"That's fine," Leith muttered to Chogan, picking off the knights one by one, hoping eventually the rest would get the hint and retreat. "Just take care of yourself. I'm not here to babysit." She couldn't help but watch his obvious skill with the bow, and wondered where he had learned it. She had never been one for weapons of any kind, not when magic got the job done far better. As another line of knights came forward, she swept them back with another blast of shadow. "They just keep coming!" she grunted. "O, what fools these mortals be..."

((That's fine, you weren't god-moding or anything. It's better than having the fight drag out for ages, anyway.))

Leith looked around quickly at the village, damaged by the battle as it was. At least the villagers were safe, though. Walls and streets were far more durable than mortal lives.

Her face was fraught with distress, however--even more than it had been during the battle, when she had been relatively stoic. As her icy eyes clouded over, she turned from Ellediar and Chogan and began making her way toward the village gate, stumbling on scattered rubble as she forgot to see where she was going. She had done what she had to, and now she had to escape or face the consequences. It was time to move on, go far away, to a place where rumors of the "witch" had not yet spread. She had seen Ellediar's wound, but couldn't bring herself to do anything about it--it was best not to stick around long enough for questions to be asked.

(( I'm all fine with it too ^^ ))

"I don't need a babysitter!" he snapped back at Leith, before sending several arrows angrily at the targets, missing with nearly all. Then his head snapped to the fleeting knight and he shoot three arrows at him, all placing themself in the gate. He grunted unhappily and grinded his teeth together.

Sighing, he began to stretch his neck and fingers, placing the bow on his back. He looked down at the arrows he had back, before pouting. He would need to cut and make new arrows. Luckily he had some heads back in a pouch from last time.

Looking at the boy coming with his horse, he grinned and ruffled the guys hair, watching him run off. Then he stroke Saphire's neck thoughtful. The pouch should have enough money to help the village get on it's legs again.

With that in his mind, he took the pouch out and hided it, so it would be found, knowing some people probably would be too proud to take it. He looked at Leith, who was on her way out of the village. With a loud shout, he grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" He asked uncertain, adverting his glance to the elf, who had a gotten hurt, his eyes lingering at the cut.

"Don't touch me," Leith growled to Chogan, her fading energies rippling across her body as she fought to subdue her exasperation. With her free hand, she took his wrist in a surprisingly strong grip and wrenched it away from her arm. She was in no mood to be misunderstood by the very people she had helped save. It had happened far too often before.

However, her angry features softened when she saw the elf standing in front of her, not the least because of the magic beast accompanying Ellediar. Leith knew better than to incur the wrath of those creatures. "The power I wield is not evil," she sighed, her cold eyes dull with pain, "merely misconceived by the false traditions and twisted philosophies of mortals trying to make sense of something they know little of. That is why it would be best if we parted ways. Due to the nature of my abilities, I must work alone." They were the same tired phrases she had repeated to herself over and over before she slept at night. Hers was a solo mission. Any attachments formed to anything or anyone were sure to be broken eventually, anyway.

Rubbing his long fingers, he shrugged. "Okay, okay. Relax," he mumbled. Pretty sourly. He didn't like being hurted, not that he thought anybody did. Then he looked at the two females talking over his head. He really didn't understand magic and all that. Never had a small grain of potential. Not like his sister, who actually could heal pretty well. She once used it to make his arm break, it had hurted like hell. Since that they hadn't been pretty good friends. Due to him calling her a crazy hag, who thought she was something, just because she could use magic. Then he had mocked her about everytime he had the chance.

Loosing his jaw more and more as the elf began to go into description of her magic, he yawning slightly, not bothering about his manners. He patted Saphire on her neck, going into a little chit-chat about how magic users tended to talk for ages about their special magic, then the other would tell about their special magic and then the ball rolled. Saphire just waved around with her ears, listening to her masters voice, not knowing which words he spoke.

Leith listened as Ellediar explained her views, and she calmed down considerably. It was nice to see that the little elf was not as close-minded as the myriad other mortals she had come across. "Thank you, Ellediar," she finally said. "You are right. There is balance in all things. It is nice to see that someone understands that. And..." She took a deep breath. "I think you should come with me--with us," she corrected, glancing at Chogan. The wheels of her mind were turning again, and she realized that such a display of defiance would not go unnoticed. She grimaced a bit to herself as she realized she'd have to play brood-mother for this little band of rebels. What had started as a solo mission would now have to be a group effort.

