By the time Gregory and Orcus would have found Alexandra, she'd be watching a group of small animals not far away. "A mother and her pups." she whispered, hearing their footsteps behind her. "But not for dinner. Maybe when they're older." She began slowly backing away, silently, until she was far enough away to walk normally. "The smart hunter knows when to attack and when to wait. My uncle taught me that." she smiled, turning to walk back to the trail.

_________________
They taped over your mouth, scribbled out the truth with their lies, you little spies - You will release your life, joining with the god-damned world of the dead and the lonely. - Я сошла с ума, Mне нужна она
Innuendo Squad's Resident Lesbian
Usstan hull'phir j'nesstren, siyo, drill dos orn'la naut kampi'un tangis' ka dos orn'la xo'al ulu vok.<(Drow)-(Russian)>Я предпочитаю женщин, да, но вы не поймете, даже если вы попытались бы слушать.

William Bruce

William was busy dusting his lanky form after taking his tumble when he saw two of the other children walk up. Even though he didn't really socialize too much with the other children, with a few exceptions, he at least knew most of their names and faces. Peering through thick tangles of hair and dirt clods, he saw that it was Lydia and Junior. He was about to drum up the courage to return Lydia's greeting when Aldrnari spoke up. A look of dread slowly dawned on William's face as he listened to Aldrnari and her resolve to avoid the road AND the lodge. In an uncharacteristic move born out of panic, William spoke up, "A-a-a-avoid the road?. The color had drained from the boy's face at this point as he let his imagination conjure up hundreds of horrors that might be lurking just beyond the treeline. "But...but the road would surely be safer than going through the woods..." He nervously looked over his shoulder into the trees and gulped, barely managing to whisper "Right...?"

When Aldrnari started to talk about ambushes and holding out in the lodge, William started to shiver slightly with fear. Just hearing about it was almost enough to cause the boy to collapse on the spot. As if by a guardian angel, William heard someone calling for him from one of the other groups of kids. Still shaking, he turned to see it was Vincent. Vincent was one of the few people that William would speak to. Their friendship was made more bizarre considering how drastically different the two boys were. William gave an audible sigh of relief when he heard the invitation from Vincent. He turned back to Aldrnari and gave his best apologetic smile, which likely came off more like genuine relief. "I-I think that maybe it'd be best if I go with Vincent." He gave one last look at the treeline and revised his previous statement Actually, I'm sure that it'd be best if I go with Vincent. Sorry!" As he finished, William was already running awkwardly off towards his friend, stumbling again halfway and just barely catching himself before he went crashing to the ground. In his wake was a small cloud of dust that he hadn't managed to get off from his first fall.

As William made his way to Vincent, he skidded to a stop. He was with a couple of other kids, who he recognized as Emeline, Alexander and Malkizid. He skittishly looked looked at the other three kids, drumming up the courage to speak though it came out closer to a squeak than anything coherent. "Hi"

Vincent looked at Mal for a moment as he conjured up the fire. There was no real hint of recognition in this eye as the flame was doused by the cook. Sure it looked like it'd be good for a kitchen but beyond that it didn't really seem that useful. "Neat," he said simply looking back towards William, he didn't want to show off, and the cook looked like he enjoyed doing just that. Why show off? All it does is make you seem arrogant. He had only shown Emeline what he could do because she asked, and he wasn't about to light up a tree in the event he met someone new.

He walked up to William to meet him half way, "We'll stick to the road, and I'll stay in the back with you alright?" This journey was going to be uncomfortable for a lot of them, but for William it would probably be worse. With his fear of crowds and general nervousness he might have a harder time than most.

_________________

Emeline Harcourt - The first steps with Alexander, Vincent, Malkizid, and William

Emeline shrugged at Vincent's apology, "Ah it's nothing to worry about, you were just saying what you thought." She half-smiled at the boy, wondering if she had been visibly upset. She was usually better about hiding things like that.

