The woman froze in place when the tiger began to speak, calling out to her. Even as he spoke, assuring her that they meant her no harm her hand held tight to the hilt of the dagger strapped to her hip. It was clear they weren’t hunters, but instead another elemental pair. Which pair she was unsure of as Cin rarely talked about the forms the other elementals chose. The petite Roshan’s eyes lingered on the human and tiger that were several yards away from her now. “How do I know that for sure?” Cautiously she took a step back. It wasn’t until Mitsuki sat on the ground that the tension she felt eased a bit, her hand slipping from the dagger’s hilt.

The light pair stayed right where they were. To have met two other elementals in one day had to mean something. Her head tilted to the side as she studied the human and tiger. “I mean you no harm as well.” Since they were those of light she figured the elemental at least wouldn't go out of his way to harm her, his partner on the other hand was a different story. “As you guessed I am the guardian of fire, partner of Cináed. You may call me Roshan or Aki. Who might you be light?”

“You haven’t seen a grumpy old white lion have you?” Just as Roshan asked about Cin a pain spread across her back, radiating from the flame marking. It only lasted a moment, but told her that her partner was in some kind of pain. She shrugged it off, moving closer to the Mitsuki and Hikaru. To show she meant what she said about not meaning them harm her hands stayed empty, where they could see them.

((It's really short....sorry!))

Her maid was just finishing up her hair when there was a knock on her chamber doors. Hearing her husband on the other side the Queen smiled. “Leave us,” the maid set down the brush and scampered away.

After looking at her appearance in the mirror, Kalypso rose from her vanity and strode over to the doors.

Throwing them open she grinned at her husband. “Hello dear,” she whispered while leaning forward to capture his lips with a kiss. Stepping back she gestured for him to come in and after he did she shut the doors. “I do apologize for my behavior before my love. I just missed you is all.” Which was quite true, she hated when he was gone for long periods of time. It got so boring around the castle without him.

Taking deep breaths to keep herself calm, Aya straightened her back and flashed Rufio a smile. "Thank you, again." she said as she took his hand. She trusted that Ziarra would be able to find her again. If anything, Aya could call out to her later, using the wind. Although, she would have to wait until her and the hunter went their separate ways.

Not wanting to walk in silence, Aya decided to strike up a conversation. "So, um... what's your name?" she asked. "I'm Mary." Talking to a hunter was always walking on eggshells. If, by chance, she made a mistake, she didn't want her name out on wanted posters everywhere. Having her picture out would be bad enough.

Hearing Katarina snap at Audra and Euria, Lydia flinched. Even she knew that her partner was struggling. Just hearing the hostility in the Ice elemental's voice made her suddenly realize how little she knew about elementals. What on earth would electricity do to ice? The girl's brown eyes lowered as her heart sank. When Katarina stormed away, Lydia's expression regained its slightly worried hue.

She said nothing to Audra as she commented on Malik's current state. He shouldn't have taken damage, but ... well, the metal creature would recover soon. That was true.

"The ... books? Is everyone as interested in them as I am?" She smiled slightly, then looked to Euria curiously. As they were introduced, Lydia bowed her head in greeting. "As I said earlier, I am Lydia. The metal elemental is my partner, Malik." She listened in silence as Audra stated her desire for the freedom of people like themselves. Where was all this coming from? Suddenly, there were elementals and their partners everywhere. How often did this happen?

A spark of excitement made Lydia's eyes brighten. "As long as we can survive the process, I'm sure we'll be stronger together." Lydia nodded to the hunter they'd been following. "We ... are working with someone. We're going to meet in a less obvious location so we can discuss our alliance. I ask that you join us, if you're set on bringing peace to people like us."

Sending a glance at Caden as though asking what his opinion was, Lydia turned slightly to include him in the conversation.
-

When Katarina approached, Malik's feral expression returned. There was a flicker of pain in his amber eyes, though he pushed it away as metal rippled over his silvered features. "I look forward to the moment I can finish tearing your throat out, iceling."

He held the woman's gaze as she looked at him, then a scowl appeared in place of his glare. "It's better than biting through and ending the fight prematurely." Malik shifted with a ripple of silver once again. "I don't want your thanks."

