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"It's fine," Jason said, shaking his head as he offered her a small, rare smile that wasn't often seen on his face. "I'm probably not the easiest person to run into either. A bit quiet, you see," he continued, the smile still tugging gently but persistently at his lips. He allowed it to fall as Farren cleared his throat and Lyllii whirled around, dark eyes burning with a fiery intensity that seemed a bit ironic considering her previous reaction to the human's flame.

Jason shook himself away from that thought as Maiya's voice cut into their handshake, informing them that she would have to let it rise. Glancing back at her, he was mildly impressed the elf had managed to hold it like she did. Jason himself wasn't all that great at controlling fire; he used small amounts occasionally, sure, but didn't really hone those skills. He focused on his sword instead, thanks to the man who unfortunately had been his father.

He nodded back at her, indicating his acknoledgement. He began digging his feet a bit harder into the muddy ground every time he stepped, bracing himself even as he walked. The water slowly but surely began to rise, creeping up his calves and soaking into the fabric of his pants yet again. He ignored the sensation, trudging forward through the now water, noting how much harder it was now that it was at a height closer to his knees, opposed to his ankles.

~~~~

Maiya exhaled lightly as she allowed her hands to fully drop, releasing the water completely. It was harder to step forward now, the water pushing against her legs and slowing her process, but it was still doable, made easier by the lack of a strong current. Sure, the river tugged gently at them as they walked, but it wasn't strong enough to pull them over unless they were seriously unbalanced anyway.

~~~~

Kasha watched the scene play out, the tip of her tail flicking in satisfaction as the nymph and the human shook hands, even if it seemed to be a bit reluctantly on Lyllii's part. The anthro couldn't help but huff a small sigh of annoyance as the water rose around her, and she unsheathed her claws without really thinking about it, using them to dig into the loose mud underneath her feet. It helped give her that extra support to propel her forward, and even though the water seemed determine to hinder her progress, it wasn't doing so to the point where she was noticably slowing down.

"Thanks for the heads up," the nymph called back. Lyllii paused in her tracks, moving just enough to set both feet squarely against the riverbed's shifting bottom as she waited for the water to rise back to its normal level -she didn't trust her luck today to continue with the change. Gradually it rose from being about ankle deep to just below her knees. She waited a few more moments just to be sure that the water level reached its maximum height before continuing forward again.

_<^>_

A slight breeze ruffled Farren's dark ginger hair as the winds shifted, both changing direction and increasing in intensity. The man dipped his index finger into the water beside him and raised his now dripping hand to about eye level. Immediately, he felt his spirits sink and his rage boil; the change of course would push the fire directly towards the town he stayed in the previous night. Worse yet, the fire would be fed by the forest and grasslands until it grew to an inferno that certainly could take the town with it before it burned itself out -and there was nothing he could do now to change the outcome.

