths were angry and shallow, but it did not show on his face.

"Motina adores her children, and she would not put them to sacrifice as you are doing to yourself, now! These people don't see her ways, nor ours, but that does not mean we should force the ways upon them. Still yourself, and stay at camp, I plead."

"I will not be disrespected in front of the people I am meant to lead." she seethed. Her cheeks burned. Everything inside of her burned with a rage she was barely able to sustain. She stalked past him, holding her head high as she continued her way out of camp. Not a word was spoken. No one else dared to raise their voices against their sworn cheiftain's proclamation. Even after she had departed, they went back to their business, as silent as the shadows that prevailed all around them.

It was only when she was absolutely sure that no one else was around that she began to cry.

----

Mist had rolled in, a cool blanket that covered the ground and masked her footsteps. She kept her steps light, her eyes forward, her ears open for any kind of strange sound. She heard nothing besides night noises, the sound of her own breathing and the rush of blood through her ears. She'd been walking for hours, stalking through the shadows and clinging to the trees like a predator on the hunt. Yet, on the inside, she did not feel as though she was moving towards a goal.

She felt like she was running from something that terrified her. Junea's words had cut her deeply, reminding her of just how inadequate she was for the position she'd been put in. She knew of the whispers, knew what the elders thought of a woman leading. Even if Motina was, at heart, a mother to all, she was fierce, she was frightening in her furious power, and she was just. Aja did not feel powerful or fierce. She felt afraid. She would never let it show, but on the inside she was desperate.

If she was honest with herself, she hadn't come out here to kill a man. She had come out here to find answers that she sought after desperately. Why would the colonists choose to hate them? Why would they lie to achieve a goal so destructive that it threatened the livelihood of all? Why would they kill her tetis? Her papa?

Why?

Something ruslted in the bushes to her left. She froze, stringing an arrow to the bow faster than a man could blink. She took aim, focussing on the gentle rustling of leaves, her body as tense as the bow-string she held tight to.

A massive creature stepped out of the shadows, moving with an eerie silence that unsettled her. As the shape became clearer, she noticed the lean form of a massive feline, its coat stone grey, with a bob for a tail. Tufts of fur sat on the tips of the ears, which were flickered towards Aja, and peering out of a broad face was a pair of eyes so blue that they seemed to glow in the darkness. Aja was enraptured. Her bow lowered, the string going slack as the big cat stared at her. It was still a good thirty paces away, but the tension between the pair made the distance seem much shorter.

Slowly, Aja rose from her crouch. The big cat did not react to that. Why should it? The shoulder nearly came to Aja's rib cage, and its maw was large enough to snap her neck clean into two pieces.

Without knowing why, Aja felt something drawing her to the animal. It was out of place here, in the woods. Cats lived in the mountains, not here in the scrubby woodlands. Hunger could not have driven it this far, because game was hard to come by everywhere this time of year. Furthermore, why wasn't it attacking?

She took a shuddering breath, submitting to the tug on her heart and taking a step closer. The cat watched, its gaze intense, held firmly on Aja's face as she quietly moved closer. She was not watching her feet, wasn't paying attention in the slightest when her foot upset a rather large pile of fallen foliage.

The metal teeth slammed down on her ankle so hard that she didn't know what hit her, at first. The pain rocketed up her leg, upsetting her balance and sending her crashing to the forest floor. She muffled her cry with her hand, her arrows scattered around her as she desperately tried to free herself. It was no good. Her hands scrambled for some kind of release to the mechanism, but her hands were numb from the cold that had settled in the deep of the night. She could feel her blood, first warm then icy cold against her skin, seeping through her breeches.

And in the moments when the panic had faded somewhat, to let the agony in, she noticed suddenly that the cat had come closer. It seemed huge now, towering over her with a look in its eyes that was strangely like sympathy.

Aja stared up at it, unsure if it meant to kill her. Her hands were still fixed to the metal contraption, and her leg continued to rock her with the pain, but she took the time to meet the eyes of the animal, and something like understanding came over her expression.

"Motina..." she breathed, her eyes welling with tears.

The cat lowered her massive head towards Aja, the rough tongue flicking out to lap at her tears.

Foolish child,

The words sent a wave of shame through her, even as the cat's warmth pressed against her cheek.

Through a stranger's compassion, perhaps you will learn what it means to love as I love.

The cat lifted its head, looking away from her towards the forest, in the direction of the Wall and the colinists that hid behind it. Yet, as all children must, you will learn the consequences of your brash action.

Snow began to fall, delicate flakes that melted the instant they touched the ground. Aja struggled briefly with the contraption, her pain worsening and the bleeding increasing. Her breath came in short, panicked gasps as she began to murmur under her breath.

"Motina, help me!" she cried suddenly, looking around only to find that she was entirely alone. The forest was deathly silent. She could hear the snowflakes as they fell against the leaves. Feeling miserable, sick and exhausted, Aja struggled for only a moment more, before deciding the best way to work this out would be to wait for the morning and see if help would come. Wincing at every movement, she gathered leaves about herself, pulling them up and over her figure to create some kind of insulation, and with a quiet sigh, laid her head down.

I'm learning, Motina. Please...help me.

The woods were quiet, filled with a deep darkness that swallowed up any promise of a quick and safe return. The tribe had waited anxiously all through the night and on into the following morning for Aja's return. They'd seen nothing, heard nothing, and as the second night began to threaten creeping into the following morning, it was clear that the men and women were becoming tense. What had happened to her? Why hadn't she returned? Was she alright?

Questions went unanswered, and fears began to slip their way around the fires, creeping through like the smoke that drifted on the light breeze. The guards that were posted in the trees watched stoically, anticipating her return at any moment. Thinking otherwise was out of the question. As young as she was, they needed her. She was the last vestige of their old leader, the last promise of hope for their tribe...Motina's chosen one.

It would the the guards who would first see the sublte glow coming through the trees. The blue hue was low to the ground, moving at a steady gait, and when the figure finally came into view, it revealed itself to be no more than a large bobcat.

But it looked directly towards the tree-tops, towards the guards, and it waited.

"This..." A voice came, which waited from the ground. The same broad-shouldered man who reprimanded Aja for disappearing had come from behind a tree, and regarded the white tiger. His face, seemingly always stern, now showed worry. A white tiger was a strange thing, but a tame one even more. "Motina." He whispered, and advanced upon the beast as quickly as he could. He was not threatening; his shoulders were back, but he displayed the swiftness of a parent rushing to their child's aide.

He raised a hand to the guards, who would lower their weapons and bows. He could not help the worry that crawled over his face as the bobcat became silent and stared, and when he'd approached, his stoic expression only melted into that of guilt.

The animal showed no signs of alarm. In fact, she seemed eager. Her ears flicked forward, eyes lifting to meet Junea's before she stepped forward and pressed her forehead to his abdomen.

Come.

Turning then, the bobcat swiftly began to pad through the woods, as silent as if she wasn't touching the ground at all. Away from the light she drew him, into further darkness. Never once did she glance back. She knew he would follow.

Junea was wise to receive Motina's message, and he flightily took after the tiger. The citizens of the tribe gathered to watch them escape into the darkness, some displaying confusion, and others displaying understanding. As the blood-brother ran, he held no regard to the dull pain presented by his shoulder.

They both scrambled into the darkness. He, less elegant and downtrodden with grief and worry. She, elegant.

Her trot slowed to a walk, until the shape of the figure on the ground became more visible to the pair. The faint aura that the feline gave off cast Aja in a pale blue light. Her face was stained in blood, her body sprawled as though she'd collapsed mid-stride.

Motina pressed her nose to Aja's side, lying down next to her and nearly dwarfing the woman with her size.

She's alive.

The man's lips pressed into a tight line, and no longer did his face show stoicism. He sprinted to Aja's side. He knew this would happen; if he let her go into the forest, she would be hurt. It was his fault; her blood was spilled at his hand, and so was her father's. Junea collapsed next to the woman, and firmly placed a hand on her arm.

"Ajani. Are you awake?" He asked in their tongue, skeptical of even what Motina had told him. He regarded her face; the marks she'd been given. Then, to her leg, which was bloody, dry, and ugly.

"We will return to the village - to safety." Junea said, hastily. His arms swept under her to bring her upward, and the dull ache of his shoulder was still dull enough to be ignored, then. He looked to the bobcat, as if for direction.

But Motina had disappeared.

Aja stirred, finding it difficult to open her eyes. They felt crusted and thick, and at first it frightened her. "Tetis," she whispered, trying to open her eyes.

But it wasn't her father she saw. Junea was holding her. The girl hesitated, feeling guilt twist her insides as she lifted her hand and laid it against his chest.

"I'm so sorry." she finally said. " I should have listened."

"Do not worry about your guilt now. Reprimand will come only when you are both healthy of mind and body. For now, we must..."

His thoughts were scattered, and his body ached. He headed in the same direction he had come from, once his confusion had settled. Ever so dimly, much like seeing a candle across a dark field, the lights of the guards beaconed to them through the trees. Junea moved quickly, though he didn't tread harsh enough to further the pain of Aja's injuries.

"Who did this? A colonist? Were you attacked in the forest?" He pried.

"He saved me," she breathed. "A boy. Adrien Rune."

Her vision swam, but she fought to stay conscious. "I would have died if he hadn't ... the wicked thing hurt so much and I...still hurts." She grimaced. "My face feels awful."

She suddenly went rigid in his arms, her eyes flying wide, and the look was so frightening that it was enough to make any man turn away.

"I saw him, Junea. The man who killed Papa. He cut my face."

"We will have remedies at the village. Stay awake, Ajani, for it is not far from here. Your face will mend, as will your body, but you must heed when I request you do not follow this man, lest he make unmendable wounds as he did your father." Junea scolded. He was not sure what to make of her tale. A colonist saved her, but wasn't the assassin a colonist as well?

"Calm, be still your thoughts of the man for now. What comes to him will be what he deserves, as is intended, but do not let him plague your mind as he cut your face."

They approached as quickly as Junea could muster, and the guards from the trees, as well as the citizens of the village, poured around to watch the approaching two.

Her heart pounded against her chest as she looked towards the sky. She saw and heard nothing of her tribesmen as they swarmed to see what had become of their young leader. A healer was called forth, an elderly man who followed after Junea and Aja. With quiet, whispered words he dispersed the crowd back to their homes, promising a good update by the time morning broke. With that, he turned, shuffling in the direction of the pair. As a trio, they headed for the healer's home, central to the settlement and well stocked with herbs meant for quick recoveries. The magic he utilized helped as well, and tonight no expense would be withheld to make sure Aja survived.