His gaze followed hers to where Audra and Euria stood. A snarl left his lips - it sounded just as bestial as his wolf form. An unspoken threat lingered in his expression. If he weren't so weakened at the moment, he would have attacked the Storm elemental. He narrowed his eyes as his pulse spiked, carrying the lingering burn of lightning through his chest.

Malik huffed a breath, and glanced at the ice that Katarina coated her burn with. He said nothing, instead choosing to attempt to stand. It was clear very quickly that it wasn't a good idea. His amber eyes filled with hatred as he rose to his feet. The broad-shouldered male slowly knelt once again. It was the closest thing to admitting defeat he'd ever done. All this, and just from a single bolt of lightning....

The cold hatred in Malik's eyes was sign enough: This alliance that Lydia was trying to gather together with the others was going to be ... trying.

(I'm sorry this is short. I can't think of much to write here.)

Euria was still nervous around everyone. It took her a while to get used to the others around her. She looked up at Audra and silently asked if everything was okay. In response, Audra gave her a warm smile. Then Euria calmed down a little.

Audra smiled at Lydia. "I am definitely interested." she said. Considering their situation, an alliance seemed like a good idea to her. It could become the best way to gain the freedom they desired.

Then Audra looked back at Malik. She saw him start to get up. She needed to get Euria away from him before the effects of the lightning wore off. She didn't want him to hurt her partner. She leaned forward and whispered in Lydia's ear. "We should probably go. I'm not sure Euria is safe with Malik here. The effects of the lightning strike should be wearing off of him soon. I need to take her somewhere safe." She hoped Lydia would understand. Audra thought of the safety of her partner before anything else.

So she could find them, Audra whispered the place she was headed towards into Lydia's ear. It was the same tree that Euria had lodged under the night before. Then Audra and Euria headed twards that tree.

Surprisingly even after all of the events of the morning Alaric was rather patient as he waited for his wife to open the door to her chamber. Her grin was returned with one of his own. She didn’t even give him a chance to say hello before kissing him. This only caused his grin to widen. After entering the room he turned to his lovely Kalypso. “I understand my darling wife. Don’t let the events of the morning bother you further. All has been taken care of.” It wasn’t in the man’s nature to tell her straight out she didn’t need to apologize or explain her actions.

Wrapping an arm around her he pulled her close. “You don’t know how much I have missed you my queen.” Giving Kalypso a light dip he kissed her. When Alaric was with her it was almost like he was a different person. Almost as if he was kind, gentle and caring and perhaps he was towards her. He had hand chosen her to stand by his side as his wife and queen.

Returning her to a standing position he smiled. “It’s good to see that you and my brother took good care of things in my absence. Now why don’t we get caught up on what has happened while I was away?” With his arm still wrapped around Kalypso’s waist he walked with her over to the a chair and took a seat, pulling her into his lap.


---------------------------


The tall man gave Aya a nod. “You’re welcome.” He lead her towards the main path, making sure to point out tree roots and such that she might trip over if not careful. To be on the safe incase this woman had heard of either Rufio or Dante he decided to go by one of his other many aliases. “I am Fio.”

A few moments of silence passed between them before Rufio spoke again. “To travel through such a dangerous forest where are you heading to?” Truthfully he was curious to know where the woman was heading. The trail in the forest didn’t lead to many places until you reached the fork near Gaylen outside of what many referred to as The Glade. A once holy place said to be inhabited by elven folk as well as elementals. Their conversation would continue with him asking polite questions, just poking and probing for answers to if she was an elemental partner. None of her answers seemed to really point either way.

Originally Posted by Kiyoto

There were no need for words, as the pair watched the others. Really, Mitsukai was more keen on merely watching them for the moment, then involving himself in what seemed to be their matters. Hikaru glanced at him, wondering what was going on through his mind. One thing the other was better at than him, was sitting still, and being patient. It was not that he wished to jump head long into things, and get into trouble, he just found simply doing nothing harder. He did trust the other's judgement however, so if he deemed it was not time to make a move, Hikaru was not about to open his mouth and insert them into the middle of things. Soon enough, the others were shifting. Mitsukai's eyes watched as the other elemental took off.