Maiya beamed. "No problem!" she responded cheerfully, sloshing forward through the water easily.

~~~~

Ever observant, Kasha's amber eyes narrowed curiously as she glanced at the human. "Farren?" she called out, noticing his expression. "Is something wrong?"


Ooc:// Blegh, slight writers' block. I apologize for the short, crappy post. I'll try to make the next one better.

OOC: Ditto; time to change locations.

"Hmm?" Farren mumbled, Kasha's question breaking him out of his darker thoughts. "Oh, nothing. Alright, so it is something!" he suddenly snapped before yanking on a fistful of auburn hair. "That town's gonna burn, no, it's probably already burning, and it's far too late to stop it." He quickly sucked in a breath, forcing himself to cut off his rant. Slowly, he released the breath, forcing himself to be calmer. "Good news, if anything can be considered that, is that it shouldn't spread further this way."

His grey eyes quickly swept over the horizon, eager to find an area where they could cross over and leave that Creator-forsaken forest behind them for good. His stomach rumbled and pinched painfully, grumpily reminding him that he hadn't fed it yet. "There! About a mile further and slightly to our right; there's a fork in the river, and hopefully some of that territory isn't charcoal yet."

"No charcoal would definitely be an improvement," Lyllii replied, eying the human warily again.

Maiya's blue eyes widened slightly at the mention of a town. Though it was in no way her fault, she felt guilt immediately plague her, gnawing deep holes in her until she felt almost empty. She could control water, she could help put out these flames, right? Logically, she knew it wasn't possible to get there in time, and she wasn't powerful enough to put out a forest fire. But her heart insisted otherwise.

Her troubled gaze fell down to the rippling water below, the sloshing liquid seeming to reflect her tumbling emotions. A firm hand on her shoulder interrupted her rambling train of thought, and the elf glanced up, surprised to see the warm, mysterious brown eyes of Jason. "It's not your fault," he stated simply, as if reading her mind. "There's nothing you can do."

Maiya tilted her head to the side, studying him curiously for a second before nodding. "Thanks, Jason," she said, offering a small smile to the were-animal. He nodded, seeming to retreat back into himself. Her light blue eyes remained focused on him for only a second more before returning to look in front of her. He really was a mysterious person, seeming to contain many secrets. She felt herself tempted to ask where his scar had come from, but resisted the urge. That could wait until a time where they weren't running through a river from a violent forest fire.

~~~~

Kasha locked away any emotion she might have felt about the town being burned down, ignoring the pang of sympathy it shot through her. There was nothing she could do about it, and thinking about it would only distract her from the present. That didn't stop the agitated flick of her tail before she calmed back down, distracting emotions gone almost as quickly as they came.

The news about the fork in the river made her glance up, keen amber eyes catching glimpse of it easily. "I agree with that statement," Kasha nodded in response to Lyllii's comment. She caught the nymph's wary glance towards Farren, but chose not to comment; this wasn't an issue for her to get involved in.

OOC: Yeah...sorry about the late reply. Writer's block; ain't it wonderful? And so this is somewhere for both of us to refer back to easier: make way to fork in river, forge to the other side, and "evening rest" before THAT guy finally makes an appearance. Hopefully this post will take care most of the journey there, but if it doesn't, feel free to include as much as elapsed time as you want.

Farren gave a curt nod. "This way, then," he replied, taking the lead from Jason. If he had to guess about the weird look Lyllii gave him, he was nearly positive it had something to do with his outburst over the town --ironic, considering the kaleidoscope of moods that nymph had underwent in the course of that morning, and frankly, it was wearing on his patience. He shook his head slightly, returning his attention to leading his much shorter companions to the fork -and hopefully to an area free of smoke-tainted air.

The river's gentle tug at his legs became increasingly stronger as the current increased, consequently causing the going to be much slower. His footing slipped as his boot landed on an algae covered rock hidden underneath the waters' murky surface. His leg plunged several inches below the other before he regained his balance. "Careful! It's much deeper up ahead, and look out for rocks!" he called behind him.

"Allow me," Lyllii said as she made her way from the rear to join Farren at his side. Her staff limply slid off her arm, hanging like a spineless snake in her hand momentarily, before reshaping into a long, narrow pole and re-hardening. The nymph then proceeded to use the staff to transverse the deeper parts safely before beckoning behind her.

Farren shrugged before following after the nymph, taking care to place his feet where she had crossed earlier.

OOC: Want the honors of arrival at the fork?

Ooc:// It's fine; I only just returned from vacation, actually. And I would love the honors. ^^

Maiya shook away the nagging feeling of guilt that now tugged at her, ignoring it for the time being. They had more pressing matters to worry about, and she couldn't deal with thinking about something that wasn't her fault anyway.

"Careful! It's much deeper up ahead, and look out for rocks!" Farren called behind him.

Maiya looked up at the human, debating whether she had the energy to lower the river again, just for this little bit. Reluctantly, she had to admit that she didn't. They were forced to continue trudging through the deep water, relying on Lyllii's staff to pick out the sturdier parts of the river.

