Truly alone...

[DarkSilver]

The soft texture beneath her was what Keri first felt as she began to awaken. The spongy bed beneath her and the light blanket protecting her aching body from the numbing cold of night.

Her deep breathing stopped and was replaced by short intakes of breath as she took in her surrounding scents. A sharp scent made her wince as it passed through her nose. She lifted her arm slowly,ignoring the shots of pain she received and pushed the blanket from her letting the cold air completely surround her.

Her eye lids felt heavy but the cool air seemed to rouse her , she moved her arms around to waken them and she then tried to awaken her legs. Weakness dragged at them and her muscles would not move.

She reached down and rubbed her legs to get them warm again and rouse them from empathy. Heat began to seep back into her weakened form and she lifted her long strong legs and shots of pain went through them once again. Ignoring it she swung her legs slowly over the end of the bed and she felt her feet rest on the cold stone floors sending shivers down her spine.

Keri opened her eyes slowly and her vision was slightly blurred at first, but as she let them adjust her spectacular eyesight slowly returned and she could see perfectly in the dark room.

It was quite small , and cluttered with books and many containers which contents were quite dark and looked very thick and sticky like poison.

Keri sat up but as she did a violent pain shot up her spine causing her to yelp involuntarily. She clapped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from alerting anyone to her consciousness.

Keri looked at her body and found that she had many partially healed wounds , some had bandages and the larger ones were covered with a strange paste that had sealed over the wounds like a new layer of skin.

Keri slowly reached back with her arm to the back of her shoulders and felt the familiar wound she had gained from her first encounter with the shade twins. She rubbed her cool hand over the burning wound but winced as her cool fingers hit a new scar. Leading from half way down each of her arms and cut clean across her old wound and shoulders over to half way down her other arm. She felt the tightness of the scar upon her back as she put her arms down once again. She rubbed her throat and traced the thin scar that wound around her neck twice and gave her a slightly striped appearance. A scar the same as this was upon her right arm , a whips mark.

Her dark silver eye's traveled past her arm to rest upon her thigh, which had been sealed by the strange paste.
The vision of the dark dagger burying itself into her thigh flashed before her haunting eyes making her wince slightly as she remembered the blow. A frown contorted her features slightly and she felt the tightness upon her forehead as well, a scar above her right eye had been bandaged.

Keri looked at her scarred self a slight horror rising in her chest. It took a few moments before the horrible memories of the whole night flashed before her eyes ending with her being dragged into the dark in an explosion of drowning pain and a wild howl of pain tearing past her lips making her throat raw.

Her throat still burning from the cry Keri readied herself to stand. Her strong arms gently pushed her up onto her long legs and they still held her. Keri sighed with relief, knowing it wouldn't take long for her staggering balance and grace to return to her.

Silently she walked across the room and soon found her clothes. She gently pulled on her black leather trousers and her black jacket that hugged her form slightly enabling her to use her grace and stalking abilities to the fullest extent. She pulled on her light yet tough leather boots and buckled them.

The moonlight's reflection caught her eye and she turned and saw her dark silver sword ,belt and scabbard leaning on a chair. She put on her belt and belted on her scabbard. She held her long slim sword at eye level and wiped some dried blood from it.

The bloods smell and how much it had dried , told her she had been unconscious for over a week.

Sheathing the sword she pulled the ribbon from her hair letting her dark copper curvy hair fall down her back and in the moonlight appeared blood red.

Silently she walked to the door and opened it. Walking into a barren hallway she walked down it no sound announcing her presence.

Her limbs still burned from the recent alien substance pumping along her veins, but her mind was in worse condition. She had no memory of why she was here. She felt alone , for the first time in a long,long time. A familiar scent flowed past her. her mind exploded with the memory of Saeunn. She tried to contact him , but felt nothing there. Her heart began to beat wildly. Where was he? She couldn't feel him there with her any more. She ran from the halls and into the cold air outside her long legs carrying her swiftly over the hard ground.

Tears began to bite at her as a gape opened up in her.Believing Saeunn may be dead. She only stopped running when she was far from the houses and was completely alone in a small woodland. She lifted her head and felt a mournful cry try to push by her.