It seemed tensions were high here as well. Not unexpected. Standing, the massive tiger form he was in turned towards the trees once more. Hikaru looked at him, before back at the few who were remaining in the area. He turned away, following the other as they passed into the trees again. "What was that all about?" Hikaru asked quietly. Mitsuki let out a slight rumble of a sigh. Hearing more human emotions attempting to come out of a tiger was a bit amusing. "It seems things are still full of tension and darkness...even among the elementals" he said. Hikaru sighed himself now, "guess that is not good news with everything going on." He looped his fingers behind his head.

They still needed supplies. The metal elemental had headed off in this similar direction. Did that mean there could possibly be a town in this direction? Or was the one they were after heading off somewhere else. Hikaru glanced back for a moment. Would anyone else follow? Or would they allow them to slip off on their own again. He doubted it would come to someone trying to stop them. At this point, he was getting more used to people letting him go. It was easier that way he guessed. The fewer attatchments he was faced with, the better. The only one that really mattered at the moment, was Mitsukai.

-----------------------

The other's accusation of him being affectionate, brought a slight chuckle forth from Kuro. Preparing a cup of tea, as the other finished preparing himself, Kuro took a sip of the liquid. It was better if they got going now, still early enough to where there would not be much of a hassel. The other was ready, which meant that there was little reason to remain here now. Sitting the cup down, he moved to where his own belongings sat. The slender sheaths, where the blades for his gloves sat. These were fixed to a belt upon his hips, before he retreived a simple black bag that held his own belongings.

He did not mind carrying the other bag, a slightly larger one, brown in color. It held their supplies, for longer trips such as this one might be. It would hold the things they needed, weather their mission called for them to have to spend a night in the wilderness, or obtain injury. The bag would be heavy to others who might try to lift it, so the going for them might have been slow. For Kuro on the other hand, his height and his own personal strength, made carrying the bag a little more than effortless. He never complained, or forced the other to take it on their trips. This time would be no different.

His eyes moved to the window, scanning the area outside for a moment. For some reason, something seemed to be tugging at him. As to what it was, for now it seemed the answers were going to elude him. That was fine, the taller man turning away from the window to now move to the door. He opened it, glancing back at the other. "Verywell, then shall we?" a slight coy smile tugged at his lips. He kept it in check though, as he waited there for the other.

(I hope this will make up for my absence.)

Anubina started walking through the woods, the trees were whether large compared to the 5'7 dark blue haired female. Her sapphire eyes scanned the area looking around at the scenery as well as looking for something to do. She didn't know what to do, this was one of the first times she had really been out of water. She had spent a lot of years away from the humans due to the unfortunate events that were happening. She didn't understand why they were happening or why the human king wanted them gone.

Questions swirled through her head as she continued walking through the Southern part of the forest, she was looking for a watering hole. She had known of one existing not too far from where she rested. It was just the task of remembering where it was. It wouldn't long until she finally found it, right where she said it would be. A soft smile spread on Anubina's face before she sat on her knees. Using her hands to create a water bubble, Anubina leaned forward a bit, taking a few sips on the water. She sighed a bit before letting the water splash back into the small waterbed she found. Sapphire hues scanned the area until she stopped, listening out for whatever was near and just her luck, she hear voices, they were faint, but they were around.

Anubina sat sit, closing her eyes as she just listened, thinking if she should go and see who is it or not. A faint sigh escaped her lips as she stood up quietly and made her way to the voices, her long heels tapping against dry ground and the hilt of her white bladed Katana poked out from her hip, she kept it close even though she rarely used it. Her long hair laid on her back, draping from her sides as she peeked through the shrubs and trees. Once she was close to where she wanted to be, she saw three figures, however, she could make out features(Roshan, Mitsukai and Hikaru). She remained silent and tip-toed closer to the beings. She couldn't really make out what they were saying, but it would give her something to do while in the woods. She stayed behind a tree, looking back towards the people every once in a while.

The young man watched the taller man, he was near the window when he had finished gathering his things. He watched as his partner and close friend soon moved towards the door, opening it and spoke. He listened to his words, Abraham looked around the room, his eyes taking in every little detail he could, as well as making sure that nothing was left behind. He had work to do. At least, he believed he had work. Abraham soon headed for the door, his small pack slung over his back.