"The wounds are not so grievous as they are messy." he promised Junea. "The leg wound, however, is more than likely infected. That one will take more time to heal." He encouraged Junea to lie her down on his bed, a soft feather-down mattress laden with clean skins. She groaned softly.

"The cuts may scar, I'm afraid."

"He'll remember me better that way." Aja insisted. Her skin was flushed and hot, and a sweat had broken out on her brow. The old healer furrowed his brow.

"Best get to work then," he said quietly.

Junea had done just that, and gently placed the young leader onto the medical bed.

He backed away, and crossed his arms over his chest, almost defensively. Still, his posture was straight, and his face regained stoicism the moment the two had come across the first gazing eye. The man stood next to the bedside of the young leader, and regarded her wounds.

"I would tell you not to torture yourself with these thoughts, but I must know the entirety of what happened. What did this man look like? Happen he come in our sights, he will be shot down at first opportunity, lest he harm any more of our people."

These were not the same words that Junea shared before. They were of masked bitterness and revenge, and even guilt of himself, the man who had done so poor a job of convincing Aja to not stray and attempt to kill the colonist leader.

"I...didn't see his face." she murmured softly. "Only his voice. I know him by what he says." She grimaced, writhing for a moment from the fever. "He took the boy away afterwards, the boy who rescued me."

Her sentence was soft, trailing off in a hiss as her expression twisted into a grimace.

Junea placed his hand on Aja's forehead, as if determining the temperature of a child.

"Then do not worry. You are safe here. Your forehead burns. Perhaps the Magas would like me to leave you alone...?" He asked, looking to the tender.

"You're permitted to stay until she sleeps. When she does, it will be for several days." the older man said. Aja stirred, her eyes opening slowly.

"The boy...I hope he didn't...harm the boy."

The healer came forward, dampening her face with the cloth and cleaning off the blood. The cuts were long, from her hairline over her left eye, but they were shallow, fortunately. They would heal.The wound on her leg was a bit more tricky. When he touched the surrounding skin, Aja withdrew her foot.

"Hurts," she murmured.

Junea regarded her concern for Adrien with ignorance, and rather, without a word to it at all. He looked to her leg, where the Magas was tending to. And such, he offered his arm, for the young leader to take hold of if it had gotten too painful.

"You must stay still." He urged. "Think of the forest, not the assassin. Let your thoughts be with Motina, until you sleep. You will be better when you awake."

She seemed to struggle for only a few minutes longer before the exhaustion finally slipped in. She murmured incoherently, her voice soft until it drifted to nothing, and she was so happy when she finally drifted off to sleep.

An Indian summer had come, leaving the woods humid, and noisy with activity. Most of the leaves had fallen from the trees, and lay in damp piles that scattered all through the forest. Animals had re-emerged for their last opportunity before the real winter came, and sealed them all inside of their homes. Overhead, the sky was a rich blue, cloudless and bright. Sunlight fell in streams through the bare tree-branches, destroying the shadows and giving the area a heavenly hue.

Aja paused to breathe, her lungs filling with the scent of cool, damp earth. Her long bow was in hand, an arrow knocked and drawn back to her ear. She listened to the life sounds that echoed around her, the chatter of birds and the sound of rodents skittering through the underbrush. They paid no mind to her. She was as much a part of the forest as they were.

She was stronger today. Stronger every day, and what a relief it was to not have to lie in bed, sick with fever. Now that the infection had resolved, and the wounds on her face healed, she could focus on her other skills, on planning what the next move would be. Far off in the distance, she saw her arrow sticking out of the tree that she'd just hit. She narrowed her eyes in concentration, fingertips aching from how long she'd held the string.

With a soft 'thwum', she let it go, and the arrow went sailing.

Not a few seconds later, the arrow she'd shot split clean through the arrow she'd left in the tree. With a broad smile, she lowered the bow. Who would be able to stand against that? No one, colonist or otherwise. They wanted to be afraid so much, then why not give them a reason?

Yet, even as the bitter thoughts seeped into her mind, she recalled the young man, Adrien Rune, and how he'd gone out of his way to help her. Aja closed her eyes, reaching back for another arrow and setting it to the string.

Motina, what am I to do now? Flee or fight? Were her people truly safe now? Was she fit to keep them whole?

Irritated, she lifted the arrow, took aim, and let it fly. In her distraction, it ended up moving way beyond the mark. This drew a scowl from her.

From the background, a figure watched. He was non-threatening, but he surely didn't make himself known immediately. Junea watched as Aja let release arrows from her bow and took in the accounts of nature. He was impressed, even though seeing the wonderful archery she'd committed to only reminded him of his newfound inability to use such a weapon.

It was only when she missed her mark that he'd spoken up, and let the damp piles of leaves and sticks crunch under his feet. There was a surmountable silence, until Junea had properly approached Aja. His face was stern, and surely, if he was there for a reason, the reason was not in good spirits.

"Ajani." He started. For a moment, he drew in a breath, as if there was something he'd wished to speak about but could not. "Is something bothering you?" He asked, in reference to the fact she'd missed her mark.

She glanced back over her shoulder, lowering her bow and letting the end rest on the ground. "Ah," her lips pursed, and she let herself shrug. The cuts on her face had missed her eye and the lid itself, leaving healing scars on her forehead and cheek bone. Overall, she considered herself very fortunate, though the injury made it difficult to raise her brows. She tried, winced, and let her expression relax.

"I just...don't know how much longer we have." she said with a quiet sigh. Junea was the only one she ever dared to trust with her fears. She walked over to him, lifting a hand and resting it over the nearly healed wound on his shoulder. "What to do in preparation. Should we move our people away? Stand and fight if it comes down to that?"

She looked back towards the arrows. "Do you think Motina would allow it to come to that?"

"I think..." Junea started again, in contemplation. "That Motina will allow the colonists to do as they wish, as she lets us do the same. Motina loves her children, but she also must let us be free to make the decision ourselves, of what happens."

Then, he sighed, almost regretfully. When he began to speak again, he turned his eyes from Aja. "I have not come to you without reason. A messenger of our own had come to the village. I fear that your speculation of how long we have has come a bit late."

He hesitated to keep speaking, and his eyes flickered over to her, as if asking if she were ready to continue.

Reflexively, her brow started to furrow in confusion, but the sharp twinge of pain had her forcing herself to relax her brow once again. She set her jaw, slipping the bow up and over her shoulder before she let her arms rest at her sides. Her eyes reflected concern as she searched his.

"What's happened?"

"The messengers bring news of our homesteads having been found completely empty, without a trace of our people left behind. The land around them dying, as if it had been salted or burned; as if Motina's grace had disappeared from them, without reason. Yet, there is no salt, no reason for these lands and our people to disappear."

His head tilted to the ground.

"I think that, not even the colonists, with their technology, would be capable of such a thing. There were no bullets, no blood. Simply nothing. It confuses me, and I can only wonder if we are being punished for something."

She stared, and for a moment she didn't comprehend what was being said. People were disappearing? And the land...

"Have all the tribes had people go missing?" she asked. He was right. So far as she knew, the only settlement of colonists was snuggled up right against the coast. None of them had dared journey farther than the forest. So what, or who was responsible?

"Are we sure they haven't simply moved elsewhere?" she asked. "When was the last time anyone has heard from them?" She was alarmed, obviously, and it showed.

They couldn't be punished. They'd done nothing wrong!

"Not unless they had left every one of their things behind. If they had left, they left without weapons, clothes, food. These things remained at the homestead. And... I am not sure."

Junea found a tree to lean against. Even regaling the details of their tribes' troubles seemed to despair him. For a moment, he closed his eyes and covered his ears. Thoughts overwhelmed him.

"We all have lost some."

"We should look for them."

It wasn't the impulsive suggestion of a young woman. She was watching him, waiting for some kind of reassurance that her thought was a good course of action. They were missing, so they should be searched for, shouldn't they? She and a few others could go looking for them, right?

"What if...we can't just forget and abandon them can we?"

This was too much. She hadn't even noticed!

"Who did we lose?"

"Kajen's homestead, Fret's, Vijon's, Asketh's. They and their people, their homesteads, have disappeared. They had not been checked on in a while... Their food had spoiled. I believe it happened at least weeks ago."

For a while, Junea kept his eyes closed. Even being the blood-brother to Aja's father, and all his governing, it was a hard choice to make. Even if he hadn't made it, he knew that Aja surely would do it on her own. Though, she spoke with maturity.

Then, he looked to her, and nodded.

"We should look for them." He repeated. Quickly, he added, "But you should stay with the tribe. Be their source of comfort, as your status entails. Your wounds still have not healed."

A protest rose in her chest, the need to go out on her own nearly making her ears ring.

"You're going to go." It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact, and it was easy to see that she didn't like this at all. She closed her eyes and looked away from him.

"I...of course I'll stay." she fought the urge to grit her teeth, and she still wasn't looking at him. Her face was flushed with suppressed emotion.

Junea seemed pleased at the compromise, even though Ajani had seemed no less than pissed. "You will learn patience and a good temperament, Ajani. You are on your way, and you will not be punished for your composure as you were for your impatience before."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then it is settled. I will go with the search teams, and you will stay with the tribe. Keep them safe."

"You're leaving now?" she asked quickly. "Where will you go? How long do you think you'll be gone?"

There was a hint of panic, but she was rapidly trying to calm herself. She put a hand to the warm, tender part of her forehead. "This is all happening so quickly."

"The homesteads are ways away. It may be weeks, or more. We may find nothing, and return. It is best I go and organize our team as soon as possible, as well as leave with the other men of the village."

Still, Junea gripped Aja's shoulder. He applied pressure; not to hurt, but to reassure. "You must be strong, Ajani." he said. "For the tribe."

Her eyes watered briefly. She wanted to be strong. She knew she had to be, but in that moment, all she wanted more than anything else was to simply be comforted. She stepped closer, throwing her arms up around his neck and embracing him tightly.

"I love you as much as I loved my own father." she whispered, taking a deep breath to hold her composure. "Please be safe. I know you'll find all of them and return home soon."

Junea returned the embrace, without hesitation. Before long, he pulled back, placed large palms over the girl's shoulders, and bent a knee to be at eye-level with her. For a moment, he looked to her eyes for any recognition of what she may have been feeling, before opening his mouth to speak.

"Your father would be proud, as am I."

The man withdrew, though stopped in his tracks before he could find himself en-route to the tribe again. He pivoted, to look at Ajani a last time.