Her lips parted and a sweet tune passed by them and echoed over the land for many miles. The tune was not an elf's. It started low and swung to a higher pitch before dying away. A true wolf's howl....

Keri spun round as a dull thud echoed around her. Her heart leapt in terror and relief as she recognized a dragons flight. She waited for the dragon to come into veiw........

[Arkantos]

Arkantos was hunting that wolf when he heard a thud. A shadow passed over the moon and as he looked up, he saw the figure of a dragon flying to wards a clearing in the forest and decided to follow it as best he could, for being around a dragon always made for an interesting time. He mounted Wingfoot, his horse, and readied his longbow, just in case he met that wolf on the way there. The dragon was going in just a straight line, but Arkantos knew a shortcut through the woods and made it just as he saw the dragon start to near the clearing. In the clearing was a girl, horribly scarred, he felt a stab of sorrow for the girl. Her tormented form looked like someone else he used to know, a long time ago....Arkantos shook that particularly morbid thought out of his mind and focused on the present, and the dragon that was starting to land... In his mind, he knew that this girl was not an enemy, but Varden rules stated that after the Vault of Souls incident, all Riders must be confirmed of their allegiances, and if they were Empire, convinced to join the Varden, or, if they would not join, then captured or killed, if possible.

[DarkSilver]

Keri could feel it now , their mind link had dissapeared completley. It was like before Keri had become a rider, she now felt truly alone. Standing in the dark of night she lifted her palm to eye level and saw the
gedwey ignasia had turned darker ,almost black. She touched its surface and horrible pain rushed through her sending her to her knees, she clenched her jaw shut just managing to stop a howl of pain breaking from her. She no longer knew if she was a rider. The poison had done somthing to her, but what about Saeunn.

Another thud echoes through the air as large wings pushed through the air growing steadily faster. Keri looked up and saw the dark blue dragon. She pulled herself to her feet and ran to him ,stoping by his side and hugging his nose.

She tried to remake the mind link between them but nothing was there to remake. Saeunn's body language told her that he felt the same as her. Alone.

She asked hoping he would understand ''Do you think it's permanent?'' she spoke her voice slightly rough for it had been a long time since she had spoken.

Saeunn's dark head lowered slightly and his sparkling silver eye's faded. Keri sighed, she couldn't tell if it would be permanent. She needed somone with more experience in poisons and antedodes, a witch.

Keri stopped dead still as her sharp ears heard movement. The light steps of hooves that were comnig closer , from the trees right behind her.

In a lightning fast movement she jumped out of the way and unseathed her lethal dark silver sword and faced what was to come. She didn't strike, she just kept a slight distance from the rider and didn't take her haunting dark silver eye's from him. Saeunn gave a low hiss and stepped back slightly but was ready to snap at him if the need came.

''Who are you?'' came Keri's smooth but dark voice...

[Arkantos]

"A friend, if you will have me." Arkantos calmly explained. He noticed her body language, the fact that her sword was unsheathed, and the dragon hissing at him, ready to strike at a moments' notice.

"If not, well, lets just say that you'd be dead almost before you said a word..." As if to drive the point home, he launched his spear into the trees and got a satisfying thud as the wolf that was stalking them fell over, dead.

"Gotcha, ya little bugger," he growled, reverting to his northern accent. "But I digress; my name is Arkantos, and I am a sabatuer and jack-of-all-trades in the Empire for the Varden. And, from the way that dragon is reacting to me, I'd say you were a Rider, yes?" His voice was carefully shaped to be innocent, honest, and have a hint of steel in it, all in the same sentence.

"Oh yes, I know, but don't worry; I won't hurt you-yet." He murmered with a touch of black humor. "Oh, and, by the way, I didn't catch your name, nor who you are with. Well, where does your alligience lie?"

[DarkSilver]

Keri's sharp hearing picked up the rustle behind her and the fammiliar scent of one she considered her own kind came to her. Her haunting dark eyes did not leave him. A slight chuckle came from her at his comment.

Keri watched as he launched the spear a slight tenseness bulding up in her. Her fears were confirmed as the scent of blood reached her.