Painfully slowly, they finally made it up to the fork in the river.

~~~~

Jason sniffed the air, his nose more sensitive than usual even out of his animal form. The air seemed much cleaner, free from most of the heavy smoke that had tainted it before. "It isn't charcoal," he announced, a clear edge of relief in his voice.

He sloshed through the river, ignoring the steady current tugging at his legs as he made his way up to the shore.

~~~~

"Finally," Kasha groaned, stepping onto land gratefully. Her fur was soaked yet again, and the anthro hated the sensation. The smell of smoke lingering on her didn't help her irritation any either.

OOC: Woot! Windy's back! xD ...and sorry about the wait, again. But things should hopefully be picking up soon! ^^

"It isn't charcoal," Jason announced, a clear edge of relief in his voice.

"Finally," Kasha groaned, stepping onto land gratefully.

"I second that," Lyllii agreed before sloshing her way to shore before allowing herself to fall on her back into a particularly dense patch of grass. The nymph hummed in contentment as a stray breeze ruffled her hair and tickled her ear, clearly enjoying her stolen moment of R&R.

Moments later Farren emerged from the shallows, wringing out the hem of his shirt as he trudged uphill to where his companions had gathered to catch their breath. "Right. Anyone care for a fire?" he asked before immediately raising his hands in surrender as he felt the glare of at least one set of eyes. "Sheesh. Sorry I asked," he muttered.

Another stiff breeze darted through the landscape, this time stirring the blades of grass to whip about and the bald forest's trees to lean and bow. Lyllii's eyes fluttered open to see a no longer blue sky as a large cloud drifted overhead. She rolled to her feet as her eyes tracked the way it had come. Sure enough, a front of clouds swollen to an almost slate blue darkened one horizon -a telltale sign of an incoming storm if she ever saw one. "We need to find shelter," she informed abruptly.

"Well, definitely not under trees," Farren remarked. As if on cue, a bolt of lightning split the sky to the west with an almost deafening crack as its thunder rumbled through the grasslands. "Eheheheh. See?"

OOC: And...cue cave! Farren's insisting on being my source of comic relief lately...which is still in character-ish, maybe. Anyways, I thought they could trade stories to pass the time while they wait out the storm (not necessarily their pasts, though that will give a good transition for HIM) but what do you think? I'll bring Sespyn in around this next portion.

Ooc:// Sounds good to me. ^^

Maiya frowned, glancing up at the sky. She could practically feel the copious amounts of water now overhead, the scent of rain only strenghtening the feeling. Her blue eyes narrowed as she studied the swollen clouds before she glanced back at the ragtag group...if they could even be considered a group. "Looks like the storm is going to last a while too," she added. "We should find shelter quickly."

Kasha's keen amber eyes flitted across the landscape. "Any suggestions?" she asked, voice containing a bit of an edge. The wind only made her wet fur worse, and the fact that there was now a storm coming too didn't help any.

Jason stepped into the conversation. "There's a cave not too far ahead. It should hold all of us," he informed, voice soft. He glanced up at the dark clouds, the wind growing stronger as it tugged at him persistently. "Follow me." He led the way, trekking towards a hillier part of the forest. It wasn't long before they reached the cave, identified by the pile of rocks and mud nearby that was the result of some long ago earthquake.

The were-animal poked his head inside, then glanced back at the group, nodding slightly. It would fit all of them.

"There's a cave not too far ahead. It should hold all of us," Jason informed, voice soft.

"Then lead on," Farren replied, following the were-boy back underneath the bald canopy of trees as the small group was lead back into the forest. Moments later, the incline drastically increased as rolling hills gradually appeared in the distance -perhaps they were part of a mountain's foothills? Their arrival at the cave's mouth cut short his musing.