"Būkite atsparios, dukra"

The Sausas Vandenynas extended behind the search party in an endless carpet of tall grasses. It stretched far, beyond their field of vision, eventually fading into blackness that was so complete it would be disconcerting to someone who wasn't familiar with it. Ahead of them, the rolling foothills of the Seirras mountain range rose and fell, their peaks stained with with moonlight, like the salted, frothy crests of the ocean's waves. They would have to stay here, until they were met with the welcoming party. Traveling into the land of the Ugnis without invitation was a good way to get into trouble.

In spite of being a family, who all shared the same Mother, each tribe had their dignity, and their pride. Their territory was an important thing, and like anyone's private home, no one was to intrude upon it without them first knowing. They had sent hawks ahead as warning, but since the Ugnis lived beneath the ground much of the time, it was likely that the messages went unread. As it were, the group had decided to camp for the night, nestled against the feet of the mountains.

Kysa, the only woman in a group of a dozen men, was sitting off to one side, leaving them to talk amongst themselves. She had a few thin boughs in one hand, her carving knife in the other, and she was working on making arrow tips. Sitting at her side was an assortment of bags, things she'd been carrying ever since coming on this trip. They contained herbs and roots, medicinal supplies and bandages made from cotton cloth. Fortunately for their group, she'd not had any need of using the supplies on the men she traveled with. Unfortunately, the people she had hoped to find, to help in case they were injured, were not where they were supposed to be.

The homesteads that had been reported empty were indeed just that. Nothing had been taken. The people were the only thing missing, and the grasses, the plants, everything that had grown around the land had shriveled up and died. At first, it had looked like the land had been burned, but when Kysa went to take a look at it, it didn't smell or taste charred. In fact, it was just bitter, like something had poisoned the ground.

They'd found a half-dozen other homesteads in the same condition, each find a greater disappointment than the one before. With nothing left to do except go back, it had ultimately been the group's decision to check with the other tribes before returning, to see if anyone might have an idea of what was going on. This had lead to the trek to the Ugnis tribe.

Her hand drifted to the satchels, fingertips feeling the worn leather and woven cloth. Her father, Vanduo's Medicine Man, had hand-made each of these bags, soaking them in animal fat and curing them to make sure they were water-proof. She could still smell the scent of his oils on the fabric.

Turning her eyes skyward, she observed the stars, looking finally towards the moon, and wondered how long it would be before the Ugnis tribe would come out to see them.

All the party had eventually turned their eyes to the stars and moons at one point. They lingered, some grew antsy, and some grew angry. Others slept until they had been awakened to move again. Junea stayed to his own, though he was no means alone. The frustrated and curious had come to him for advice and enlightenment on the situation. He was, after all, the highest point of authority that they had to look to. When the moon reached high above them, however, he grew anxious and restless. He'd abandoned his station, and left to find a more secluded place.

But there weren't many secluded places. Not in Sausas Vandenynas. Instead, he kept to secluded people. His eyes flitted over the agitated, the sleeping, and the calm, before resting on a familiar face. Junea came to Kysa, and promptly sat himself down.

"We may be here for a matter of days, or a matter of seconds." Junea said. "Patience is a virtue that everyone seems to lack, here. May I help you craft? Sitting behind the tall grass gives less of a chance to be bothered."

His hands lazily rested over his legs. One shoulder seemed to stiffen more than the other, the arm attached sat closer to his body.

"Unless you don't wish for me to, Kysa."

He smiled.

Rather than look away from her work, she shifted the grip on the knife, handing over a few boughs and laying them against his thigh. When her hands returned to her work, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her smile mirroring his.

"Do you grow weary with them, Junea?" she asked, her voice barely above the volume of a whisper. Before this trip, she had yet to take the time to get to know the stoic second in command. Communicating with him on a different level had been pleasant, to say the least. She liked Junea, and not just because he'd brought her herbs on more than one desperate occasion.

Secluded amongst the tall grasses, the wind danced above them, causing the shafts to filter between them, almost like a curtain.

"I would be hypocritical if I said I am weary, wouldn't I?" He asked. "Lets leave it up to guesswork."

His hands grabbed the boughs, and he began to work with them. Though one of his arms seemed to move less deftly than the other, he crafted the arrows with relative grace, and certain speed. His eyes fixated on his work as he spoke, however.

"Do you grow weary with them? I imagine, being the only woman, and lending yourself to herbal work..." He seemed to shrug. "They may not think much of you, but your work here is fundamental."

"I am nothing but the pinnacle of patience." she told him matter-of-factly, glancing sideways as her expression became unreadable. "And the day that I put stock in what a man thinks of woman's work is the same day I joyfully swallow hemlock."

She glanced at his arrow.

"The angle's uneven."

Junea looked down to his hands. With a tilt of his finger, he evened the angle. The snide smirk disappeared from his face, and it was replaced by a bemused smirk. It was only then that he looked to her.

"I was not done with it yet."

Then, he continued his work. He continued speaking, just as well.

"And what do you think of man's work? You've practiced it. Most of the children of the tribe do, regardless of gender. But..." He twirled the finished arrow between his fingers. "Most of the women resign to different work."

It was almost a question.

"Most, but not all. Think of your Ajani." She looked sideways towards Junea, studying the lines of his face before she looked back to her arrow. "I think men's work is just as easily a woman's work, but I wouldn't be able to prove that to you without some sort of a demonstration."

She idly smirked.

"And I would not want to embarrass you in front of your men."

"Ajani is certainly a strong case against it." Junea agreed, undoubtedly. Before then, he hadn't displayed anything past a smirk, but upon speaking about Ajani, he grinned for a moment, before the emotion dissipated. "I am very proud of her."

A long lapse of time passed, before Junea spoke again. Contempt filled his voice.

"It would only be frowned upon for me to fight a woman in such a way and win."

"Yet they'd laugh if I won." she reminded him gently, her smile growing.

Junea rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, and kept his gaze to the tall grasses aside them. The ones that acted as a curtain, and kept them from view of the irritated rescue team. "It's a lose-lose, but for your and my embarrassment's sake, I will assume the former and keep us both from looking incompetant."

There was a slight pause, and her voice came in a whisper. "Junea."

Something had changed about her tone.

Junea's eyes lowered to the ground.

"I'm simply kidding. If I were to judge by the former competance, I have no doubt that you, as a woman, may possess the ability to down me. There were instances where Ajani had done just as much. Of course, the operative word is may."

"Junea." Her tone came a little sharper this time, and when the young man finally turned to look, he saw that the pair of them were not alone.

"Welcome, brothers." Said the cloth-swathed figure, a black-steel blade laying gently against Kysa's collar bone.

"What brings you so far from the forest?"

"I would be more inclined to speak if my hand was not forced; if you would lay your weapon, it would be far easier to cooperate." Junea said, his voice darkening. "We only come to bring knowledge about the other tribes, and peace."

"Pay the same respect."

With exaggerated emphasis, the other figure traced the tip of the knife against Kysa's collar bone, before pulling his knife away and stepping back. "What news?" he said, glancing down to Kysa. The woman's expression was blank, but it was clear by the quick rise and fall of her chest that she was disconcerted.

A few other figures had melded from the shadows, causing the entire group to rise as a unit. Kysa stood on her own, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Sheathe your blades and take us to Ugnis' leader, and we will happily deliver it." Junea replied, sharply. He raised his hands, in a manner of good faith, and not once did his hands touch his blades. He, however, pressed his tongue against his teeth and ordered a sharp, loud whistle, that would call the rest of the rescue team to attention.

"Have our relationships been so damaged that you must affront us with metal?"

"We've heard tale of many a kind of man walking the dry ocean at night." the man replied, eyeing Kysa shamelessly before returning his attention to Junea. "Those who walk sightless, black figures swatched in shadow, more wildlings than you could begin to count..." He set the blade against his teeth.

"You learn to be careful. So what is it that you need? An audience? Ignio would not take kindly to an entire squadron of armed men coming into his fortress. You may bring yourself and one other." He smiled at Kysa.

"I suggest her."

"Your suggestions mean nothing if she does not wish to come." Junea dully replied. His hand extended, fingers out, and he gestured for Kysa to stay back. "As of now, I am second in command to the Vanduo tribe. I will not have you demanding the presence of those who bear disgust at yours."

Then, he raised his arms, as if in a shrug. "We do not want an audience. I do not want an audience. My objective is not to entertain; but to warn. Not of our offence, as I said. We bring peace. But of another."

Junea smirked, then. One of contempt. "What will it be? Will you let me choose who I wish to bring, or do you want to forfeit a knowledge that may serve a far greater purpose than you could amount to because of a disgusting whimsy?"

"Choose as you like." the man said with a shrug. "It is of no concern to me. The remainder of your escorts will stay here with my men. I hope you understand. Desperate times."

"I'll go." Kysa spoke up, looking to Junea, and then to the other. There was no room for argument. The Ugnis tribesmen shared a laugh.

"Your women are so forward. It's something we'll never understand." the first man said with a wide, feral smile.

Junea raised a brow. Sharply, he raised his hand, and the tribesmen behind him quieted.

He withdrew a blade from his side, and with a quickness, it was flipped open and put to the Ugnis' abdomen. "Be vulgar and I will return the favor. Be peaceful, and keep your hands to yourself, and we will not have a problem."

Then, the knife had come to his pocket again. The Vanduo tribesmen grew quiet. The second-in-command looked back to Kysa, almost annoyedly, before nodding her on. He stepped backward to whisper to her, "Do not feel the need to prove yourself."

The woman merely eyed him, and said nothing.

Finally, Junea looked to his escort.

"We will be off, then. Lead us."

The man nodded, turning to quickly walk back through the foothills. With him at the front, and two others bringing up the rear, it was beginning to feel more like a prison march rather than a pass to see the leader of the Ugnis tribe.

Kysa shifted, murmuring to Junea in a low voice.

"I wished to stay with you," she told him quietly. "Besides, I might catch something you would have missed otherwise." Despite her uneasiness, she smiled at him briefly before looking forward.

Junea's face had remained stoic the moment he whistled for the attention of the tribe. His brow permanently furrowed, and his eyes kept on his Ugnis escort. Still yet, he whispered, "Then do keep your eyes open. There is something about this man..."

He breathed, suddenly. Audibly.

"But a man's actions do not represent his people. At the same time, do not be biased."

She chuckled, but fell silent. The walk towards the tunnels was a convoluted mess of weaving in between hills and small valleys. As dark as it was, it surprised her how easily the others could move. Yet, they lived in near-darkness their whole lives didn't they? The night time would not bother them in the least.

There were two more standing guard at the entrance to the underground, a great, gaping hole that seemed to drop into nowhere. Kysa hesitated a moment, but moved forward as she was bid.