Her dark silver eyes glittered with rage and her heart began to thud wildly with a rush of adrenaline.A low wolf's growl bubbled in her throat.

'' ....and what makes you so certain of that? For you don't know what I am truly capeable of..'' came her darkened voice that quivered slightly as she tried to control her rage. '' ...or what I truly am...'' she finished.

Keri seathed her sword and stood quite relaxed before him , she knew that her speed would keep her safe.
''Aye , I am a rider. '' she said in a smooth tone that betrayed slight signs of burning anger.

A devilish grin played about her lips in his confidence. ''Do not be too over-confident my friend. Many have gotten themselves killed by hunting those not meant to be hunted'' she said smoothly with a dark hint of what he had just done may get him killed.

'' My alligance lies with many,those who oppose the ways of the empire, but not primarily with the fair folk or the Varden.'' she growled.........

[Arkantos]

darksilver said:

'' My alligance lies with many,those who oppose the ways of the empire, but not primarily with the fair folk or the Varden.'' she growled.........

" I did not mean to insult you, nor your ideals. Oh, and by the way, I have a small hatred of wolves. I will tell you why, though, seeing as you still don't trust me. It was a few years ago. My friend Barahir and I went exploring in the forests near our homes, and we got separated. It took me hours to find him, and when I did... the wolves had gotten to him first. I slew all of the wolves when they came back, but the horror of that night still remains in my mind... the only one, aside from you, that has heard this is my sister, Serenity, and she has told no one. So, you have my deepest apologies if I angered you. Are we allies?" As Arkantos waited for a responce, he noticed something glittering in the throat of the wolf he had killed.

"What's this?",he muttered,as he picked it up.

"Why, it's a ring! And an incredible one at that! That wolf must have eaten well recently." The ring itself was of marvelous workmanship. A silver band, woven to resemble vines, with a blue amythyst crystal the size of his eye mounted on top.

"To the victor belongs the spoils!" He said grimly, as he slipped it on his finger.

[DarkSilver]

Keri felt a small sympathy to his loss, but the fury still burned inside her.

'' Yes, We are allies, but I wish you'd stop this war against my race, as I am more wolf now than what I used to be.'' She said her voice softer now.

Keri watched as he slipped the ring on his ringer, slightly curious of what it had been eating. She decided she would find out later with scents and tracking.

'' I am honoured you trust me with this and I am sorry for your loss. I admit , a wolf may have hunted down and slew your friend. Yet what makes you think it was the wolf that hunted him? A bear may have gotten him and a wolf pack may simply have come across him. Neither one of us can be sure...''

[Arkantos]

"Ah, yes, well, I guess I hadn't thought of that... you may be ri-" Arkantos was stopped by a sudden glow in the crystal on his finger.

"What the-" Arkantos stammered as a bolt of dark blue light enveloped the clearing.
He watched with awe as every wound on his body was being healed at a rapid pace, and the elf's body was practically inhaling them. His tattoo of the goddess of the hunt on his forearm burned hotly to writh and strech, until finally, it resembled the Gedwey Ignasia, but still held all of the features of his old tattoo....

As the light started to fade, he faintly heard a voice singing, singing, into the distance, until all he could hear was the humming of a gigantic tree, with the sound of clear elven voices merrymaking around it.....

(Dun Dun Dunnnnn!!! Spooky, ain't it?)

[DarkSilver]

((Whoa! ..yeah....rrreeaaalll spooky @.@. Okay , are they unconcious ? or..well fill me in .hehe))

Keri gasped as the blue light enveloped the clearing.She moved back from the ring but her thigh twinged painfully causing her to growl involuntairliy. Her whole body began to tingle and burn slightly and she felt a slight purity slowly pass through her, spreading from her chest over to the rest of her.

The echoes of clear elven voices came to her sharp hearing and she tried to block out the sounds, but after a moment deemed it pointless. She had no strength without Saeunn, she couldn't even talk with him. Tears bit at her eyes.She was no longer a rider and Saeunn was a lone dragon.

Through the dark Keri saw his tattoo had turned a silvery blue...She gasped as she reconised somthing that resembled what the mark on her palm once looked like. The clear elven song drowned out her sences and Keri gained the impultion to join the song, but she found she couldn't move and soon the hypnotic humming of the tree drowned out everything........