_<^>_

Wordlessly, Lyllii followed Jason into the cave. Truthfully, she wasn't exactly thrilled to be reentering the forest -although the fire had burned itself out in this portion and there wasn't much of a threat of it returning, the site of that much charred wood still brought back unpleasant memories. Still, the group needed shelter -and fast!- so that ruled out sticking around in the grasslands until the storm blew itself out. Before long, she found herself standing in front of the cave's entrance just as the first few scattered drops of rain began to fall.

Lyllii watched as Jason ducked into the cave first before he reappeared moments later, nodding his head slightly as an indicator that it was safe for the ragtag group to proceed inside. She found herself needing to tip her head slightly to avoid bashing it against the roof, and nearly laughed out loud when Farren actually did whack his forehead against the rock with a dull thud, muttering some sort of oath as he did so.

_<^>_

Farren cursed mildly as he felt his forehead make contact with the cave's roof, earning himself a splitting headache and what would develop into a colorful bruise later -and probably some broken skin and a lovely indentation as well, but luckily his bandana covered this from the others' eyes. Lyllii's giggles provoked a glare out of him as his head continued to throb, but to her credit, she at least had the decency to attempt to hide them. Not that she was very successful. 'Well, at least she's finally smiling...even if it's at my expense,' he thought dryly.

Fortunately, the cave's mouth widened into a surprisingly spacious room with a ceiling tall enough that he could actually stand at full height. However, he had enough walking for one day and was looking forward to finally being able to rest. "Wait here; I'll be right back," he said suddenly before ducking back out of the cave.

"Like we'd really want to do anything else," Lyllii muttered.

_<^>_

Moments later the human reappeared with a bundle of slightly charred and ash covered wood; Lyllii visibly stiffened, dark eyes narrowing as she resisted the urge to balk. "And what do you plan on doing with that?" she seethed through clenched teeth.

"Sorry, Lyllii," Farren replied apologetically, grey eyes surprisingly dark with sympathy and regret. "I don't know how your health works, but the rest of us need to dry off and regain some warmth." He then bent over to arrange the wood and a circle of stones around it, effectively ending the conversation and leaving no room for argument. A small flame popped into life above one palm before he allowed it to jump to the wood waiting for it, watching it eagerly devour the wood to fill a hunger that could never be satisfied with a strange expression on his face. Soon its merriment filled the cave with its crackling laughter. Farren yanked his attention away from the flame and gazed silently at each face before letting it rest on the far wall.

Outside the rain increased into a downpour, effectively forming a rushing waterfall at the cave's mouth as the hills shed the excess water from their sides. "Definitely not going anywhere any time soon," Lyllii mused, barely earning even a grunt from Farren. "So...Jason," she began awkwardly, "how'd you know about this place anyways?"

Maiya couldn't help but giggle as Farren whacked his head against the top of the rock. She covered her mouth to hide the light laughter, and even Kasha and Jason smiled. The elf slipped in after Lyllii, unconsciously gravitating towards the nymph; she honestly reminded Maiya of the nymphs that had taken her in when she was young. She didn't even fully realize this herself, simply finding herself next to Lyllii.

Kasha stepped in afterwards, followed by Jason. As the fire was lit, the anthro couldn't help but let out a small, contented sigh as the heat soaked into her damp fur, warming her almost immediately. She glanced at Farren. "Thanks," she muttered softly, not entirely used to saying the word, but deciding to do it anyways.

Jason was content to sit next to the fire and listen to the rain pour down outisde, the steady droplets tapping against the ground almost soothingly. He glanced up as he heard his name, dark eyes falling upon Farren as the human finished the question. He shrugged. "I tend to move around a lot. I stumbled across this place while walking. Decided it could come in handy," he answered.

Lyllii found herself hugging her knees tightly to her chest as the fire was lit. Though she would never willingly admit it -or, at least, not yet- she did appreciate the fire's warmth. Gradually the waterlogged feeling in her limbs eased away, making them feel lighter and not so sluggish as they sometimes felt after treading water for so long. She then noticed the elf gradually edging herself towards her, and almost on impulse, Lyllii wrapped her arm around Maiya, suddenly feeling very foolish for mistrusting her earlier.