"Care to let me hold your hand?" the man up front turned back to look at her. She ignored him.

Without stopping to recupperate, the two were coralled into the tunnel, which was surprisingly smooth. It sloped steeply, but if they kept their wits about them, they would make it down without problems.

It wasn't until they got to roughly a hundred yards from the entrance that the soft glow of firelight filtered towards the pair. Kysa's eyes squinted.

One of their guard moved forward, snatching the fire from the wall and holding it alloft. Quite suddenly, dozens of other torches burst into flame, lighting the entire, massive tunnel.

"Welcome to Tribe Ugnis," the first man said, as the tunnel opened up into a vast cavern lit by a myriad of torches. It seemed to spiral, several levels built into the walls, and all around men and boys were hard at work, digging or practicing with their magic, or simply tucking themselves into bed.

But there were no women.

Kysa gently touched Junea's hand, as if to communicate this.

When Junea's eyes finally met the dull torchlight, he was relieved. Blue eyes traced over the area, and when Kysa's gentle touch made him come to the realization of what was so obviously off, those blue eyes flickered with concern. His eyes fixated on those who worked, those who practiced their magic, and those who idled about. His stomach twisted.

Perhaps their women were elsewhere.

The man tried to keep his eyes from trailing to Kysa. He tried not to raise the awareness of his suspicion, and a nod forward indicated that the woman he was accompanied by should do the same.

"I thank you for the welcome." Junea said, "You'll be directing us to Ignio, now."

It was not a question, but a statement.

"Of course!" The one to the front said. "Indeed, come with us. We'll bring you directly to the audience chamber."

As they passed, Kysa could feel the eyes of men on her from all different directions. If it just so happened that she managed to look their way, they'd glance off, but not without a secretive smile appearing on their faces. It unnerved her, but she kept looking forward, pretending that it didn't bother her.

They came to a stone set of stairs, ones that brought them to the deeper parts of the giant cavern. A warm yellow glow came from all around, the source of the light being the river of lava that flowed all around the outskirts. There were no children. Young men and adult men.

The pair at their backs pressed closer, before one suddenly seized Kysa by the shoulders, upsetting her balance, but gripping her tight to keep from falling. She looked stricken, her eyes wide as the other men burst into laughter.

"Watcher step!" one guffawed.

Junea gritted his teeth, before he'd stepped back to stay between the guards behind them and Kysa. He raised a hand so one couldn't come to his side, but past that, he'd shown no more aggression. "Their ways have changed." He harshly whispered. "If I had known, you would not have been asked to come."

His shoulders were tense, and his fists were balled at his sides. It wouldn't be wise to lash out. They would see Ignis, and then they would leave.

She was struggling to calm her breathing, but she nodded her agreement anyway, keeping her eyes forward and her expression stoic as they finally reached the ground level. Up ahead, a vast archway loomed before them, bidding entry to the vast space. The dome overhead was so high they could barely make it out, and shadows flickered against the towering walls, like so many insects crawling within their terrarian refuge.

As they were encouraged forward, the audience chamber was shown to be well-lit with fire light, as well as the glow of lava that encircled the entire room. At the center, a hole laying in the ground, a shaft that glowed with the same orange light.

No women. Only men were in the room, and when Kysa was seen, many of them smiled.

And there sat Ignio, on his chair of stone. He could not contain his grin. At first, he chuckled. Then, his shoulders began to spasm is fits of laughter. He leaned forward, clutching the chair of stone, and rubbing at the tears that formed in his eyes. Along with him, his men began to laugh as well, until they had all eventually quieted. Junea sat stoic throughout this, though his eyes seemed to shake, and his fists turned white.

"I'm sorry." He said, waving a hand. Ravelled upon his fingers were obsidian-black stone; the same kind that seemed to lace around the entire structure. "No one has visited us in so long." Ignio raised the hand to his face. "And never did we expect it in such a manner. I have to question if you're honestly attempting to raise a query with me."

A smile remained ever-persistent on his face. He bore the same white, filmed eyes that the rest of his tribe had. His hair had been haphazardly tied back into charcoal dreads, which singed at the end.

"And at such short notice."

"Your tribe does not exactly make it easy to communicate." Junea quickly retorted.

"We're here regarding the disappearances of several outlying settlers out in the Saunas," Kysa spoke up. It was eerie, how silent everyone became. Keeping her breathing under control, she lifted her voice again, "We do not suspect any of our own people, but we were wondering if you might have noticed any strange happenings lately."

"Entire homesteads have been depleted." Junea added. "People taken from their homes, without traces left of them. Garments were left at the wheel. Animals remained unskinned. Growth... Plant growth has dissipated, as if it's been poisoned. Of course, we do not expect the same circumstances here. You, after all, do not have plant life." His arms raised again, and he gestured to all of the room. "Except for ember flowers."

"Have you noticed any of your settlements disappearing? Just people? I imagine it would be quite hard for one of your denizens to simply disappear into the night."

"Have you borne children?" Ignio suddenly asked. It couldn't be known who he was focusing on, but it was certainly obvious. The man cocked his head to the side in honest curiosity; a stark change from the amusement he'd displayed earlier.

Junea looked incredulously between Kysa and Ignio.

His men stood at attention, though their faces bore the same disgusting curiosity.

If not for the darkness, it would have been obvious that her face was colored with a blush.

"What kind of mockery is this?" she accused. "What could that possibly have to d--"

A man came from behind, forcing himself between Kysa and Junea so abruptly that the woman stumbled to the side. Someone caught her about the waist, pinning her arm behind her back and pushing her forward, closer to that pit that stood in the center of the auditorium.

Three others rushed to bar Junea should he try to interrupt.

"He asked you a question." the man hissed into her ear. She tried to lean back, feeling the heat against her face.

"I...I was a mother." she began.

Junea impulsively shot toward the guards that seized Kysa, unsheathing the knife from his side. He was pushed back, and caught himself before he could fall. He whipped around to look at Ignio, bearing wild eyes.

"We come bearing peace, and you ask these meaningless questions! This woman, as of now, is acting of third-in-command of the Vanduo tribe. Happen that you assault us, you will lose our support and the support of our allying tribes. I warn you." Junea instantly threatened.

His statements seemed to fall on deaf ears. Ignio's head tilted, to see the spectacle that laid behind Junea. One of the three guards moved to shove the man into a stone structure, upon noting their leader's interest.

"Counts." Ignio started. "Still counts. I wonder the circumstances."

A polearm from one of the guards pointed at Junea's chest when he began to move further. However, upon Kysa's compliance, the guard who'd held her over the pit stepped backward. Perhaps, in sign of good faith that she were to continue further.

"No, however." The leader started again, perhaps interrupting what the woman was about to say. A smile appeared on his face again. "We haven't had any disappearences."

"It's good to hear." Kysa said, forcing herself to remain calm. "We ask that you keep an eye out then, just be wary. We don't want anyone else to get hurt."

She took a step back.

"And now...we'll leave your company. We do thank you for the...hospitality." She looked to Junea, unnerved that the men were still watching her, and smiling.

"No," the first man said, that knife of his coming out and laying pointedly against her shoulder.

"You won't."

Ignio stood from his chair, smiling like all the rest, and paced towards Kysa. "I have a theory!" he announced, spreading his arms wide and inclining his head. "As to why the tribesmen of other groups are being taken...and not ours!"

She could feel the knife trail against her skin, errupting a shiver of goosebumps. She turned her face away, but Ignio came forward, seizing her jaw in his hand and forcing her to look his way.

"Because Motina is weak. And she does not love her children the way she says she does."

"And what do you propose we do elsewise, if we aren't leaving?" Junea questioned. His voice remained calm as well, even though his heart thudded against his chest, and his eyes contracted. Still yet, the guard kept the pointed pole at Junea's chest. His hands were raised, though he had a knife in one.

When he lowered to put it down, a sharp pain in the chest halted his movements.

"And if Motina is weak," He started, his chest rattling in between words. "Who do you suppose is strong?"

Ignio grinned.

"Matteo. Mama"

"Mama." The men in attendance echoed.

"Mama has provided for us these past fifteen years." Ignio continued, looking back towards Junea. "We've had no want nor need of any other woman, and no harm has come to us. We thrive with her, so long as we give her what she asks for." He then looked back to Kysa.

The woman stumbled back, right into the arms of the man with the knife. She struggled, briefly, until that kiss of steel touched her throat.

"Where are the other women and children?!" she suddenly cried.

As the echoes of her question faded, Ignio simply watched, before looking to the pit, where fire bloomed in liquid form.

"To Mama." he said, his voice rough, but not with grief...with lust.

"Let us go forth and spread the news, then. Of her generosity. If Matteo has kept you sustained, for 15 years. Or, let us warn them of what may come if they follow such a weak guardian." Junea said, his eyes fixated on Kysa, and his brows furrowed with worry. His body was stiffened with fear.

"Or," He proposed. "Let her."

The man's eyes flashed back to Ignio.

Kysa had closed her eyes, her chin tucked to her chest as her brow furrowed in intense concentration. Ignio took note of this, but it didn't seem to bother him.

"Mama wishes to know what the children of the forest taste like." he said with a sudden laugh. The others echoed, a heinous sound that filled the room, right up until the heavy rumble overhead caught their attention.

"The volcano?" one murmured. "Can't be," said another. "It lies dormant."

Suddenly, two wide cracks split overhead, directly over the rivers of lava that looped the room. Just as suddenly, a torrent of subterranean water fell from the fissures, hitting the lava with a deafening hiss as clouds of steam suddenly filled the room.

Kysa threw her elbow back into the man's face, shoving him away before moving to a clearer spot.

"JUNEA!" she cried.

Junea shoved himself backwards into the stone structure, which was thankfully not rooted into the ground. It slid, only slightly, but it'd given him enough leverage to knock the pole away from the guard's arm, slide under it, and shove his own blade into the other man's abdomen. He pulled backward, and fought to ungrasp the injured guard's hands from his shawl. Steam began to cloud the vision of those in the room, and that's when the Vanduo second-in-command shoved the injured guard away from him, and made for Kysa.

"Up the stairwell. From where we came. Motina, aide us." He breathed, almost inaudibly. His hand latched around the woman's wrist, and his other hand had firmly placed the knife in her hand. He closed her fingers around it, before starting toward the direction they'd come.

A steady glow began to emmenate from the entrance of the chamber, not yellow from the flame, but a pure, blue-white. Kysa gripped Junea's forearm before pointing, as the distinct shape of the familiar bob cat appeared before them. The Ugnis backed away, blinded by the intensity of the light, but Kysa was called forward, along with Junea.