She titled her head slightly and curiously looked at Alex as he explained that the path that Orcus and the others were taking wasn't the best one. 'Should we go tell them?' She looked down the path but they were out of sight 'Eh they'll be fine.' The carpenter turned back to the blacksmith, "All right, Alex. Lead the way." She punched the boy's arm playfully, "I'll take over once you get us lost."

It was then that William had come over to timidly greet everyone. Emeline, however, had only heard a small squeak, "What was tha- Will, Hey! Good morning, you excited?" She grinned at the young guard. She caught sight of Vincent approaching out of the corner of her eye as he came over to tell them that they'd be sticking to the road. "Nah, Alex knows another way we can go. It's probably safer than taking the path." She held up her arm in front of Alexander and pointed to the sundial watch he had given her, "It's time to go." The girl nodded with a bright smile on her face, indicating for him to lead the way on their first steps of the new journey.

{Amber Falls}

Crimcha smiled happily as he looked over the meticulously packed essentials that were so neatly placed at the bottom of his travel bag. Light, spacious, and very accommodating to anything I might find along the way. He nodded and crouched down to tie up the top of the roomy sack before slipping it on. As he stood, he brushed a stray bang from his brow that had been bugging him, finally looking at a window in the process.

All at once, that bright and cheery smile sunk. His jaw fell open and he ran to the window, hoping he was seeing things and that the sun wasn't actually where-"NOOOOOOO!!" His luck had never actually been that reliable, anyway.

Crimcha dashed to the door of the doctor's office, rushing out into town. His visage was all too blurred in his maddened hurry, leaving none to notice much of what had sprinted by, save for the hint of gold flickering through the air. And maybe a large poncho. By the time he had reached the edge of town to look for everyone, most of the others had left. Fortunately, he spotted William and some of his group still in sight and began running again to catch up. Stumbling and tripping over himself in the last moments as he slowed behind the others, heavily gasping for air.

"I... Spent too..." He blinked a few times and bent over, hands pressing onto his knees. It was some few seconds before he managed to catch his breath again. "Ugh... I am not used to running that much..." He finally straightened his stance as he began to walk with the others, still breathing a bit deeply with sweat already on his forehead. "And very sorry for joining so late... I took too long hunting down some things."

_________________

Fenrem woke up as he always did – to the sight of the low-hanging ceiling of the Amber Cellar – his current home and his master's undisputed domain. Sunlight did not reach the makeshift living quarters he had created for himself in a small cleared-out corner of the cellar, and he absentmindedly fumbled for the small oil lamp that was at his nightstand. He did not start as the light off the lamp illuminated his master's scarred features as he had been sitting on a large comfortable chair no more than ten footspan away. This was not, however, that rare of an occurrence, and though Fenrem had found it disconcerting in his earlier years, he had long learned to accept it as just another idiosyncrasy of a man who had a mountain of them.

Unlike his apprentice, Fenrem's master was not a pretty person. Perhaps, once, he had been pleasing to look at, but something had caused his face to scar and his leg to freeze – the man walked with a limp and a cane and his scars made his face look as if his face was plastered in a permanent grimace. While his clothes were never flashy or fancy or even in the most recent styles, Fenrem knew they had been precisely tailored with quality cloth one could not find in Amber Falls. The Order paid his nameless master very well for someone who was exiled to a remote town like Amber Falls. Fenrem had never asked why.

"Good morning, Fenrem," he said in his usual customary wry tone. "I trust you slept well after last night's festivities? I noticed you'd taken an extra flask of the 10-year from your shelf."

Fenrem shrugged as he began to dress in the clothes he had laid out the previous night. "I decided to share a farewell drink to Amber Falls with my friends."

"Ah, yes, what better way to say goodbye to your childhood than with a drink that has toppled everything from monarchs to barroom wenches."

Fenrem glanced at the dangerous glint in his master's eyes at the mention of barroom wenches. He knew that his master did not approve of his relationship with the Pilkington daughter.

"We had drinks with that blasted bard-in-training, and then I took her home when she was unfit to walk," said Fenrem nonchalantly. "I didn't touch her."