"And I'll have you know," she said, turning to Chogan as she caught a snatch of his one-sided conversation with the horse, "I don't brag about what I do. I'm not that self-serving. If you're quite done, we should be off as soon as possible. Old trails are more difficult to pursue."

Leith looked down at the basket, pleasantly surprised--the elf was certainly resourceful. At her cheerful inquiry, however, she could only grimace. Surely Ellediar knew the gravity of their journey. And perhaps that was why she was smiling, Leith reminded herself. Not everyone had to be as solemn as herself, she supposed. "Hm..." she thought, cradling her chin in her hand. So far, she had accomplished her ends by following the winds of rumor, but at the moment, she had absolutely no leads...or did she?

She turned her head to Chogan so quickly, she nearly got whiplash. "You," she began, not caring to deign to calling him by name. "You're their messenger, aren't you." The tone in which she spake was passive, objective, completely free of judgment or lingering bitterness. As far as she was concerned, he had neither tried to kill them nor let the army do so, and so she couldn't care less whose side he was technically on in terms of employment. "Do you know what other areas they're targeting?"

Looking at the girl, his tilted his head. "I've been hunting since I was eight, I should know that," he mumbled, not an inch ashamed of being caugth talking with his horse. Then he looked at the elf as she reappeared with a basket.

Turning around with a surprised look in his eyes, his face set in an uncharatically scowl. "Apparently you don't know the duties of a nobleman. I have to keep my family's honour and if it's by sending unknown messages around, I'm doing that!" He hissed. Then he took Saphire, quite harsh, at the harnets and began to make his way out of the town. He didn't bother seeing if they where following him.

((That's all right, totally understandable. I've been pretty busy lately too.))

Leith snorted as Chogan left, scoffing at his petty notions of "honour". If that was what passed for honour amongst mortals these days, it was no wonder the world was in upheaval.

She watched him go for a while, then breathed deeply as the cloud-shadows overtook them. The shadows were soothing after so much harsh sunlight--another reason why she preferred to work in the dead of night instead of stark day (besides the whole stealth advantage). And they were whispering to her. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, allowing their message to seep through.

...follow him...

"Are you serious?" she muttered quietly, eyes still screwed shut. That was the last thing she wanted to do at this point. She couldn't care less if she never saw the thick-headed fool again.

...follow...him...

She sighed. "Fine." Her eyes snapped open, and she looked down at the elf. "We're going with him," she acquiesced, sounding rather reluctant about it. She hesitated, steeling herself for what she had to do next. It was a resounding blow to her pride. "Chogan!" she called out, running toward the retreating young man. "Wait! I'm...I'm sorry for what I said!" The words left a terrible taste in her mouth, like she had accidentally gulped some bad water. She despised being sorry for anything, especially when she felt that the other party had truly deserved what she had done, and especially when the other party was a man.

(( Sorry for not posting. Homework and then my pc went down -.-' ))

Chogan's hands where clenched into tight fists. He wasn't one to get easily angered, the whole 'noble' stuff just got to him sometimes. Don't do that, don't do this. Be nice, be polite, don't get seen with somebody who could hurt your reputation, don't talk with lower people. It was annoying to say the least. Sometimes he felt like screaming into his pillow with all he got. But with the thin walls around his room, he surely would be laughing stock in his family for years. The only thing binding them together as a family was their name and the fact they were of the same genes. Else, the others hated him and he disliked them greatly. He wasn't one to hate that easily. He would silently plot his revenge, not bark it out as soon as somebody talked to him. It didn't seem like he would get his revenge. Not with the big, screaming break he had made on his honour. His father would most likely skin him alive.

When they yelled from behind, he stopped Sapphire, who he had apologized to for some time and turned around with a fake pleased smile. "Oh my! Are you calling me? I'm so honoured!" he begin, before splitting his mask into a stern and cold one, "not!" Then he turned around and went back to leaving the small town. He couldn't care less about them. He would probably find somewhere that hadn't heard of the Horan family and start over again. Find some girl he loved and raise a little family. He would feed them as a hunter. That sounded oddly appealing. He hadn't been into the noble stuff that much.

((That's all right, just glad you remembered us! Welcome back! :3))

Leith frowned. This was why she hated dealing with men, especially mortal men. They were obstinate idiots who never grew up. Nostrils flaring and lips pursed thin, she took a few angry stomps in his direction. She wouldn't use her powers against him, or to influence him in any way. He wasn't worth it. Not that she used them for anything but life-or-death situations, at any rate. But she was certainly of a mind to give him a stern talking-to about what a thickheaded brat he was being.