The bobcat waited only a moment before turning to run. The pair were encouraged to sprint after her, using the light as a shield as a multitude of Ugnis warriers cowered against the walls. Up the stairs they went, through darkness and soot, and on into that god-forsaken tunnel that had become ablaze with Motina's guiding light.

Dawn had come, causing the outside Ugnis guards to vanish, but as Junea and Kysa stumbled to the surface, it became clear what had transpired.

All of the men they had come with, every last one, had been burned to death.

When Junea had come to the surface, and the distinct smell of charred and burned flesh wafted to his nose, he'd halted in his steps. A dull, dark smoke rose from where the tall grass had covered his team's position. Without waiting for Kysa, he had sprinted toward them, tall grass stinging against his face like the barbs of insects.

And when he'd come across the charred bodies of his friends, Junea's stoic expression relieved itself. His feet collapsed from underneath him, and he'd felt a sickness come up his throat. The man's legs struggled to move forward, and with every knee he'd drawn closer to his deceased brethren, a resounding crunch had come from the burnt stalks underfoot.

His hand interlaced with Illia's hand. It was rough, and chalky to the touch. A faint crack had resounded against the silence of their settlement.

He buried his head into the grass, and murmured prayers in Motina's name.

She followed after more slowly, her eyes welling, spilling over with tears as she made her way towards the group of bodies that had once been men she served, and served with. Slowly, and without a word, she came up behind Junea, kneeling at his side and embracing his shoulders from behind, a choked sob cutting off her breath.

Motina watched, silent, and mournful, but her words touched them both the same way.

We cannot linger...

"Make the day come faster, Motina. We must." Junea breathed, tears welling at his eyes as well. His chest rattled, and his entire body shook. Pain wracked his entire body. He found himself unable to move, and his hand still stayed within the charred one of his friend. "This is my fault. I was supposed to protect them. They were burned. Every one of them. How could I not see the Ugnis' motives?"

"Motina, make the day come faster." He pleaded.

Kysa gripped Junea's shoulders, trying to comfort him as well as herself. When he looked to Motina, she did as well, her expression pained beyond reason.

Motina merely bowed her head.

It was permission enough. They were allowed to grieve.

Junea's hands lifted, and he placed them over Kysa's. His hands gripped hers tightly, and his head still lowered into the grass.

It would take only minutes for him to heed Motina's warning, though those minutes passed like hours. Finally, Junea could withdraw himself from the hand of his own. Wearily, and with a look undescribable upon his face, he stood again.

Then, a hand still interlaced with Kysa's, he began toward Motina.

Night had begun to settle, the last tendrils of sunlight disappearing behind the mountains. All around them, the grass stalks bent and swayed in the gentle breeze that carried from the north. While it was cool, the cold didn't cause Kysa any kind of discomfort as she moved through the grass, her eyes on the ground, making sure she didn't move so fast that she might tug at the rope that bound her and Junea at the waist. It was so easy to get lost here. You absolutely had to keep close to a companion if you had one, lest you lose one another in the dizzyingly large dry ocean.

She felt weary, emotionally spent, all to the point that she felt she was too tired to continue. She said nothing of it though. She did not wish to burden Junea with her complaints. While she was hurting, she knew that he certainly was too. Perhaps more so.

It wasn't until she stumbled that she realized she probably just needed to quit and rest. Straightening, she glanced back to Junea, as if for further instruction. They'd walked for days now, with few rest periods, all the more eager to make it back home to inform the tribe of what had happened. Now, though, she was simply too tired to continue.

Junea's eyes kept forward, and he kept his legs moving as long as he possibly could. It was very rarely that he actually looked to Kysa. Perhaps his feelings were in shame. He had certainly blamed himself for the incident. When Kysa stumbled, though, Junea looked to her, as if for further instruction, before he'd quickly nodded and came close enough to her for the both of them to be able to sit down and see eachother, and for the rope between them to loosen. On his person, he looked for anything that could serve as a blanket or something of the sort, but all of his possessions had been burned along with his brothers.

"We need not go out past the Vanduo village." He said, almost breathed. He didn't show his weariness through his stance, but it certainly came through his voice. "We will send others in our place to bear the news, and tell them to tread away from the Ugnis tribe."

"What will Ajani say?" Kysa wondered, taking in a shuddering breath before lying down on the ground. It was cold. She was cold. And it showed in the delicate tremor of her shoulders as she curled her arms towards her chest, pillowing the side of her head with her hands. She was gazing at Junea through the stalks of tall grass, watching as he disappeared, then reappeared.

"What could we do? Why haven't we heard of this before?"

They were questions she did not expect an answer to. Another gust of wind blew harder than before, suddenly frigid. She guarded herself, drawing her knees up and lying still. When had the nights become so cold?

"I am not sure what she'll say." Junea admitted. "We did not know of the Ugnis tribe because they were seclusive. It was never a necessity to visit them, and it was always a hassle. I cannot remember much of my last trip there, although I do remember one thing." Junea's shoulders heaved in a sigh. "There were women. And we should have visited them more often. Perhaps then this would not've happened."

Then, he fell backwards, into the unforgiving grasses of the dry desert. His eyes met the sky, and his shoulders spasmed when the bitter wind had come over them. His fingers laced together, before he'd ultimately opened his mouth to speak. "We will need to sleep close. Conserve body heat. Sierras is unforgivingly cold near the solstice times." he said, from the ground. "A fire would only burn the bush around us, or attract attention."

She regarded him a moment, weighing her options, before she shifted to a crouch, shuffling over to where he lay, and lay down next to him. Their skin didn't quite touch, and at the moment, she was content with that, up until the moment another strong gust barreled over them, causing her to shy up against his chest, her eyes wide as she stiffly curled against his side.

"I don't know that I could sleep." she said softly.

"After such exhausting days, I can't imagine that I will have any trouble." Junea replied. He'd resisted the urge to roll over, grab some of that unforgiving dry sea grass and try to get the heat off of it. Both of their bodies radiated heat, though, and it was surely sufficient enough. His breaths, before drifting into slumber, were long and exaggerated. They raised his chest, before it caved in again.

Those breaths seemed to grow shorter and shorter, before returning to a normal pace. That was when the eyes underneath Junea's lids began to flicker and he, himself, fell asleep.

For a little while, Kysa lay next to him, shivering from the cold that licked at her skin. Envying for a few moments the ease with which he'd fallen to sleep, she closed her eyes, forcing herself to think on other things, even as images of fire, of figures burning, danced across her mind's eye.

When she opened them again, the moon had shifted, and the wind had died down, leaving the grass standing tall, bending only slightly to accomodate the two figures who lay together. Junea was still sleeping soundly, his features relaxed in his rest. She sat up on her elbow, her shoulders stiff from lying in her curled position, and took a look around.

A steady glow had begun to reach out to her through the grass stalks. She sat up more fully, her brow knitting together as she squinted her eyes, attempting to gaze past the foliage in order to find the source behind it. It didn't take long to figure out that Motina was beckoning to her.

Fumbling with the ropes at her waist, she untied them quickly, quietly rising to her feet and stepping away from Junea, keeping a note of where he was, and what direction she was walking away from him. North-northeast, she thought, taking slow steps, and parting the grass with her hands.

Motina lead her further and further away, the paces growing longer, time extending, until she found a place where, oddly enough, the grass had begun to wither and die.

It reminded her of the blackened earth they'd found at the homesteads. She knelt, running her hand over the surface of the ground, and grimacing when it felt dry and grainy, not at all like the softer, sandier dirt that rooted the grasses.

Rising, she stepped out a few paces into the dead patch, looking around for Motina's aura. It was nowhere to be found.

That was when the ground shifted. Like wood breaking beneath her wait, the ground suddenly crumbled away, elliciting a sharp cry of surprise as the earth swallowed her up, and plunged her into darkness.

Kysa's scream elicited the heavy eyes of Junea to open, and drearily regard his surroundings. They were bathed in moonlight still, even though the moon had shifted it's position. When those dreary eyes had come to eralization that he was not in a dream, not back home with Ajani or Scout or Nanuk, they'd snapped open, and looked to the sound of her voice. Where grass seemed treaded upon is where she'd gone, and the rope that was tied between them had been either severed or untied, and he wasn't one who could tell, as the other end laid concealed amongn the high grasses.

He rushed to his feet, the ground underneath him making an audible crunch as he'd done so, and whipped toward the sound of her screaming. It had mattered not if he yelled back to her, as if there had been anyone around, their cover certainly had already been blown. "Kysa!" He yelled, and his feet carried him so. "Where are you? Where have you gone?" He yelled again, into the night.

The man's eyes stayed upward while his feet carried him forward, and his hand clasped around his mouth to yell. "Kys-" He started again, before the same darkness that engulfed Kysa had engulfed him too. He only uttered a sharp breath in of anticipation, and braced himself to hit the ground.

The rope came with him.

The impact was surprisingly soft, the loamy earth having the feel of well-tilled soil. There was no way to tell how far he had fallen, or how large the space was that he'd fallen into. It was black as night, with only a thin shaft of moonlight igniting the immediate area with its silver glow.

"Junea!" Kysa gasped from the darkness, and her voice seemed to echo into distant places. She came to him, her pale skin lighting white in the moon's beams, and her brow was furrowed with worry. "Are you alright?!"

Junea quickly rolled onto his back, the moonlight illuminating his face as he'd rolled into the thin shaft that penetrated the barren ground above. For a moment, he groaned, and his other hand met the shoulder that'd taken the impact, before he'd crawled to his feet and grasped Kysa's arm. He held it up to the light, as if there were a perverse fear that it wasn't actually her.

"Are you?" He finally asked.

She nodded weakly, her eyes flickering to his hand before turning away from him.

Then, he looked to the beam of light that illuminated such a small portion of the tunnel. "What is this?"

"I don't know," she responded in a murmur, gently removing her arm from his grip and taking a few steps away, into the darkness. Suddenly, a tongue of orange flame bloomed in her palm, lighting up the area around her, and revealing a massive earthen tunnel that extended to darkness behind them, and on to a solid dirt wall ahead. Her eyes were wide, the flame suspended over her palm flickering strange shadows against the walls.

"There isn't a creature in all of Mateja that can make a hovel this size..." she breathed.

Junea's eyes had snapped to the fire that Kysa formed in her hands. For a moment, his brow twitched, in confusion. There weren't many of the water tribe who could conjure such a thing. Regardless, though, he pried his eyes away from the flame, and set them on the vastness of the tunnel of which they'd fallen. Then, he looked up.

"It is best that we get back to ground. Finish our rest. We will send our replacements to this location when we get back to the tribe."