It was true, too. He had left the bard at the bar with the rest of the flask while he took Sandra home. It was a somewhat uncomfortable journey, as he was aware of both Sandra's dress riding dangerously high up her legs as well as the over-pleasant sensation of her breasts pressing against his back as he piggy-backed her home. As it was, he took pains to make sure that he did not take the normal streets and paths that might have had them bumping into someone. With his reputation, he could easily guess the rumors that would have spread the next day.

He only dropped her once, when she had tightened her hold on him suddenly and without warning. Barrels didn't do that. And, while she did not wake up, the drop had left a dirt stain on the back of her white dress. He briefly considered dunking the girl into a stream to get the dirt out, but decided against it for a number of reasons.

His discomfort did not dissipate as he finally arrived at the Pilkington house, either. His plan had been to arrive at her house, break in, deposit Sandra on her bed, and be on his way, but instead he found all the lights within the Pilkington house on and a very irate Ma Pilkington standing at the doorway, glaring at him as he appeared with her drunken daughter, dress all the way up to top-thigh and a long stain of dirt on the backside of her dress. Not to mention the slight snuggling.

He had briefly – briefly – considered using his magic to dampen the rage of Sandra's mother, but had decided against it. It would, most likely, be the last time he saw the woman and he wanted to keep some semblance of truth in his hometown. And if he did dampen her feelings towards him, he did not want to ruin the morning Sandra would share with her family.

That being the case, he did not offer any excuses as he deposited Sandra into her father's arms, while slipping him a small bottle of brand, and turned away, whistling as he left.

As he checked his supplies and added few extra layers of dried meat to his travelsack, he wondered about Sandra's morning with her parents, snickering to himself. He knew that the mother wouldn't be able to say anything that couldn't be misconstrued – at least the trip there would be somewhat entertaining. His snickering abated as he noticed that his master had gotten up to check on the various flasks and herbs that Fenrem was bringing.

"As I said before," said his master. "Do not disobey orders – once you are initiated, you are but a tool the Order of Muerin may use."

"Sounds great," said Fenrem acidly. "Really looking forward to being dehumanized and a slave."

"We are all but slaves in the eyes of Muerin," said his master softly. "It's a price we pay for the power we are given over people. You would be a "

"Been working real well for you, I can see," snapped Fenrem.

Silence ensued. It was an argument that they'd had countless times, and neither was really hurt by it. Still, the tense awkwardness that came as a result of it would probably never disappear.

It was Fenrem who broke the silence first after tightening the clasps on his satchel. He gave his master a jaunty grin.

"You going to miss me, Master?" he asked, looking his master dead in the eyes. "Because, bless my heart, I think I'll miss you."

His master was grim in his silence but shook his head. "Get out of here, Rem. And remember, once you join the Order, all of this," he motioned his hand towards Amber Falls, "will no longer be a part of you. When next we meet, you'll have a different name. So will I, for that matter. Good luck. And don't die."

And with that, his master left him to go back to the shadows of his cellar. Fenrem watched his back a little longer before making his way outside. He'd said goodbye to his parents – not that they'd paid him much mind, seeing as his brother's newborn was about all they could speak about for the past month. And so, with what he believed was his master's blessing, two kukri strapped to his belt behind him, and his dark-green cloak about his shoulders, he left the corner of the cellar that had been his home for nearly half a decade and began making his way over to the agreed-upon spot.

His eyes scanned the milling children for familiar faces – well, he supposed he knew most of the children in some form, but he was really searching for the ones he felt like he'd be spending the next few weeks, at least, with.