[Arkantos]

((Okey-day, that ring is supposed to heal and purify anyone it deems worthy. It also puts you in tune with nature 400% more than you already were, so that you could basically form a bond with any creature..Oh, and we're both conscious, it's just that it puts you in a trance and connects you with the Blood-Oath ceremony at any time, even if it's not being held.. Think about it... what happened to Eragon...DO THE MATH! ))

Arkantos was surrounded by the humming of the great tree when he took his mind away from his tattoo, and hurriedly took off the ring, afraid of what else it might do. And not a moment too soon. That very second, a shaft buried itself next to him, and a horn was sounded.

"Curse them! An Empire raiding party!" Arkantos growled to himself. He pulled out his longbow and waited for his target to reveal itself....

[DarkSilver]

((Wow. Keri's already like the goddess of nature! Lol. She must now be mother nature herself! . hehe.))

Keri felt her blood surge round her wildly.Her heart beat faster and her senses sharpen to an unbelievable height. All scent's around her were now sound with her. She could know everything that was going on , everything around her. Completely at home with her senses.
Keri closed her eyes till they grew used to the peculiar sharpness of her vision. She didn't tense as a new unfriendly scent passed her.Her blood lust raving she spoke quietly '' Let them come''[/color].

The sound of cutting air came to her and she heard the thud of the shaft burying itself withing the tree and the scent of tree's blood came to her strong. A second sound of cutting air came and she kept her eyes closed as she let it near. As the arrow passed by her ear with lightning speed she snatched it from the air and turned ,aimed and threw the arrow at the force of a crossbow. Her vision followed it, every ripple of the plume on the end as it plummeted through the air and the droplets of blood splattering on it as it struck a soldier. Everything seemed to have slowed down slightly but Keri was still at normal speed. She felt a new presence in her, not just Saeunn's mind link was with her, but many links. That of an ant, a tree, a bird. The forest would be her eyes. She found one of a bird and used its sight to tell her of the soldiers. How many and where.

Her breathing, deep and relaxed she looked over the Arkanos as he prepared to fight.Her gaze faced to where the soldiers would appear soon.

''Saeunn,Go to the skies. Stay there and out of sight.. If I need help I will call.''[/color]

Saeunn snorted in slight disagreement but spread his huge dark wings and took to the skies. Keri felt the surge of air with great new proportions, every movement of a leaf she saw. It felt like almost seeing the wind itself.

She croutched and felt her leg muscles tense, she released them and jumped up into the tree above her grabbing a low branch with good grip. She swung herself onto to branch and crouched, sword ready to taste empyrean blood. She let the first few empyreans walk by unharmed and spot Arkantos and think he's alone. Three men charged at Arkantos while three others waited behind, one came a bit apart from the others alone, a straggler. Keri grinned,of course the wolf always goes for the straggler first.

Keri jumped down behind the man landing with only a very light thud. So light he did not hear it nor even suspect Keri was there, perfect.
Keri clamped her hand tightly over the mans mouth and ran her blade across his throat. Killing him in deadly silence.
A rustle behind her came to her sharp hearing and she turned to face the oncomers...

[Arkantos]

Arkantos felt the life forces of the three Empire raiders who charged at him. He quickly fired at one, killed the other with magic, and then told a sleeping hawk to gouge out the eyes of the third. As Keri delt with her own opponents, Arkantos couldn't help but admire her style. Her finnesse, her grace, and her total lack of mercy impressed him.

"Stop it!" He scolded himself."You don't want to endanger this relationship with your emotions this early on! But, then again..."

Arkantos snapped out of it to find his subconcious had been busy at work telling a tree to tie up his blind prisoner, who looked like a monster covered in blood and leaves. He quickly told the tree to stop and had several snakes deal with the stragglers. This was turning out to be an interesting night after all...

[DarkSilver]

The scent of blood teached Keri even before the soldiers piercing creams broke from him. The sight of him in the tree caught her eye, the sight entrigued her.

'' User of nature in battle. Not a bad idea but, its far too much fun doing it by hand ''[/color] she thought a devilish grin passing her lips.