He looked up towards the slightly taller man. A smile spread on his lips, "It's time for another adventure." He said with a chuckle. He walked out of the room and down the stairs. It had been a while since he had don't something that he wanted to do. He had heard rumors about some hunting going on, the hunts for beings that the king didn't like. Elemental Spirits. Abraham had heard of them, but he wasn't really sure why the king wanted them gone, they hadn't done anything bad that he knew of. Then again, he was poorly informed on the news that was happening. Once Abraham was outside, he shielded his eyes a bit, blinking a few times as he looked around for a moment. Thinking of what the next move should be. He knew that he wanted to get more information about what was happening, but he didn't want to get answers too quickly, didn't want to ruin the fun of this. "Now, if I were to get some information, where would I start?" He said to himself, he was thinking out again, which wasn't really new to him. He had moved to the side a bit, so he would get in anyone's way as he thought to himself.

[If I got this wrong, let me know and i will change it.]

The female seemed unsure at first, which was nothing either could blame her for. In this time and place, it was almost a needed feature of one's personality to survive sadly. When she finally seemed to relax a bit, and then said that she meant no harm to them as well. Mitsukai smiled internally, since seeing a tiger smile on the outside seemed to have a less appealing effect on people. She confirmed her identity, introducing herself, before asking if they had seen a white lion. Mitsukai shook his head, looking back up at Hikaru for a moment. "We have not seen many, since leaving that odd gathering a bit back" he said, his eyes turning back on her.

Hikaru folded his arms a bit, so the fire elemental had taken the form of a lion? That was not really to surprising, considering the natural attributes of fire, they would couple quite well with a ferral cat. Many were surprised when they found out that light was a tiger. Many would have expected him to have taken on a ...softer or kinder appearance. It was a bit amusing though, to think of him as anything but a tiger. "We could help look for him if you need?" Mitsukai offered then. Hikaru looked at him, pulled out of his thoughts, he was offering their assistance? So much for heading to the next town.

The other could not simply turn away someone in need of help, he knew this. It went against who he was. Hikaru could not be mad at him for that. Honestly, it would have bugged him as well, if he had simply walked away while she was in need of finding her own partner. He imagined being separated from Mitsukai like that for to long. The two had become close, the thought of losing him or being alone again. His hands clenched a bit. Mitsukai seemed to sense this, his body standing from the ground. He moved around to Hikaru's other side, allowing himself to rub up against the male as he did so.

His presence there beside him, Hikaru felt a better, calmer. The other would never blindly leave him. If they were ever separated or in trouble, he knew they would both fight like hell to get back to one another. Mitsukai glanced off towards the trees after a moment, the feeling of eyes upon them was becoming more apparent to him as well. "What is it?" Hikaru asked, the last thing they needed right this moment was trouble.

--------

Kuro nodded at the other's words, as he moved out of the door. Closing it behind them, he locked it up. Nothing left to do here, he followed the other down the stairs. He stopped by the counter for a moment, to return the key to the owner. After such a simple task was done, he moved to follow the other outside. The sun still warm, yet he still did not seem bothered wearing his dark clothing. His eyes quickly and easily picked the other out of the crowd, he seemed distracted again. That man was going to be distracted and killed one of these days. He chuckled lightly, moving over to his side. It was a good thing then that he was here to be his eyes, ears and mind when such things did happen.

He was speaking out loud to himself, seemed that he wanted to find information. Kuro paused to think for a moment, "it depends on the information you desire. If it is the most accurate reasoning behind this little vendetta, then the best place to go would be straight to the source." By that, he meant paying a visit sadly to the king. He frowned at this thought, he had had some dealings with the king. The only reason he was standing here today, was because he had agreed to become a weapon for the man in exchange for his past dealings to be pardoned. He knew crossing the other, would probably result in the immediate revoking of this pardon. He had only agreed to it for the sake of the man by his side. For a long time now, he had been his sword and shield.

He was who Kuro was most interested in protecting and being by his side. If it meant that he had to put up with the childish demands of the king, he would bear it. "Then again, if you wish for simple information that could possibly merely be rumors or speculation...the world is your oyster" he smiled lightly once more, brushing any glimmer of hint of the thoughts within his mind away, as he passed the other. It was true, they could ask anyone about anything, most would give their thoughts or opinions. Some would tell lies, while others might actually provide fact. It was hard to tell for most, and could drive someone to be wandering around for a long time searching. Kuro did have his contacts and own ways of getting information, for a moment, he pondered taking this route instead.

