Seirras Mountain Range

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.