Her eyes cast foreward as the leaves were pushed back by a solider.''Just one?.....Lucky him''[/color] She added sarcastically .

She waited for the soldier to advance and strike at her. Taking a heavy built sword he swung diagonally at keri, whos dark elven sword swung up swiftly to meet the heavy sword with a clang. Keri was caught by suprise as her blow knocked the sword from the soldiers hands, she had grown stronger.

Keri held her sword point to the man's throat but paused as she heard another creep around her to try catch her off, a bad mistake.

The soldier behind her jabbed at her back with his sword but keri jumped up out of the blow range and watched as the soldiers sword pierced the disarmed ones gut. Keri landed on the flat side of the sword with balance of little effort and kicked the soldier in the nose shattering the bone to the front of his skull. A cry echoed by her and she landed lightly on her feet as the stabbed soldier fell down dead.

Keri reached for the magic in her and felt an explosion of power. She had never been that powerful in magic but now felt the wild's powers surging through her, her
energy felt so immence she would gladly take on a whole squad of the empires men alone and be confident she'd only be slightly winded afterwards.

A devilish grin played on her lips, her speed,agility and fighting abilities alone had allowed her to kill a shade, what she could possibly do now? The thoughts that raced through her mind slightly disturbed her.

Keri decided to put the man out of his misery, she reached for the power and pinched a vital brain stem. The man stopped screaming in agony instantly and fell down dead.

Two other soldiers ran from the darkness and charged her. A barrage of sword strikes rained towards her. One swung down towards her in a splitting motion and the other swung at her legs. Keri stood on the flat side of the one that swung at her legs and felt the blade break and stop beneath her boot, she raised her elven sword over her head and the sword stopped as she pushed against the strike. She jumped back and ran at the one whose blade lay in shattered pieces. The man swung low at her stomach as she ran with the jagged stub of his sword. Keri bend her legs and leant back skidding beneath the blow.She pushed her arms out and grabbed his ankles as she slid beneath him pulling his legs from under him and making him fall to his knees. Keri leant back and stabbed her sword at his back and felt the satisfying crunch of his shoulder blades being pierced, she even felt the vibrations of his hearts last beats through the handle of her sword.

Keri pulled her sword from the dead mans back.She saw the other man run at her preparing to stab at her unprotected body. In a flash Keri had rolled forwards out of the strike and she heard the crunch as the sword embedded itself into the earth. She spun as she got swiftly to her feet and her sword swung around her and met with the man's chest, the clear sound of slicing flesh rang through her as his chest was laid open and he fell down at her strike.

Saeunn's vision passed by her eye's and she saw but 6 men left and Keri could sence his feeling of fullness.

Keri ran swiftly to Arkanos' side ready to face any more encomers. Her sences and the forest telling her everything...
She was begining to enjoy her new abilities..

[Arkantos]

(Aren't you, though?

Arkantos had gotten tired of just playing around with the Empire scum. Now it was time for the real joy of battle. He found the minds of a rattlesnake, a bear, and a wolf nearby, and let them joyously fuse with his presence.

"Let us feast on their flesh!" He growled, his voice not entirely human.
With a savage roar he picked up his spear and charged the remaining half dozen or so raiders, who were seriously regretting ever volunteering for this mission.

The first one went down after a mace swing to the arm had made Arkantos strike the poor man's inner calf; he went down in a scream of pain and fear, and was finished by a quick stab to the gullet.

The second died as Arkantos picked him up and with inhuman strength, snapped the man's spine in two. He threw the corpse across the clearing and into one of his comrades.

Arkantos then calmly walked up to the prone man, deflecting the panicked blows of the raiders. He whispered, "Now, you die.", and used magic to pick him up and strangled him with his bare hands.
He then walked back to Keri and bowed, saying:

"Would you like to kill the rest, or shall I?" By now the raiders were begging for mercy, so Arkantos asked Keri to at least spare one.

"So that he may bring word back to his superiors and create more fear among the Empire's soldiers." He explained, with a smile playing on his lips.