☽Aldrnari - Amber Falls☾

Aldrnari almost snorted in derision and held back the urge to roll her eyes as Renaldo described the section of the forest that they were going to pass through as dangerous. "The most dangerous part os this section of the forest is the fact that there's no water sources aside from the river or Sunfish Pond. That's easily handled by packing a full water skin and careful water rationing. The forest between here and Crenshaw is situated on flat lands, which means there's no comfortable space for large predators to den in, and the close proximity to human settlements means predators won't hunt in this area unless they have to, and never in the daytime. The forest is dense, which means large groups cannot travel easily, almost completely eliminating the chance of encountering large bandit groups, and the deciduous trees drop many branches, making it hard for small groups to sneak around. Well, unless they have a ranger with them, that is." She looked to the forest and smiled. Aside from another ranger, there was not likely to be anyone in the area who could give them too much trouble.

She looked back at the clockmaker and the baker soon enough, meeting their gaze cooly. "Following me won't be easy. The forest is very thick, and makes travel for those who do not know it's paths tedious and uncomfortable. If you'd rather take the road, now would be a good time to decide, otherwise, I'd like to stop wasting daylight." Aldrnari was itching to get moving, especially since Elson had charged her with finding out why Crenshaw wasn't sending aid to Amber Falls. Looking at the walking stick in hand, Aldrnari's nose scrunched up a bit as she weighed the benefits of using the walking stick while she was actually walking. Deciding against it, she flipped it up over her shoulder, and slid it neatly into the two loops on the back of her cloak, usually meant to carry her unstrung bow. She wanted to move quickly, and the walking stick would see little use in the flat land of the forest anyways.

_________________
Zath: Behold, Karo: The only woman in existence who can make Fenix shut the fuck up.
Redsnow: That, and, frankly, if Karo doesn't like you that much, your character is probably going to die soon after his acceptance anyway.
Keiran: Bad RPs don't get picked, unmemberable RPs get ignored.
Zelosse: I don't usually laugh at blatant attitude, but when I do. It usually involves Karo.

~Kurokage Shuriken Jr. with Lydia, Aldrnari, Renaldo, and (at the time) William~

Junior's eyes widened as Aldrnari told the group of children that they would not be taking the main road like Elder Herr told them to, but rather, they were going to be going through the woods instead. He gulped slightly as felt fear start to seep in even further, what with the idea of the journey being even more dangerous than he originally thought.

He glanced up at Lydia briefly; she seemed to be just as frightened now, though she was trying her best to keep a brave face. He looked back up at Aldrnari, unsure of what to say or do. Seeing William run off in fear to join Vincent didn't exactly help matters, either. Junior bit his lip and looked down at the floor for a moment, then returned his attention back to the ranger girl. Aldrnari looked like a dependable person, and she certainly seemed to know what she was doing. Maybe this will turn out alright after all. "I...I-I trust you, that y-you'll get us there safely..." he said finally. He looked up at Lydia. "R-Right, Lydia?"

_________________

Orcus stared silently at the animals for a moment, turned to look blankly at Alexandra's disappearing back and then stood up, all stealth gone as twigs and branches started snapping, causing the animals to bolt. What a waste of time. he thought as he watched the animals flee. He side-glanced at Gregory, creating enough evidence overall for anyone with good experience of people to notice an emotionally-stunted boy's mild annoyance. We shouldn't have deviated from the path. I'd appreciate it if you would influence your friend to not slow us down by making us take any more strolls through the forest. He said softly to Gregory before turning around to go back. It's simply that if we cannot even stay on the path till we lose sight of the village, at that rate of time on the path to detours, we will risk being late for our appointments and could end up causing concern for some kind-hearted person. Be it your master at the town or simply one of our comrades that will be at the rest-point. He coughed then, he'd been talking more than he was used to. Sorry for asking you, but I suspect you will be better at manipulating her. Orcus said, not caring for the negative undertones of the word "manipulate." It was what he wanted and he saw no need to put it in a nicer way.

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

Lydia went into even more shock when she had heard Renaldo’s words. Seriously, could this get ANY better? Both roads would be dangerous, and the woods seemed even more by what he had been talking about and BEASTS? Lydia’s eyes widened slightly behind the clear glasses she wore upon her nose. I do not want to be eaten for breakfast and heck, I’m not man enough for such roads. I’m just a girl. She thought. She still felt uncomfortable being in pants.