"Ryo..." Was all Gaia was ably to say. Her hand covered her mouth before she clenched it into a fist. She was in unbearable pain at that moment, words could no describe what she was going through at the loss of her dear companion. As her green eyes gazed at the bloody sight before her, green tinted tears continued to stream down her face.

She slowly moved forward, shedding her human guise. Revealing the tree bark skin, the roses and vines that grew out of her in several different places, and the leafy hair that whispered as she moved forward. Her body groaned like a tree would as kneeled down next to the dead rabbit. Gently placing her hands over him as she closed her emerald green eyes. "Esta e' seere, my mela. Aa' i' kemen ten'oio tessa lle. (Rest in peace, my love. May the earth forever hold you.)" The words easily left her lips, speaking in a language that she had not spoken in a rather long time. A faint green light came from her hands as she made a rather unique rose bush grow over him, each flower being a different color that he had held upon his fur.

Upon hearing Cináed's roar, her eyes snapped to him, narrowing her eyes as she stood up, her tear streaked face expressed so much. It showed the pain she was in, as if she was being tortured from the inside out. Her eyes bore nothing but sorrow deep with in them, though the fact that they were narrowed was to show the anger she should have been feeling but was not. "You....how could you?" her voice was small, hoarse, heavy with her emotions. She bite her lip, curling her hand before swiping it in front of her, causing a row of thorns to come up close to the lion.

She just could not think, here was the man, creature that had done something that was considered forbidden, which was killing someone else's partner. It also did not help that they had a very chaotic history themselves. She was trying to figure out if she was going to collapse and cry her heart out or if she wanted to do as much damage as she could to the killer before her.

She took a shaky step towards him, giving a cry of pain as clutched her chest, falling to her knees. It was far to much for her, she could no longer fight it, keep it at bay. It literally felt as if her heart had broken and then promptly been ripped out. That is the only way to describe the immense pain that she was in, her eye sight was going blurry, maybe it was from her tears or maybe it was her trying not to pass out. How can one explain the pain and sorrow? She could discribe it in a multitude of ways, one being like she is constantly on fire from the inside out, at the bottom of the ocean.

The strange storm had caught the attention of two others within the forest. Valarie had been the one to spot the lightning which struck further in the forest. “Gotcha,” she shouted to her partner. Swiftly the woman climbed down the tree and swung to the ground, landing beside Galven. “They aren’t too far off. If we hurry we can catch them.” The woman grinned at the man. He gave a nod of agreement.

The pair of hunters quietly and quickly made their way in the direction of the lightning strike. It wasn’t long before they spotted the group of elementals and partners. Galven whispered to Valarie telling her to come in from the left while he closed in from the right. They would strike from both sides at his signal. Soon the two hunters were in their positions and the man gave a bird call to signal the attack. While Valarie moved forward to attack. Galven shot a few arrows at the group, aiming at Malik and Katarina.

Valarie took out her weapon of choice, a crescent moon shaped blade on the end of a chain. She swung it around, striking at Caden, Lydia, Euria and Audra. She would push them back towards Galven before closing in further. All seemed to be going well so far.

---------------------------

Her eyes never left the pair. Even if she had relaxed a bit the fact that her partner might be in trouble kept her on a slight edge. When the tiger mentioned leaving an odd gathering she tilted her head slightly. “Strange gathering?” Were there others within the forest as well. Roshan supposed it was possible considering she had met Anubina earlier.

The petite woman’s body shifted slightly. They were being watched, the presence felt slightly familiar to her, but her thoughts were pulled back towards the light pair. Mitsukai offered their assistance in helping her find her partner. Normally Roshan treasured what time she could get away from Cináed because it was so rare to be able to be alone. For some reason instead of feeling elated like she normally would she felt more anxious and like she had to find her partner soon. It was strange, maybe because they had rarely separated from each other during the past six months. Never being more than a couple minutes apart in distance. “That would be very kind of you, but I don’t wish to cause you trouble. I’m sure that I will find him soon.” There was a look of confidence within her azure eyes, overshadowing the anxiety she felt.