[DarkSilver]

Keri's ears perked slightly as the sound of breaking bones echoed around her. She slowed her breathing and tried to let the bloodlust die just as she used to, but it still boiled in her. She stabbed her sword into the ground to wipe the blood from it and then seathed it.

keri watched as Arkantos bowed and she was about to agree when a flash a rage hit her. The memory of her old family , slain mercylessly by the crimson cloaked soldiers of the empire. Hear heart gave a great thud as this thought crossed her mind and her dark eyes exoressed anger but also fear at this new powerful rage within her. The wild was taking over , more so than ever before....

She looked up to Arkantos and said
''If they give us no harm , we shall leave them.''.

She looked to their terrfied faces, and broke into their minds. The terror filled her to the brim and she only felt the need to turn and run from this place as it was filled with terrifying creatures of nature.

Taking herself from their minds she then stopped. '' But the greatest element is suprise, The empire wouldn't know of us and we would be able to take straggling groups of men in battles and they wouldn't suspect it. I would prefer not to kill them, but even if I do wipe their memorys clear of this night, a powerful spellcaster can undo them'' she said with a sigh.
Hoping he would have another option as she had run out of ideas....

[Arkantos]

"Fine, but I have an idea." Arkantos said. He walked forward to the terrified men and bound them with silvery strands of fog-like air, solidified to make them near-unbreakable. He addressed the soldiers.

" Alright. Now, you have seen what we can do; will you turn from the Empire's service? Will you serve the Varden? If you don't, I will rip out your throats one by one and drink your blood like a rare wine. Do you understand?" After the soldiers proved thier worth by swearing an oath in the ancient language; Arkantos sent them on their way towards Aberon.

"And tell them Arkantos Halimar sent you!" He called after the men as they fled on the road.

"Now, the moon is high in the sky. I suggest you get your dragon back here pronto so we can set camp. If you need anythng, I can lend it to you." He offered, unloading supplies from Wingfoot, who had been snoozing in the bushes during the entire incident. Within minutes there was a respectably well protected campsite in the clearing, with a roaring fire and food being warmed on a few flat rocks he had shaped nearby. " And now, I suugest you get some sleep; my summer home provided by the Varden is a day's ride away from here, and we'll need the energy." And with that, he laid back and meditated by watching the stars for a few minutes.

[DarkSilver]

Keri watched curiously as he bound the soldiers. She ran throguh the promises of the ancient language through her head to make sure there was no way around it and smiled as they seemed okay.

Saeunn landed by keri without her thinknig of calling to hm and he nuzzled her and checked if she was alright.

'' Calm down, I am fine [/i]

'' Good '' he replied.

keri gasped loudly as she heard his reply, she was overwhelmed by emotion as she felt their mind link had returned stronger than ever. She hugged Saeunn's nose laughing giddily and he growled lowly in a pur causing the cool air surrounding him to vibrate slightly..

Smiling Keri looked to Arkantos and said ''Thank you but I have everything I need here.'' she said gently poking the saddle back that was on Saeunn's back.

keri watched as the campsite seemed to erupt around her within minuetes.
Keri sighed and said '' I may not go to sleep tonight, after all I have just been awoken from what I believe was two weeks unconciouness'' she said .

'' After that I am still unsure of the day, what had happened within the Varden and they still do not know that I am awake, out of bed and walking let alone evolving into a woman who listens only to her wild instincts and fighting a whole Empiryan abush. she said with a grin.

Her dark eyes looked upon the ring for a moment before she walked towards a bare peice a grass... but somthing amougnst the pile of bodies caught her eye. Se walked over and found a whip lashed to one of the mans belts. She took off the whip and examined it. It was beautifully made and had a hardened handle that was covered with a lining of silver becorated liek a sider-web for grip. The long polished lash of black leather stretched out to 6 ft and had linings of silver stitched into the leather and it looked like a black lightning bolt. Keri knew this couldn't have been made by any of the empire, this was elven. She saw on the handle a dark silver tribal mark embedded into it. The symbol looked like a wolf spirit that was in her elven scrolls. It resembled the mark on her sword and she growled...This belonged to one of her own. They had been to Du WeldenVarden and stolen it..either that or killed on of her packmates. Her grip tightened around the handle and she unseathed her sword. The dark silverr marks on the handle were exactly the same, meaning this certainly was one of her own's weapon. Seathing her sword se rolled up the whip and belted it on. She continued to search through the rest of the soldiers and found a bottle of somthing she hadn't seen in a while. Somthing made deep in the packlands that looked like blood, but it had an irregular metal shine on it. She grinned, they didn't know that it was a spiced energy giveing wine as there was a label on it saying not to drink. She put it in her pocket and found ntohing else on them that was any worth. She walked to the bare patch of grass near Arkantos and lay down letting her body relax and felt her energy drop massivley now she had stood still. It suddenly hit her that she hadn't eaten in a while.