William sure had the best idea to reject the offer of going with Renaldo and Aldrnari, surely. Lydia watched as William bolted to his friend as Aldrnari spoke about what was really dangerous as part of the forest. She didn’t really know who to believe William or Aldrnari.

The girl didn’t really feel any better with all this information being poured in to her mind, the decision of which road to take was tough, but she knew she must decide for both herself and the younger boy next to her. Lydia glanced down towards Junior, thinking to herself in which path Sandra would take, wondering where the hell she was she glanced around to the other young apprentices seeing some already have moved off toward Crenshaw.

Lydia finally managed to speak still with uncertainty, “I don’t know. Perhaps it is best we should take the path Elder Herr has given us. We could get lost in the woods.” She sighed softly and turned to Junior, “Let’s just take the road.”

William Bruce

William managed to produce a wan smile at Vincent. "T-thanks Vincent. I'm not really, uh, good with crowds." There was definitely a tight knot of dread that had been constricting William as the moment to leave got steadily closer but somewhere deep inside of him there was something else. It was small glimmer of excitement, like a candle shining in an oppressive darkness. Something about this journey had begun to awaken something long buried and locked away. Perhaps something good would come of this journey after all.

Small glimmers or not, near paralyzing fear and apprehension still ruled William and not even the reassurances of traveling along the road did much to relieve his tension. He was so wound up that he wasn't expecting any of the other members of their little traveling party to actually return his halfhearted greeting. He fumbled for a response, most of it coming out as a word salad mess. He finally managed to find his voice long enough to put something coherent together. "Truth be told, Emeline, not very...This could be dangerous, couldn't it?" He clutched his spear to him as he used it like a staff to keep himself propped up. Even as William contemplated the imaginary horrors and abominations that awaited him he did manage to speak up again in a murmur just loud enough for Emeline to hear, "Though...maybe a little bit of danger could be fun, right?" There was the faintest hint of a smile on his face. It vanished just as quickly when Emeline mentioned that they would be going off the path as well. He was just about to protest when he realized that it was going to be a lost cause at this point. With his head hung limp, William gave a big sigh of resignation to his fate, "Alright, let's get this over with." Even as most of him was dreading the next few days, that small glimmer let out a cheer, pushing aside some of the miasma of apprehension surrounding it.

☽Aldrnari - Amber Falls☾

Aldrnari smiled at the clockmaker girl, amused by the fact that everyone wanted a ranger around when there was more trouble than they could handle alone, but never wanted to listen to a ranger when their ideas about the safety of the world around them were questioned. "I wish you luck on your travels then." Turning on her heel, Aldrnari raised a single hand in farewell, and in one deft motion, used that hand to flick the hood of her cloak into place, completely hiding her bright red curls from view.

Glancing briefly at Renaldo, she nodded towards the forest and stepped off the dirt road. Slipping into the shadow of the trees, her mottled cloak almost immediately obscured her from the view of the other children. She walked on, moving gracefully in between the trees, not waiting for Renaldo. She had no doubt that he would catch up before she made it much farther. She wasn't very far at all before the dense trees surrounded her completely, and she immediately began to watch the area around her for signs of unrest, but as close to the road as she was, the only thing she heard was the sound of birds chirping.

_________________
Zath: Behold, Karo: The only woman in existence who can make Fenix shut the fuck up.
Redsnow: That, and, frankly, if Karo doesn't like you that much, your character is probably going to die soon after his acceptance anyway.
Keiran: Bad RPs don't get picked, unmemberable RPs get ignored.
Zelosse: I don't usually laugh at blatant attitude, but when I do. It usually involves Karo.

~Kurokage Shuriken Jr. with Lydia~

Junior frowned softly when Lydia decided not to go with Aldrnari, choosing instead to stick to the road which they were meant to go in the first place. "Well...okay then, Lydia," he replied, then looked over to Aldrnari. "Umm, I'm sorry we can't come, then. Good luck on your path, too, Miss!" he said as he waved goodbye to the red-haired girl as she walked on ahead.