Maybe she had been hasty in following Anubina earlier, but she had wanted to know more. Was that so wrong? Inwardly Roshan sighed, she was positive when her and the fire elemental were reunited that he would scold her. That they would end up fighting as usual instead of saying what they truly mean to each other. They were both too stubborn and prideful to do such things.

Roshan’s eyes followed Mitsukai’s, looking towards the trees. She was sure she knew that presence. A small grin played on the woman’s lips. Taking a few steps towards the trees considered letting her form shift into a bird again. Instead she just moved to stand between the trees and the light pair. “How soon we forget.” She sighed. “Didn’t I warn you earlier about spying on people?” For a moment the woman thought about throwing one of her knives at the tree that Anubina stood behind, but she knew the woman meant them no harm. “Come on out water. I know it’s you hiding there, Anubina.”

"Fio?" Aya held her left palm up and started tracing out the letters with her right index finger. "Fio...Fio..." She put her hands down and smiled childishly. "Now I won't forget your name." She rubbed the side of her head sheepishly. "..'cause I kinda forget things a lot.." she added quietly. Listening to his question, she paused a second. "I, uh, got distracted chasing a bird into the woods." She shrugged her shoulders. "Next thing I knew, I was totally lost. How stupid of me, eh?" She stretched her arms up into the air. "I deliver letters, so you'd think I'd be a bit better with directions."

Z... she thought, you owe me big time for this. A nearby branch snagged the back of her shirt. She yanked it off, and tore a small hole in it. "Aw. I liked this shirt. Guess I'll have to fix it later."

At Audra's genuine interest in the books and an alliance, Lydia bowed her head. This was good - more than one ally so quickly? Was it even possible?

At the glance Audra gave Malik, the woman immediately understood. Even Lydia feared the look in the Metal elemental's bronze eyes. He was getting to his feet with the same stubborn hatred that he offered so many times. Euria and Audra needed to back away while the male calmed down. It would be a while, but after the fire died it would merely be a grudge that he carried instead of the intense desire to gut them both.

"I understand," Lydia whispered back, listening carefully to where the two Storm partners were headed. "If you wish to follow, we're going to the hunter's suggested meeting place." The brunette smiled a bit. "I'd love to have you come with us, when ... things have calmed down."
-

Malik's attention was locked on the Storm pair for a while, but suddenly his gaze shot to another part of the clearing. He stared for a moment, then let his snarl return. The Metal elemental forced himself to his feet, stubbornly keeping himself up. He wanted nothing more than to sink to the ground and lay there for a while. He was too stubborn to go through with it.

A bird call. It was odd, but Malik didn't notice it. He did, however, hear the hiss of an arrow. The projectile's aim was true. It glanced off of the Metal elemental's temple, where a flicker of silver pulsed over his features. Malik snarled, wiping away a bead of copper before his gaze locked on the archer. The hunter was his first target.

Unrestrained rage bid Malik to shrug off the last effects of the lightning strike. As he stepped forward, his bestial expression darkened. He wanted blood - and Malik would have it. With a snarl, he shifted to his wolf form and bolted forward with enough speed to crush the hunter if he didn't move.
-

Lydia yelped at the sound of the arrow striking Malik, and her attention immediately shot to Valarie as she swung the chained weapon forward. She took a step back, narrowly avoiding being gutted by the crescent. "Wait! Please, you don't know what you're getting yourself into!"

Lydia was a diplomat. She didn't fight, couldn't maneuver well, and wasn't very ... light on her feet. Graceful, yes. But that was a lady's poise, not a fighter's stance. "This doesn't have to end in violence!"

Audra saw the weapon. She could hear it right before it came towards Lydia. Her instinct told her to fly away. She wanted to turn into an owl and fly away from the chaos with her partner. The only problem was her partner, Euria. She couldn't fly away fast enough if she carried her. "Run!" she hissed in Euria's ear. "Just follow me while I'm flying." As she said it, Audra turned into an owl and flew away.

Audra was flying as fast as she could. She knew she couldn't fight with her partner so close by. She needed to be safe away from the fighting. Her plan was to get her partner somewhere safe. Then she would go and try to stop the hunters. If she was going to be in an alliance, then the least she could do was help them out.