The suggestion was immediate, and encroached upon the lines of 'suggestion' and 'demand'.

"How will we reach it?"

The flame extinguished, and she walked back over to where Junea stood.

"Can you lift me?" she asked, looking to him. "Let me take the rope and I can help pull you up." When she put her hand on his shoulder, it was pleasantly warm. Her eyes glanced towards the hole.

"I'd just need to stand on your shoulders for a moment." she said.

Junea's lips pulled into a tight line, but he nodded nonetheless. It would certainly be easier than her lifting he. Almost immediately, the man bent to a knee. When Kysa was to step upon them, he lifted his body and his shoulders, though one of them seemed weaker, and slacked a little bit. If she didn't have a good grip, she may have slipped, if not for that he put his hands over her ankles when she'd boarded.

Her balance was relatively precise. She wasted little time reaching for the lip of the hole, grabbing at stalks of grass before bodily pulling herself up. The rope she held tight in her hand, her legs swinging briefly before she managed to drag herself up and onto high ground. Then, she turned about, digging in her heels and wrapping the rope around her forearm a few times.

"Come on Junea!" she called down.

"I've got you, try to jump!"

Junea glanced upwards, to the rope, before he'd crouched and jumped to grab it. Both his hands had a firm grip on the dangling object, and since Kysa's forearms were strong enough, he quickly pulled himself to the lip of the hole they'd fallen through. Thankfully, the lip hadn't caved under his weight. For a moment, his hands grasped for stalks of grass to lighten the pressure on his companion's forearms, before they seemed to backtack.

A hiss came from his mouth, and his eyes widened. For a moment, he'd glanced down as if he'd been bitten by something. He'd know in a moment, though, when he had swung his leg over the edge.

But his leg didn't meet the lip of the hole. Instead, his hip went to swing it over and abruptly was pulled back, as if someone were holding his foot. When it'd jerked in such a fashion, he released a yelp of pain. One hand impulsively went down to meet his leg, while the other struggled to hang on.

A yell from beneath had signified what was to come. It wasn't a yell from Junea, or Kysa, but another person. Gravely, he looked into her eyes, and she returned his gaze with a fearful look of her own.

"Run. Back to the place where we slept, and hide."

Just after, Junea's other hand slipped, and he fell again into the same darkness that they'd met beforehand. When he'd met the ground, his cries ceased as if they were being stifled.

Kysa, try as she might, was unable to keep him up. Fighting against whatever was pulling him in, she ended up loosening the earth that kept her from falling into the hole, and as a result, she once again felt the ground open up beneath her.

This time, however, arms were there to catch her when she fell. And those arms weren't the welcoming ones of Junea. No, in the darkness, she couldn't see, but the rancid breath of the one who'd welcomed her into the darkness. Soon enough, he shoved her to the ground and unlatched something from his pocket. From the darkness that covered the tunnel, though, it couldn't be said what.

Suddenly, a voice from the same man rang out. "Kill him!" It said. "Take her back to Ignio and Mama!"

The silhouetted face tipped it's chin sideways, before it'd stepped back into the moonlight. Dark gray, almost charcoal-like skin had graced the face of the man, and his eyes sheened with a film of blindness.

Another two had appeared to restrain Kysa, while the one who'd hit the moonlight suddenly dipped his head to the right and melded with the darkness. A pained yell echoed through the tunnel, though it couldn't be adamant who'd it belonged to.

"Junea!" Kysa managed a stifled cry. Her hands had braced some of the fall as the first man shoved her to the ground, but the other two were quickly approaching. If she was restrained, she wouldn't have a chance.

So as soon as one drew close, she pivoted onto her side, swinging a kick out for the nearest one's leg, her hand igniting into flame, briefly illuminating the scene as she grabbed for the man who restrained her, attempting to burn his face.

"Get away!" she cried.

The man's utterances of pain seemed so animalistic that it was a surprise they had even belonged to a human being. He stumbled backward onto the ground, holding his face. They had all dealt with fire, the Ugnis, and their skin was like leather, but leather burned. The rank smell of flesh seemed to waft into the area. The other man seemed bothered not by the anguish his companion had been in, and quickly went to sweep an arrow-pointed shaft with a rope toward Kysa. In the split second it'd come at her, she might've noticed that it had already been tinted by deep scarlet blood.

And the same colored blood seemed to seep at Kysa's feet, the trail still coming from the darkness that her flame hadn't reached. Finally, Junea's voice had come from the darkness. It was hoarse, and even difficult to understand. "Kysa!" He yelled. "Get up, run, and get help." He breathed, weakly.

Still yet, the sounds of motion and fighting came from the darkness.

"Don't be a fool!" she shouted back, rolling quickly to one side and grimacing as the spearhead drove into the dirt where her shoulder had been. She landed a kick for the nearest Ugnis' chest, before she pushed herself to her feet and took a good step back, both of her hands ignited into flame.

"Junea!" she cried. "To me!"

She was ready when they came for her, fighting them the way an expert warrior might. With the flames encircling her palms, it made her attacks that much more deadly. They were going to survive this. They absolutely had to.

The survival of their own tribe depended on it.

The Ugnis had jabbed so fiercely that when his weapon hadn't stuck into Kysa, it jammed into the wall behind her. He struggled to pull it out, and when his chest had sent a crack through the dimly lit hovel, he stumbled backward and fell into the dirt behind him. He laid next to his companion, who steadily breathed, but nurtured a newly blind face. He grasped his fellow tribe member, and began to drag him off into the darkness, ever slowly.

The dense sound of a palm against skin had resounded through the dirt walls on the other Vanduo's side, however. Junea had shot away from his aggressor, and into the visible light of Kysa's flames. His leg gave out from underneath him and he stumbled, sending him to the floor. The flickering light of the flames had extended to show the bleeding body of the Ugnis that Junea had managed to fight off before stumbling toward his fellow tribe member.

The only other Ugnis left standing had been the one who'd come behind Junea, but calls of other tribesmen echoed in the near distance.

Kysa was breathing hard, the flames extinguishing as she shifted sideways to grab Junea's arm and pull him close. "Don't leave my side," she instructed, pulling them back againts the wall of dirt. She still held tightly to him, leaning back against the earthen surface and closing her eyes in concentration.

The ground began to tremble faintly, vibrations increasing in intensity as dirt clods and stone fell from the ceiling. In the distance, surprised, frightened shouting could be heard.

Junea had clutched the fabric of Kysa's shirt in the near-darkness. His head dug into the wall behind her, and his other hand rubbed the bruise that laid around his throat. Surely enough, he was on knee, for the other leg's flesh had been ripped from it's place.

The man that had remained, the Ugnis who fought toward Kysa and Junea, gave a surprised yell before a large rock had fallen to nearly crush his foot. He staggered back with a yelp, before drawing backwards into the cavern.

The dull roar signified the collapse of the tunnel, the gust of air and dirt rushing towards the pair. Kysa changed positions, pinning Junea to the wall and doing her best to surround him, to guard him as the dirt came barreling closer.

The sound filled her ears, causing her to grimace before suddenly, in a breathless moment, all noise stopped. Behind them, a gentle ledge sloped upwards towards the pre-dawn sky.

Kysa glanced to Junea, smiling weakly, before her knees gave out and she found herself collapsing sideways.

Junea's arms reached out to Kysa, catching her before she could hit the rough of the ground. His hands then reached above him, to the dirt wall. They met metal. Metal attached to rope. In good measure, he pulled the Ugnis weapon out and it jerked him backwards, but he'd soon meet Kysa again. "Almost day." He breathed. "Only a little further. Come. Can you come?"

His eyes paranoidly shifted between Kysa and the darkness, and the hand he wasn't using to shepherd his companion white-knuckled around the weapon.

Her breathing was ragged, as if she'd run for miles without stopping. Gritting her teeth, the woman got her hands beneath her, easing herself to a standing position, and closing her eyes as a rush of dizziness suddenly overcame her.

"Go ahead." she managed, taking slow, deep breaths. "I'll catch up. That took more energy than I thought it would..."

He looked at the collapsed tunnel behind them. If Ugnis were to come, they'd have a very hard time. But what was the point of him leaving her there? Would Motina save them this time? Did they need help?

Junea cautiously climbed up to surface-level via the ramp that Kysa had made, but he was no more able to run than she was. When he'd gotten up there, the dirt and grime that'd gotten into the wound on his leg caused him to stop. He looked to the skies, that of which hung in a teal-purple twilight, and threatened to peek a morning sun over soon.

But it didn't look like help was around.

"I can help you up," Junea finally rasped. He slid down again, half-way, and lurched a hand toward his companion. "We must leave eventually."

Kysa looked about ready to reply, before a high, keening bugle interrupted her. Her eyes widened as she angled her face skyward. "Junea," she managed. "Go back, quickly! Oro comes!"

She pointed, just in time, as a massive, transparent mass flew over the mouth of the hole, dangerously close to the ground. The faint rumble indicated that it had landed not far away, but out of sight due to the lip of earth that stood high over their heads.

Junea turned quickly. He was not a stranger to that bugling sound, and mostly, the beasts who bore it did not fly alone. His hands grasped broken stalks and burned dirt as he haphazardly pulled his way to the top of the lip. Speaking anything had caused him a surmountable amount of pain, but that didn't keep the man from rasping the tribe's name.

"Oro! Mums reikia pagalbos!"

"I can see that!" Came the returned cry. The man dismounted from the large, physical mass that seemed to move and shift like a thunderhead. As the creature elongated, wings unfolding from its torso, the transparent wyvern began to slowly move closer to Junea, a gentle rumble moving through it as it lowered its serpentine head, eyes blinking like black coals in its massive face. At full height, it could easily outstand two men, and the length was easily twice that much. The man who rode it bore similar appearance to Junea, except his clothing was light, close-fitting, and a pair of glass-framed goggles sat fixed to his forehead, to block out the wind as he flew.

"That cut in the land extends for miles back to the mountains!" he explained as he came closer, breaking into a jog. "Caiphus and I were patrolling close by when we heard the noise. Are you alone?"

He searched the area in disbelief, as if he didn't understand why Junea would be on his own.

"No," He started. He was on his side, due to the rather prominent wound on his leg. Quickly, he gestured to the lip and cave-in that was to the side of him. "One other woman survived. She is down there. The rest of our team was murdered by the Ugnis."

"I will explain further when we are both safe." He added, a certain urgency to his voice.

The man regarded Junea with a look of disbelief written all over his face. He seemed to be in a small state of shock. "Ugnis, but..."