Junior returned his attention back to Lydia. "So...who do we go with, Lydia?" he asked her. They'd have to join someone's group; there was no way that meek little baker boy Junior and the sheltered clock-maker girl could go on through the road ahead of them and expect to be able to defend themselves, should trouble occur. It would feel safer, he thought, if they were in a group with people who were more able than they were. That's why he had wanted to place his trust in Aldrnari, after all; she certainly seemed like one who knew her way around these woods, and seemed to know exactly what she was doing and what to do, should a dangerous situation arise.

But of course, wandering off the given path was...an uneasy decision to make. No need to take unnecessary risks, right?

_________________

Vincent - On the road again~

Crimcha's abrupt sprint to the group startled Vincent. As the doctor ran towards William and the rest Vince almost jumped out of his own skin. "Are you alright?" he asked staring at Chrimcha. He was so focused on William and the rest that he didn't notice the other apprentice running to join their group. At any rate a larger band of travelers tends to ward off smaller groups of bandits... most of the time.

When Will agreed to go off the road to take a shortcut Vincent let out a sigh. It was the entire group against him on this one. Feral beasts and bandits could jump them anywhere, but on the road it'd be easier to run without worrying about tripping over a stray root. "I won't argue with an entire group, I'll just be on the lookout or anything potentially dangerous," he said. A part of him did agree with William, traveling off the road would be a lot more exciting than on the road, and with the extra danger it would be a more exciting trip. But that nagging part of him started to bubble over again, however he successfully quelled the urge to point out everything that could potentially go wrong by wandering from the path.

_________________

Gregory gave Orcus a smile and shrugged, "You hear that Alex? Orcus wants us to get a move on. We can probably get out on the exploration side using Sunfish Pond as a base, let's get a move on." Gregory grabbed his bags and made his way back to the trail. Despite being a shop-keep, his body was still fit and he was able to run through rough terrain with ease. He looked ahead and whistled a song he had heard in the village while he was growing up. "So Orcus, what exactly does a master Spook do? Like, what're you gonna be learning from your master?"

_________________
These are a few of my favorite things

"Yeah, I heard." she sighed, spinning to flash him an annoyed look. Hearing Greg's question she began walking backwards. "I'm curious too." Somehow, she was stepping around every obstacle, not tripping once, despite the fact she wasn't looking where she was going.

_________________
They taped over your mouth, scribbled out the truth with their lies, you little spies - You will release your life, joining with the god-damned world of the dead and the lonely. - Я сошла с ума, Mне нужна она
Innuendo Squad's Resident Lesbian
Usstan hull'phir j'nesstren, siyo, drill dos orn'la naut kampi'un tangis' ka dos orn'la xo'al ulu vok.<(Drow)-(Russian)>Я предпочитаю женщин, да, но вы не поймете, даже если вы попытались бы слушать.

Orcus looked blankly back at Alex before following after, keeping his eyes down to watch where he was putting his feet. There is no "Master Spook." he said, some distaste fitting round the title. There are simply some spooks that are more experienced, or more knowledgeable or more respected than others. There is no rank higher than Spook. As for what I'll be learning from him... he trailed off slightly, hopping over a branch. You know...little different things, things I wouldn't have been taught by Master Frost or Master Gaius. he said quietly, not noticing his changed speech style. Truthfully though, he wasn't entirely sure of the specifics. Master Frost focused on rituals of magic, and techniques to live by. Gaius taught him small quick spells and techniques that would keep him alive. As for Master Caduc... From what hints I gleamed, I gather that he's something of a modern man. Orcus said carefully. He's a recognised doctor and runs a few businesses, he's quite well off apparently. And he's also a crook, a gambler, a deceiver and frowned upon by us. The only reason he hasn't been thrown out is because not only is he useful, but that despite his transgressions, he still does good for his community for the sake of goodness. And it is good to have someone outside the norm. Orcus thought, he'd wondered just how different Master Caduc would be from Master Frost and come to the conclusion of "very." Medicine, economy, social arts perhaps. And you both?