"Know the feeling," Lyllii shrugged in reply to Jason's response to her question.

"Well, lucky for us you thought so," said Farren before nodding in response to Kasha after lighting the fire. He then moved from directly beside it to find a spot among the ragtag group huddled around it. Eventually, he settled down in the space between Kasha and Jason before resuming his staring contest with the far wall.

Maiya's breathing paused for a brief second as her blue eyes flitted over to Lyllii, surprise evident in the small movement. A smile suddenly lit up her face, her eyes practically glowing with happiness. She had honestly felt like the nymph hadn't liked her much, which stung a little, though she wouldn't admit it. Maiya was pleased to see that she had been wrong.

Kasha nodded her agreement at Farren's comment. "I agree; I would hate to be out there right now." She glanced outside after she spoke, the rain still pouring down.

Jason shrugged, not really responding, content to simply stare quietly at the fire.

Maiya brightened suddenly. "Well, since we're stuck here, we might as well get to know each other," she said. "We could tell stories!" she suggested, glancing around at the others to see their reactions.

Lyllii froze. Them getting to know her? Did she really want that? Granted, none of them so far betrayed any sort of malevolent intent, but that didn't prove anything...did it? Carefully she molded her expression from one of caution into one of concealed interest as she also allowed her gaze to shift around the circle. At least Farren, she noticed, seemed slightly uncomfortable at Maiya's suggestion.

_<^>_

Farren found himself staring at his hands, now open in his cross-legged lap with fingertips pressed lightly together. Deftly he found them untying the worn cloth from around his head. His grey eyes became even more clouded with distance as he studied the faded blue fabric now resting unfurled in his hands and across his lap. His nape prickled, suddenly making him feel self conscious; he slowly glanced up to see Maiya's eyes full of excitement and Lyllii's own more guarded and more boring pair.

"Farren, what is that?" Lyllii broached hesitantly.

"A souvenir," he muttered wistfully. "No offense, but I'm not ready to tell you guys about it quite yet."

"I can respect that," Lyllii murmured. She then forced a pleasant grin on her face as she turned to address everyone. "How 'bout we start with folk tales?" The nymph paused for a moment, silently gauging the group's reactions to her suggestion.

Farren shrugged indifference as he began folding the cloth into thirds and tucking it into his pouch. His hand brushed against his last reserve of venison jerky, and with a sigh, he grudgingly slid it past the drawstring. "It was about to go stale anyways," he mumbled to himself before offering it to the group -Lyllii politely declined with a shake of her head- before slowly gnawing on his portion.

_<^>_

Clearing her throat slightly, the nymph launched into her tale.

"It's said that when the Creator first willed our world into existence, there was only one race. Eventually this race forgot who created them, and began making faces of earth and stone. So the Creator chose those among the race who still knew his voice and did not try to make false faces to speak in his stead.

"But the people refused to be reminded, as their masks had become animated by the Fallen and spoke only words of gilded fortune. Eventually the race began abusing the members of their own race who did not create these masks until the messengers among them were forced into seclusion. Sadly, the Creator decided to put an end to the wicked members' plans by washing the land clean of all traces of their treachery.

"To those without the masks the Creator commanded to take shelter on the highest peak and to build a boat for them to hide in. Unfortunately, even among this chosen group, several had blotted their ears to the Creator's voice and refused to heed instruction; and so only a small number of the first race escaped the cleansing.

"However, the Creator did not abandon the people he created. From the elements of this new land the survivors of the first race found themselves in, the Creator called out new individuals. Eventually the first race split into two, then four as the descendents of the first race continued to multiply and mix with the peoples called out of the elements.

"This is how all races of Kyathro came to be, and why new ones continue to form."