The sounds of Kysa struggling to get to the lip of the cave-in caught his attention, and he immediately jogged over to the edge, glancing down before jumping in to offer Kysa a hand. As he vanished from sight, a second, massive wyvern went flying overhead, landing in the same spot that the first had touched down.

It wasn't long before the first figure emerged with Kysa held delicately in his arms. And the woman, who looked too tired to keep her head up, was resting her cheek against his chest, eyes closed in her exhaustion.

"Name's Trystan." he called to Junea, as Caiphus came forward with his hands planted on his hips. The pair looked very similar, as though related. Brothers, perhaps. Caiphus, whose eyes and hair were darker than Trystan's, glanced over Kysa before looking to Junea.

"Traveling alone?" he querried. "Foolish, in these parts. Did you know of the tunnel that caved in?"

"We were fighting to get back to our tribe, after the rest of our team had been murdered. Do not call us foolish." Junea said, an amount of serpentry to his voice. "... Murdered by the Ugnis. The Ugnis, who are building a tunnel toward the colonist's settlement. They tried to kill us as well. Motina's grace saved us both, but the others were not so lucky. The Ugnis no longer heed Motina."

He reached up and grasped Trystan's garment, to pull himself up. Uneasily, he looked between Kysa and Trystan. The tunnel had caved in, and it was of Kysa's doing, but...

"We were lucky that it had collapsed."

"But how?" Wondered Caiphus. "It's a massive structure, and anyone with a mastery of the elements would not have dug so shallow that the surface would collapse. He looked from Junea to Trystan, who had begun to carry Kysa away from the others, towards a wyvern that stood ready for flight.

Caiphus watched them go, and looked back to Junea with a brow raised.

"Was it you?"

Junea's eyes narrowed toward Caiphus.

"No."

At that moment, he rubbed his neck and bore a feigned expression of pain. Where he rubbed, there was a ring of bruised purple. Then, he looked to Caiphus' wyvern.

"May we go?"

Trystan had already stepped onto his wyvern's back, with Kysa still tucked close to his torso. Her dark hair had come undone , spilling about her shoulders, and giving the illusion that it was a child that Trystan carried with him, and not a grown woman. Caiphus turned to watch as the wyvern spread its massive, transparent wings, before glancing back to Junea and offering out an arm.

"Yes. Daylight comes." he said, seeming to ponder something as he guided the man towards his own mount.

"The woman was weakened severely. Could it be that she was the one responsible for the tunnel collapse?" he asked of the other.

Relentless and curious, a folly of youth, it seemed.

"Ask her yourself, when you see to it that we are both better. I am sure she will be able to supply you with an answer better than I will." Junea hissed again. He clasped Caiphus' arm, and pulled himself onto the wyvern with the other Oro tribesman. "Let us be off. You can ask your questions later. We both have had enough for the matter of a few days. A sanctuary is what we both need."

There was no argument after that. Once the pair had mounted the wyvern, the massive creature extended its leathery wings, clawing at empty air with the membranous extensions as it pulled its body and the passengers into the air. Caiphus adjusted his goggles over his eyes, before turning back to instruct Junea to be careful. Random particles of dust and dirt could blind a man at the speeds they traveled.

As they aimed into the sunrise, the land opened up before them, a sprawling myriad of color. Sanctuary waited for them. Answers, perhaps.

Or more questions.

It seemed as though they'd flown for hours. They rode in gentle, steady circles, rising on a tower of warm air that pushed the wyverns steadily higher and higher. The ground fell away, landmarks becoming miniscule until they disappeared from sight altogether, curtains of clouds obstructing their view.

Kysa remained quiet for the majority of the ride, her figure tucked against Trystan's chest as he held her securely in the saddle. As they continued to rise, they became enveloped in walls of grey and white, the moisture so thick on the air that it began to gather on their skin, dampening their hair and condensing on the scales of the wyverns they rode. The air was thicker here, making it difficult to breathe for a short time as they moved to break through the surface.

And when they did...

Glorious sunrise bathed them as they broke through the base of the clouds, opening up to them an ocean of white cotton that extended from horizon to horizon. The sky was blue up here, the air crisp and cold. Kysa shivered, and Trystan seemed to smile at her response.

"There it is!" he hollared, pointing towards what could have been a massive cumulonimbus cloud. Instead, upon closer inspection, the rivvulets and ridges turned out to be the edges of cut stone, as bleached white as the clouds surrounding it.

Skye Island.

Kysa managed to open her eyes long enough to get a good view of the floating island. She stirred, nearly smiling as they began to close in. It really was beautiful.

The island was shaped like a large beehive, open in many areas to let the sun in. Large glassed in windows made it possible for things to grow on the inside, providing food for the Oro tribe that lived there. Kysa remembered vaguely that the island was a network of passages and cavernous rooms, with people living closer to the center of the large structure.

The riders closed in, moving towards a long, narrow outcropping of stone that served as a landing pad for the draconic creatures. Kysa's landed first, followed closely by the one Junea rode on. Almost as soon as they landed, Trystan hopped off the monster, holding his arms out for Kysa to dismount.

Waiting at the end of the runway was a group of tribals dressed all in white, the visage nearly blinding in the light of the morning sun.

"Greetings!" A tall, elegant woman called to them. She patiently waited for them to make their way closer.

"And what brings these unexpected visitors? Vanduo tribe? Where is your leader?" Her sharp, blue eyes flickered to Junea, white-blonde hair reminiscent of Ajani's fair locks.

Junea had dismounted the animal, though slowly and carefully. It was only until he'd gotten off the animal, and leaned in the beast with an arm, that he turned his eyes to the fair-haired Oro woman. He had given a curt half-nod. "I am Junea Vrass, and my partner is Kysa. We are both of the Vanduo tribe, initially a part of a rescue and relay team composed to warn the other tribes of what was happening on the homesteads."

He took a sharp breath in, and stepped away from the beast with a blatant stagger. The man was unkempt, and at the very least, looked injured. A purple ring had laid around his neck where he'd been strangled, and his leg had still remained untreated.

"The Ugnis killed the rest of the team. I am afraid to say that they have left Motina's grace. We had not expected to come to Skye Island so early, but your youth had picked us up in a time of injury and need, after being attacked by the Ugnis."

The tribals who stood looked distinctly uncomfortable by his accusations. The woman at the head came forward then, her gaze flickering over Kysa, as Trystan carried her in his arms.

"Your accusations are grave." she noted, her eyes finding Junea's. "This is not the place to discuss such things. Come with us, allow us to help you heal and then we can talk in more detail about the atrocities of which you speak."

"We haven't much time." Kysa suddenly spoke, her voice stronger than she'd intended. "We can't rest for long!"

The Oro woman regarded her with a nearly patronizing smile. "Give us one night then, and we'll decide what to do once the two of you have rested."

She turned, gesturing for the rest of them to follow, and the procession was lead into the heart of the island, where stone walls rose high on either side, lit by mirrors that reflected light all around them. It was glorious, really. Beautiful in its own right, but for whatever reason, Kysa felt uncomfortable, like she was too far removed from the place she called home.

"I can walk." she told Trystan, insisting that he help her down.

He obliged, and she steadied herself on his arm before moving back to walk alongside Junea. She wasn't ready for much besides walking, but the Oro didn't seem to be pressed for a fast pace anyway.

"How are you holding up?" she asked him quietly, offering an arm if he wanted it.

Junea had taken her offer, and walked with the aide of Kysa. He quieted his voice when he'd spoken to the girl, though made no attempt to keep his words hushed from the Oro around them. "Tired. Don't be so impatient. We'll not make much of ourselves if we try to rush the things around us. I cannot imagine the Oro are any too pleased with our appearence, and by the looks of it, they are just as suspicious of us as we were of the Ugnis. It's best we don't push them, rest as much as possible, relay what we need to, and leave."

His eyes seemed to keep away from the woman he walked with, and rather, to the woman that led them both deeper into Skye Island. "Even if the matters seem urgent." He added, though quieter that time.

But the man was bluffing, to say the least. He'd wanted nothing more than to barge in to see the tribe leader, relay what had happened, and leave. For his own and Kysa's sake, however, Junea had insisted that they both rest in lieu to their injuries.

"Thank you for the hospitality," he suddenly added, raising his voice to those around him. "There isn't anything we need more."

The hallway they went into opened up into a cavern, several hundreds of feet high. The structure was filled with the gentle hum of activity, and all around, mirrors reflected light in hundreds of directions. Plants grew in the stones as well, trees filled with blossoms, bushes and flowers of all kinds reaching into the lip of the cavern.

Kysa looked up and around, even as they were lead towards higher levels, towards the outside.

A woman approached Kysa, holding out a hand.

"We'll take you to where you can be taken care of properly." she said, glancing to Junea once before meeting Kysa's eyes. Kysa seemed hesitant to leave Junea's side, and, as a result, looked to him for any kind of a hint.

He looked almost alarmed.

"After what had happened, I suspect you can understand why I wouldn't want to leave Kysa's side. I am sure you can offer us care in the same place, can't you?"

The woman looked at him in surprise. "Is she your wife?"

"Last time we seperated from members of our tribe, they were savagely burned alive. I don't believe this woman has to be my wife for seperating to be of concern, unless for some reason, you protest to otherwise." he retorted.

Kysa cut in. "Please, separating us would cause more harm than good. It would be wonderful if you could accommodate us."

The woman's surprised look melted to one of horror. "That's...dreadful. Goodness, the two of you have been through a plight. Of course you can stay together..." She shook her head, indicating for the pair to follow her. They were lead into an open area, warm from the sun, with pools of heated rain-water gathered and ready for the pair to be cleansed. There were women everywhere, all dressed in white. Healers.

"Come here," one woman took Kysa by the arm, leading her behind a rice-paper screen, to the pool closest to the edge. Junea, in turn, was lead to a pool further back, where he was instructed to undress.

"The water has healing properties. The woman who had guided them said. "Meant to re-energize. You can stay here as long as you deem necessary, and we'll be just outside if you need us for anything." With that, the room cleared, leaving Kysa and Junea alone behind their respective screens.

The woman sighed, sitting down at the edge of the pool, but hesitant to undress.

"I hate being so wary," she said, her voice echoing even though she was speaking just barely above a whisper.

"You shouldn't. Not here. Skye Island is a sanctuary, and they seem to not be under the same influence that the Ugnis were, and given its place, it's doubtful they ever will be touched by the darkness that was on land."

Once the women had all left the area, he had given a wistful sigh. The man was less hesitant to step into the waters, as the pain that'd come from having been attacked hadn't come off his mind since he stepped off the beast that took them there.