_________________
“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

*Two Hours Later*

Great Amber Falls – Grendel’s Base Camp

Grendel had been awake since the break of dawn. He had arisen, dressed, had been barking orders ever since. Amber Falls had slept soundly this night, but now it was time for a reckoning. He would have the Amber Branch and some pathetic little village in the forest was not going to stop him.

“Men.” He shouted. Grendal spun in place, his cloak swish behind him. A trio of soldiers stood at attention before the man before he even had a chance to blink. Grendel smiled. Such loyalty his men held. “Prepare to march on the village. It is long since time we retrieved that which is our salvation.” He spoke loudly now, transiting smoothly from giving orders to making a full blown speech. “For too long now we have suffered at the hands of those who would see us destroyed, those who would see our skies blacken, and our people wither. To that I say NO MORE!” Grendel raised his fist to the air in triumph. By this time more soldiers and servants had gathered to listen to the man speak.

“NO MORE!” The gathering echoed with enthusiasm.

“The time to act is now. The time to strike is now! The time to take back what is rightfully ours is now!” There was a resounding cheer from the crowd. “Now get ready.” His tone shifted again, stern and commanding. The crowd immediately began to disperse. They knew better than to waste Grendel’s time. “On my signal, we cut them off and take our prize.” The camp was soon awash with activity as the soldiers prepared themselves for battle.

Amber Falls – Town Entrance

Grendel walked brazenly through the town entrance, alone, head held high. The guards posted there shot each other a wary look before stepping in to impede the man. “You!” One of the men shouted. “Turn back! You aren’t… hrg…” The guardsmen stopped, frozen in his tracks. Grendel gingerly placed a hand on the tip of the guard’s spear, and moved the point decidedly away from his general direction, before continuing his jaunt into the center of town. The two guards could only follow him with their eyes as he did. With barely so much as a flick of the wrist, Grendel had frozen them in place. “Pathetic.” He mused to himself.

Amber Falls – Ranger Lodge

Elder Her was angrily pacing the main room of the main room of the ranger lodge waiting for someone to show up. Hroth, and his rangers were conspicuously absent from their own damn lodge, Captain Gurd was probably rallying the troops, and Aria knew where Hemper was. Her stomped across the room. He had finally had enough of waiting. As the man threw open the door a familiar face greeted him

“Well well well! Elder Her, so very nice to see you again. Let us have a nice chat shall we.” Grendel wore a smile from ear to ear as he stepped into the doorway. Her went wide eyed at the sight of the man but stood firm.

“You.” Her sneered. “How did…”

Grendel rolled his eyes and poked the elder in the chest. Elder Her went flying. He slammed into the door to Hroth’s office and landed in a heap. “No, you elder. You have defied me and now you pay the price. Simple. As. That.”

“I told you…”

“You told me nothing elder.” Grendel scoffed. “But alas, it doesn’t matter anymore. My men will on your little village in moments.”

“No.” Her looked up at Grendel and spat in his face.

“Yes!” Grendel outright slapped the man sending him sprawling. “You are nothing more than a dog elder. Your scouts have been captured, your plans are surely in tatters, and your town is mine any time I wish.”

“Burn…”

“No you pathetic mutt.” Grendel knelt down beside the elder and gently caressed his face, gently guiding the man’s gaze to his own. “You will burn.”

-Amber Falls-

The door to the ranger lodge opened again some moments later. Grendel was the only man to leave. A pathetic looking mongrel scurried out behind him not long after, but Grendel paid it no mind. Not a single thought need be spent on pathetic little mutts. What was of more interest was lodge itself. Grendel retreated to a small distance and admired his handiwork.

Even miles away the cloud could be seen. A thick, choking black smoke rose from the direction village of Amber Falls. It wouldn’t be hard to spot, even above the tree line of the forest. It also wouldn’t take long to discover that something had gone, terribly, horribly wrong.