OOC: Sorry about the delay. My characters are insisting on "warming up" before revealing the juicy stuff (I prefer easing into angst)...which will prolly happen after THAT guy arrives to ruin the mood in two or three posts, depending on how our muses run. (Wow...Lyllii's legend ran longer than I intended. Oh well, hopefully it isn't too terrible.) Anyways, feel free to be as whimsical or symbolic as you like! (Though this universe is VERY monotheistic)

Maiya, at first, wondered if she had made a mistake in her request. Everyone seemed uncomfortable just at the thought of talking about themselves...was it really that bad, opening up about yourself? The elf shook off her doubt as Lyllii started a folk tale and Farren started handing out jerky. She politely declined, not feeling very hungry. Instead, she simply listened to Lyllii's story, pointed ears perking with interest.

~~~~

Kasha breathed a small sigh of relief as Lyllii pulled the conversation away from their pasts; she wasn't yet willing to share hers, not until she had a better idea of how they would react. And judging by everyone else's expressions, they felt the same. Accepting a piece of jerky, she chewed on it while she listened, the familiar folk story striking a chord of nostalgia within her. This was one of the stories her father had told her, back in her childhood.

~~~~

Jason shifted uncomfortably at the suggestion, not willing to relive his past. Everyone seemed nice and trustworthy so far, but they all seemed to share his discomfort when it came to back stories. He relaxed fractionally at Lyllii's idea, and took a piece of jerky gratefully, settling himself in to listen. Not exactly a religious person, he wasn't as familiar with the tale as some of the others seemed to be. When the nymph finished, he offered her a small smile. "Thanks, Lyllii. Anyone else have one?" His dark eyes flitted over the rest of the group.

Maiya cocked her head curiously. "Don't you know any?" she asked, slightly confused. She had practically grown up on these stories.

Jason shook his head, the motion slight but obvious. "Let's just say my childhood didn't present many opportunities for telling stories," he said, trying to inject a note of humor into his voice and failing, sounding a little bitter instead.

Kasha stepped in, sensing this was a sensitive subject for most everyone in the cave right now. "I have one," she spoke up quietly, swallowing the last of her jerky hastily. "It's about the messengers Lyllii mentioned. One messenger had tried multiple times to convince the people of their wrongdoings, but only succeeded in angering them. One night, he woke to hear a small voice telling him to leave the village, for the people wanted to kill him. Knowing that this voice had been sent by the Creator, he left, taking only some food and his family with him, forced to leave everything behind.

"They endured many hardships in the wilderness, searching for the place the Creator promised would be safe and bring them prosperity. During one such night, the messenger had a dream; or, more accurately, a vision. He dreamed he saw a tree, with white fruit. The fruit was sweeter than anything he had tasted, and he immediately wanted his family to be able to eat too.

"He looked for them, and saw them standing in the distance. He gestured for them to come over, and his wife and two younger sons came, eating of the fruit with him. His two eldest sons, who were wicked, refused. It was then the messenger saw a long rod, made of iron, leading to the tree. Many other people were holding it, but as they entered into the dark mists surrounding it, some let go, becoming lost. Others made their way to a large building, full of finely dressed people. They laughed at those following the rod and eating the fruit, prompting more into falling away.

"Those who ate of the fruit and had a strong belief that it came from the Creator were happy. But for every person following the rod, another had let go. When he woke up, the messenger shared his dream with his family. He knew that life would be full of trials, and it would be hard to choose the right, just like it was hard to follow the iron rod. But everyone who did would be blessed with happiness and peace," Kasha finished. Her amber eyes were focused firmly on the ground, an unwelcome surge of self-consciousness sweeping over her.

Jason glanced at her, brown eyes somehow softer. "I...hadn't heard that one before. Thank you, Kasha," he said.

Maiya nodded eagerly. "I love that one!" she said cheerfully. "Does anyone else have one?"

~~~~

Ooc:// This story is based off of one in the Book of Mormon...hope that's okay. It was all I could think of. ^^