"Though I can understand. I'm weary as well. If I could simply go back to Vanduo, I would. I wonder what is of Ajani, and the tribe..."

There was a silence.

"I don't know if I could forgive myself, happen something have happened to them as well."

"Ajani will keep them safe." Kysa replied, finally shying out of her clothing and slipping beneath the surface of the warm water. She tried, and failed, not to audibly sigh in relief.

"Motina walks with her every day. I don't know that I've met someone so closely knit. She's still a child, to be sure, but she has that hope... a hope we all need."

The water sucked the ache out of her limbs, lulling her into a sense of calm as she gazed at the polished ceiling. "You've been so good to her." she finally managed, her eyes drifting closed. "You're part of the reason why she is the leader she is."

"And you?" Junea asked, turning his head to glance sideways at the curtain that seperated them. "You speak kindly of her. For some in the tribe, even though they may follow her judgement, they don't trust it. But, she's maturing."

"I believe Motina has helped her further than I did. I can't expect any more. As you said, she walks with her, every day." he continued.

The water seemed to capture him further, and deeper did he sink, letting it flow just below his chin and over the purpled ring on his neck. He cupped the water in his hands and brought it to his facem and just as well, rubbed his palms into his eyes. They begged for rest, and the Oro woman's suggestion of a night's rest had seemed all the more appealing, once he'd settled down.

She washed her skin, leaning back to dip her long hair into the water, before running her fingers through to wash it of the dirt and grime that clung to her. When she had finished, she glanced around for the clothing she was meant to put on, since her other clothes were dirty from travel. A white robe, much like what the Healers wore, waited for her.

Still damp, she stepped out of the water and slipped on the light cloth, before walking away from the edge of the pool and standing, looking out over the ocean of clouds.

"If I'd been born here, I can't imagine ever wanting to leave this place." she said quietly. "I miss home, though."

"I do too."

Upon hearing the woman step out of the water, he had dipped himself under and stepped out, though hesitantly. He'd donned the garb that the healers had left behind for him, as well as wrapped his leg with the bandages they'd left. Still yet, he had grabbed the weapons he still had with him, and took the coarse shawl that he'd worn there. The rest he left behind, and finally took to Kysa's side. "We should go, then, if you are ready to. To speak to the leader, if they let us."

Kysa's brow knit.

"I wonder if they are ready to hear what we have to say." she contemplated, running her fingers through her long, dark hair. She turned to gaze at Junea, reaching to gently touch the bruised skin of his neck. "Would you rather I keep my peace?" she asked. She wasn't up for doing too much talking anyway.

Before he could answer, however, one of the women appeared at the head of the room, smiling when she saw them standing together.

"Auris is ready to have an audience if you two would be so kind." she said, her radiance nearly causing Kysa to look away. She glanced to Junea.

"Come along then!" the woman encouraged, turning about and beginning to lead them from the room.

"I cannot stop you from speaking, but if you've something rash to say, it is best to bite your tongue for when they aren't questioning what we're trying to tell them." Junea said, making no effort to keep the Oro woman from hearing them.

He took a step forward, and found that the pain of his leg had been stifled. Without requesting the assistance of the other Vanduo, he followed the woman.

For whatever reason, Kysa's face flushed, but she kept her head down and nodded stiffly, stepping after the other woman with Junea walking at her side.

Once again, they were lead through the cavernouse hall, across the marble floors where people mingled about in much the same was as the Ugnis tribe had. Here, though, there was light, and warmth, and beauty, and women and children and families.

Kysa was comforted, but only for a short time. The pair were brought into a magnificent room, open to the air, where mirrors and polished glass and stone glittered all around them. A woman was seated on a chair of stone, flanked by two men, and all of them wore white. Her hair was dark as night, eyes equally dark, but her smile was warm as she gestured for the pair to come forward.

"Brother, sister," she rose to greet them, embracing Kysa before turning to do the same to Junea.

"You bring ill tidings, I've been warned. Come sit, look out over the world and tell me what you have seen."

Junea breathed out, almost shakily, as he embraced the woman. She had been the first in quite a while that hadn't turned an aggressive or wan eye to them both, past the healers, who had only quickly fled the room when they'd entered. He sat where she'd gestured to, and gave a slight, hopeful smile to Kysa.

"Auris," he said. "Thank you for seeing us."

For a moment, the man gazed out into the clouds that surrounded them. He wondered what it may have been like if he'd been born here. Would he like to stay?

But that wasn't anything he could think about, then. Almost immediately, he looked back to Auris, his eyebrows pulling inward.

"I've told it enough times that I'm tired of the details. Homesteads of our tribes have gone missing. When we had gone to the Ugnis to warn them, we had found that they'd abandoned Motina and her grace. They took the lives of the rest of our team, and they had taken the lives of all their own women as well."

Silence fell after he'd delivered his statement. The woman watched them, sitting back on her throne and gazing at the pair. Kysa was watching the other, her face pinched in the same concerned manner that Junea's was.

"What of the tunnel?" she asked. "There's a great, cavernous rift that leads for miles back to the mountains. Something collapsed it. Who? Do you know?"

Then, and only then, did Kysa look away to gaze out over the clouds.

"Is it of more concern than the events that had transpired with the Ugnis?" Junea asked, his head tilting and his eyes narrowing. For a moment, he glanced at Kysa, as if he'd expected her to speak then, but had only seen that she'd turned her head. He looked back to the woman who sat upon the throne.

"I have questions about that myself, though I'm not one who can answer you yours."

"The tunnel ties in with the events of Ugnis tribe. Where it was leading to, perhaps, or the purpose behind it. I only wanted to make sure it wasn't Ugnis themselves who destroyed it before we could figure out its true purpose." She was watching Kysa carefully.

"Have you nothing to say?"

Kysa glanced back with a soft smile. "Respectfully, no. Junea has stated our case quite plainly."

Auris nodded thoughtfully. "So, Ugnis has abandoned Motina, and they've slain their women and children." her nose wrinkled as she shook her head. "At least we know they will not survive very long."

"Ignio claimed they have unnaturally long lives." Kysa said, "According to this spirit they claim to serve, one called Mama."

A murmur ran through those who had gathered, but Kysa pressed on, "I don't know if his claims are true, but if they are..." she sighed, looking away. "We may have a severe problem on our hands."

Junea watched Kysa as she had spoken, and though he hadn't shown it on his face, he was a little less trepid when he'd found the words she'd spoken weren't irrational in the least. It was then that he had taken off where she'd left, not allowing Auris to get a word in between them.

"A problem that, if we were to address it, we would need more than the strength of the Vanduo." he added. "If there is a chance that we could save them from the darkness they're introducing to themselves, and keep them from setting to accomplish what they'd planned to, it would be best not to let them sit and hope they'll die over time."

He swallowed, and tilted his head to Auris, finally going silent then.

"What is it they plan?" Auris asked, standing and coming around to sit on Kysa's other side. She seemed to be observing her rather earnestly. Kysa turned to watch Auris with a somewhat wary intensity.

"I believe they wish to destroy the colonists." she said quietly. "I believe that's what the tunnel was for."

Auris nodded, then breathed, "So you destroyed it."

Kysa's jaw clenched, but she nodded. Auris seemed fascinated. "So, a water tribal can move massive amounts of earth? When do we ever see that happening?"

The other woman seemed uncomfortable, but she kept her back straight, and her shoulders squared. "Junea's said that it isn't important to speculate on such things." she reitterated. "We simply wanted to inform you so that we can all be prepared should it come down to a more violent conclusion."

She glanced sideways to Junea.

"Is that everything then?"

"We hadn't planned to come to Skye Island so early, but it was in your kindness and the Ugnis' hostility that we had to." he said, turning his eyes downward. "There's nothing more we can tell you."

"Well, we will take all of this into consideration." Auris said solemnly, before reaching to take Kysa by the hand and hoist her to her feet. "How is the young Ajani? Ive not seen her since her coming into womanhood, and now she's leading Vanduo on her own?" she looked between Junea and Kysa. "There must be much faith in her if it was so easy to leave her on her own."

"She's more than capable." Kysa said defensively. "She's young, but her heart is in the right place."

"With Motina." Auris said with a smile. "She's talented too, the only other that I've heard of who can manipulate all of the elements. She must have had a teacher, certainly." She gave Kysa a questioning look.

And again, Kysa was stubbornly silent.

"It was only tradition that Ajani had come into leadership, with the fall of her father, and she the next in line." Junea added, almost defensively, when he'd seen the discomfort that Auris' questions had put Kysa through. He couldn't help but wonder the same about the woman, but it was her decision to tell, not Auris'. "But, as Kysa said, I cannot think of a more capable leader of the Vanduo. No doubt will she amount to great achievements."

He gave a weary sigh, suddenly, and brought his hand to his neck, where he vacantly rubbed. "It will be nice to have a bed to sleep on, after the travel and plight we've been through."

Auris' eyes flickered towards Junea, and she smiled again.

"Of course. You two will be welcomed as honored guests. The ladies will take you back to where you can rest, and you have free reign to move about the island if you so choose."

Kysa glanced to Junea, her expression unreadable before they were encouraged to follow the women out. Kysa seemed content, more relaxed now that she wasn't under Auris' prying eyes. "I could sleep for days." she noted mildly, to no one in particular, before glancing to Junea.

"I know what you were doing, too." she said under her breath. No one seemed to notice. "Thank you."

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious myself, but it's not their decision for you to talk about it." Junea said, at just the same volume as she. Then, he looked to the ladies that were supposed to escort the two of them to their quarters. He nodded, and began to walk toward them, looking back to see if the other Vanduo had been following as such.

She did, smiling the whole while. It was no effort for them to make their way back to where their chambers would be. In reality, it was very close to where they had bathed. Taking their previous considerations to heart, the women lead them to a single room, with two mats for sleeping. Kysa nodded her thanks to their escorts, before walking over to the mat she'd effectively claimed for herself. Lying down, she let her body sink into the soft sheets, her eyes on the glossy ceiling once again.

"No one's thought to ask, you know." she told him after the door had been closed behind them.

"Nobody seemed to think that I was more than the medicine woman."

"I hadn't thought you were more than a medicine woman." he admitted, and made his way to the unclaimed mat. He made no effort to gracefully lay down, and happily collapsed onto the bed beneath him.

"My opinion has changed. You're, perhaps, a better fighter than I am. About your influence with magic..." he seemed to hesitate. "I'll leave you to telling me about that, if and when the time comes."

With his hands crossed over his stomach, the tiredness that had overtaken him beforehand took a firm grip on him then, and he steadily but surely began to drift to sleep.

"In the morning, though," he murmured, and fell victim to the late night.