Saeunn lay by her and she took off his saddle bag and found inside the flask of logng life veg soup she had made just before she was bed bound.

She poured some out into a metal pan and placed it over the fire to let it heat. When hot she took it off and poured it back into the flask and she drank from it, the releif came to her empty stomach and she sighed happily as the warmth seeped through her. She lay down on a bare and dry patch of grass and stretched letting herself relax, drinking from her flask every so often. Her dark eyes followed Arkantos' gaze to the skies. But her focus was on the moon...Saeunn looked to Arkantos' and he spoke
'' I haven't met you yet I believe, My name is Saeunn.Keri tells me you are Arkantos. Tell me Arkantos..where have you come from and what braught you to the Varden? ''. Being curious as always....

[Arkantos]

Arkantos grinned as Keri found the whip; he knew it was there and wanted to see her reaction. He didn't know why he liked her; perhaps it was because she was so different from everyone else, or perhaps it was just his longing for someone who could appreciate nature as much as he did; either way, he felt kind of giddy around her. As she sat down, eating and drinking her provisions, he felt a powerful presence talk to him. The voice said its name was Saeunn, and sounded unmistakably male. Arkantos realized that it must have been Keri's dragon that spoke, and so replied as most people who are educated and know Rider etiquette by voicing out his replies.

"Well Saeunn, I born in Ceunon, near the borders of the Du Weldenvarden. I came to the Varden because..well.. I'm not really sure, but I think it was just to kill, see Alagaesia, and to see one of your kind, Saeunn." Arkantos explained.

"Hey, you know what, would you two like some sweetbread? I got it off some 'generous donors' yesterday, and the fun thing about them is that they always stay soft!"Arkantos said, getting a loaf out.

[DarkSilver]

Saeunn listened to his reply,entriged that he wanted to see dragons.

'' You and I both, I am a year and a half now yet I have never properly met any other dragons ''[/color] he said lying down beside Keri and sighing loudly almost deafening Keri with her new hearing.

''ekk!'' she objected and Saeunn replied by gently batting her head with his dark wing.
Keri poked Saeunn's stomach in a place she knew really tickled him as a warning, and he pulled back his wing and lay his head down on the soft saddle.

Keri grinned and said '' Yet somthing tells me these 'generous donors' had no specific choice'' she said in a sly tone.
Keri looked at the loaf quizzically, she didn't recall ever having sweetbread.

I don't think I've ever had it..so...Sure '' she said brightly...
Saeunn sniffed at it curiously but then lay his huge head down beside keri his hot breath keeping both Arkantos and Keri warm......

Keri pulled the whip from her belt and looked at the symbol on the handle slightly crestfallen....if anything had happened to them when she was gone..she didn'tt know what she would do.They had taught her to embrace her instincts yet control them.But now she was more wild then ever and didn't know if her human's mind could control the wolf's spirit...She let her worreis leave her and she lay back fully on the patch of grass and stretched in an almost cat like manner so her tensed muscles could relax then she lay flat on her back to watch the moon for a while....

Her dark eyes glanced to the ring again and curiosuly she asked. ''where do you suppose it came from? '' she asked gesturing to it..

[Arkantos]

Arkantos smiled as he saw the Rider and her dragon interact,then frowned as he heard this latest question from Keri.

"I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with the Menoa Tree, something important..." He started, "But I'd have to gain entrance to Ellesmera, and that will be almost impossible with them preparing for war.. But no matter, perhaps the morning will bring more answers." He said, as he began to fall asleep.