“Thank you Aldrnari.” Lydia whispered meekly in reply as she watched Aldrnari walk off and disappear into the forest. She glanced briefly towards Junior beside her, noticing the look of disappointment on his features and sighed softly before turning and making a start down the path. “We’ll catch up with the others.”

Lydia had been thankful that things have gone smoothly and the trek towards Sunfish pond wasn’t all that bad, it had seemed much better than the other option of going through the thick forest with Aldrnari. The sixteen year old secretly cursed herself for not being better at making decisions or had deciding which path to take and she had hoped that her friend Sandra would be with them, but couldn’t find her at all, she did know however that many of the other traveling apprentices were either not far ahead or not far behind.

The girl had mostly been silent for the two hours that passed by, here and there making light conversation between herself and her young friend, although unsure of what really to speak about as they kept a steady pace keeping view of another group up ahead. She had some regrets of not sticking to her ideas of going with Aldrnari.

Lydia watched the clouds drift in the skies, letting her imagination runaway with her as she tried to make out the shapes of the clouds and what they were illustrating. Some of the clouds seemed darker than they should be as hints of black and grey panning out into a thin stream. Frowning, Lydia turned on her heals and glanced back noticing the blackness becoming thicker and thicker before finally becoming a huge cloud of darkness and smoke.

“That can’t be..”

☽Aldrnari - Amber Falls☾

Something wasn't right. Only two hours into the forest and it was silent as a graveyard, with not a single bird or forest creature in sight. Motioning to Renaldo to wait a moment, she scrambled up the nearest tree, fitting her hands and toes into crevices barely big enough to be seen. She hauled herself into the topmost branches, thankful for her light weight. Scanning the horizon, the color drained from her face as she saw the huge wall of smoke rising up from the area their town was located in. The attack had begun earlier than anyone anticipated, making her mission that much more important.

Slippind through the branches, Aldrnari descended as quickly as she had climbed up the tree, dropping the last several feet and landing lightly on the ground, balanced on her toes and fingertips. Standing up, she immediately began moving again, at a much faster pace than before. "We have to hurry. I have less time than originally expected. Amber Falls is under attack, and will need reinforcements from Crenshaw immediately."

_________________
Zath: Behold, Karo: The only woman in existence who can make Fenix shut the fuck up.
Redsnow: That, and, frankly, if Karo doesn't like you that much, your character is probably going to die soon after his acceptance anyway.
Keiran: Bad RPs don't get picked, unmemberable RPs get ignored.
Zelosse: I don't usually laugh at blatant attitude, but when I do. It usually involves Karo.

Errant Milask, Amber Falls

The sounds of screaming and shouting drew Errant back to the world, his head ached, confusion reigned within his mind as he tried to stand but found the world heavy, he tasted blood but why? He ran his fingers to the source of the pain and slowly remembering he was arguing with someone... or was it a discussion? He remembered a flash of pain but what was the cause?

Where was he? He blinked several times as the blurry world around him came into focus, the library, that's where he was or at least what was left of it. The shelves were scattered, broken or appeared to have been toppled.
The old man is going to have a fit when he sees this. Errant dimly thought even as a chuckled at the image, vandalizing knowledge was pointless and truly a waste of time to his mentor.
The lad tried to lift himself up again but again the world felt heavy, no, that wasn't it there was something pressing down on him. It looked like one of the shelves had fallen on top of him, pinning him to the floor.

Other sounds began to filter into his mind but he couldn't comprehend it, "Must've been hit harder than I thought." He groaned as he began to wriggle his body trying to free it from the books and wood, pain ran through his mind as he moved his head too rapidly but Errant knew he had to continue. He recalled that he came here to research something, something that had been bothering him but what was it again? He knew his uncle wanted him to leave to Crenshaw but what made him change his mind? What was it again that delayed him?

The smell of smoke told him something was burning, it was a familiar smell, he had gone through that once before, the smell of a burning house. No, don't focus on that, get out and then go down memory lane. Errant dismissed as he began to free himself. He had to get his priorities straight. If there was a fire then this is probably the worst place to be.