A few more steps, however, and she cooled down somewhat, breathing deeply. If he didn't want them around, fine. She would make sure he didn't know they were around. Her shoulders sagging in barely-admitted defeat, she walked back to Ellediar. "How good are you at tracking?" she asked the elf in a low voice laced with mischief. Clandestine operations had always been her favorite kind.

"I have been...instructed to follow that...that...man," Leith explained, biting her tongue to keep herself from calling him what she really wanted to, what she felt he deserved to be called. "But obviously, he doesn't enjoy our company any more. So we just need to keep a good distance from him. Out of his sight, obviously, but close enough so that if something else happens, we can be on the scene. I feel he may be an integral piece of the puzzle to keeping the king's forces at bay." As she said this, she began to think things over. She had been waging a defensive war up until then, and had managed to preserve several villages and towns from the knights' plunder. But sooner or later, she knew, the tables would have to turn. She'd have to mount an offensive. The king was out of control and had to be stopped. If only she could figure out how to do it.

"I'm no good at tracking, I have to admit," Leith explained. "I mostly just...go where the shadows tell me to. But sometimes they don't tell me everything."

Mumbling about how womans shouldn't let their period go out over everybody else, Chogan hit a small forest path. He probably should have went with the others, seeing as he couldn't return. It made him sigh. He was a pretty proud male, it was a man thing. So he couldn't go back, it would make him lose face. And that was one of the thing he had been learned not to do. Ever. Not even if it was life threating. It would cast shame on his family. Right now he damned family and honour and everything with the court, but it was sitting so deep in him, that he wasn't going to turn around.

"Just you and me again, huh?" he mumbled and stroke Saphires muscular neck. Deciding they had been moving enough for the day, he stopped in a small clearing and began to set up a camp, pretty long away from the village, so he didn't got found by any stray bandits and other thugs. He took off the equipment of Saphire, but kept her tied to a tree in a long line, so she could go a little around. Then he light a fire and shot a rabbit. It was enough for him. He found some water to Saphire in a nearby lake. Then he sat down to dine.

((Sure, we can timeskip. Unless you have any ideas for hostile encounters, I vote for timeskipping until Chogan reaches his destination.))

Leith lay awake on her bed of leaves. It was quite troublesome having to pretend to be asleep, but she felt that displaying any more abnormality than what she already had would be most imprudent. At least Ellediar would have no trouble "waking her up". She lay there and let the shadows buzz in her ears. She was glad she had no need of sleep; at night the shadows rose to a near cacophony, which would have made sleep impossible anyway. It was fortunate, indeed, that she was the only one in this place to possess the power of shadow. The shadows whispered to her, bringing her news of the world around. It was mostly trivial stuff such as a bird stirring in its sleep or a breeze moving leaves, but she made sure to stay attentive, for they might also bring her further direction for her mission.

(( ... Chogan doesn't have an destination xD But sure, I could find one. ))

Rain sweep across the small village, seeping through his already wet cape. He shoot small glares at the many puddles in the inns courtyard. He had already been there in five minutes and nobody had moved to get his horse yet. Deciding that Sapphire would catch a cold, he landed in an enormous puddle, soaking his leather boots. Not that they had been dry in the first place. That had been a long time ago. Actually since he crossed a river, which didn't have any bridge over.

Going into the stable, he took Saphire into an empty stall and began to rub her dry with the hay. When he was finished he crossed the still pouring rain and came into the warm room, were the innkeeper sat at a table and was pretty drunk. He, dripping on the floor, went over to the counter and sat down on a empty seat. Getting the woman behind the counter to pour him a glass of alcohol, he drowned it easily, feeling the warm spreading in his frozen body.

"...You are sure he came here?" Leith asked, viewing the village with curiosity and slight contempt. She hadn't been expecting the rain, and she was not particularly fond of getting wet. She was standing under a tree, trying her hardest to stay dry; a tall order when she was already quite damp. She began to chide herself for not listening more closely to the shadows--they would have alerted her of the coming rains, not that she could have done anything about it, traveling without purse or scrip as she was. She wondered if she would also have been alerted to any pending attacks on this village. Perhaps Chogan was just passing through on his way to his next destination. At any rate, the bountiful shadows in the village spoke of nothing but peace...for the moment, anyway. She knew better than to let her guard down.