---------------

Euria felt the adrenaline run through her veins. She knew they were in trouble, and she needed to act now. After she heard Audra's instructions, Euria started running. She watched her elemental partner fly quickly through the sky. She also noticed the hunter. "This is definitely not good for any of the elementals." she thought to herself. "Maybe they won't hurt me because I'm a little girl."

After she said it, Euria quickly regretted it. "Who am I kidding? The hunters will kill anyone they want. They will even kill me if they had the chance to." Euria kept running as she followed her elemental partner.

---------------

When they reached the tree they slept under, Audra pleaded with Euria to stay near the trunk. "You'll be safe here," she said. Euria nodded in understanding. "Good," Audra said as she flew away. "You stay there!" she said one last time.

Silent through it all, Caden watched everyone with his dual colored eyes. He stayed off to the side of Lydia, close enough to jump in and protect her in need be. The Elf didn’t trust the storm pair one bit. When Lydia looked to him, as if she wanted his opinion he smiled and shook his head. He wasn’t sure what his opinion was at the moment and chose to stay silent for a little longer.
---

Shrugging Katarina shook her head in wonder. Metal was a prickly fellow, she was going to have so much fun needling him. Her hand moved in the air, causing another patch of ice to freeze over the burn. Crossing her arms she glared at the storm pair.
---

When Audra leaned towards Lydia the grip on his sword tightened. Caden took one step forward before realizing she wasn’t going to hurt the other woman. Letting out a sigh he glanced and Kat and gave her the ok sigh they had developed long ago, causing her to relax slightly.
---

Katarina was about to walk over to her partner when the air hissed. Her head snapped in the direction the sound came from and upon seeing a few arrows headed towards her, her hands shot out and she threw up a wall of ice. Knowing that metal would take care of that hunter she went for the other. She began running, moving her wall of ice underneath her so she was now sliding towards them, faster than she could have ever run.
---

The second the hunter's appeared Caden had his sword out and ready. When the female hunter swung her crescent moon shaped blade on the end of a chain he blocked it with his sword. Though it had almost gutted Lydia before he could block it. “Lydia get back,” he shouted while stepping in front of her.
---

As she soared over to the group the ice elemental saw a few things. Lydia almost getting hit before Caden could block the swinging chain and the storm pair running away. “You’ve got to be bloody kidding me,” she snarled. It was probably their fault they were spotted and they were just running away? Pathetic.

Katarina slid to a stop in front of Caden and Lydia. Her hands swung out, sending ice daggers at the female hunter. The second those daggers went flying an ice whip appeared in her hand, the tip covered in sharp ice spikes. She flicked her whip at the girl’s face.
---

Knowing that Kat had a handle on the hunter Caden grabbed Lydia and pulled her away from the fighting. “I need you to tell me if Malik needs help ok. I still think he’s suffering from that lightning attack.” He knew metal could well take care of himself, but it didn’t hurt to cover your bases.

---

Smiling serenely Kalypso closed the door after her husband walked in. His words caused her heart to soar, he wasn’t one to fluff or pretty things ups. He told you how he felt when he felt it.

As he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close she let out a content sigh. She so loved when he was attentive to her, and he was a lot of the time. His next words caused her to grin and she began to laugh when he dipped her and gave her a kiss. When they were alone he was so light and soft, playful and kind. This is what she loved most about him, that he was only that way with her.

“I’ve missed you as well my love, so much.” Still laughing as he straightened her back up, she was grinning from ear to ear. She waited to reply until she was nestled on his lap and her head was resting on his shoulder. “Your brother does do quite the job pretending to be you. We’ve had reports about elementals and their partners getting together with others. Groups of them actually. It is being said they are aligning themselves with one another.” Kalypso reached her hand up and was absentmindedly running her fingers through Alaric’s hair as she talked. “A lot of the word has come second handed, so I’m not sure if it’s true or not my love. But I definitely think it needs to be looked into. There has to be some truth to it no?”

Storied have to come from somewhere. Someone, somewhere had seen something like what everyone was talking about.

Audra fly back towards the fighting, trying to figure out her next move. The lightning strike worked well, but it didn't last very long. Luckily, she still had her knives near her. She could use them to help out.

When she was close, Audra stopped flying and landed on the ground. She took out her knives, and she ran towards the fighting.

Her plan was simple: find the hunters, and trap them with her knives.. Then she saw the female hunter get attacked. She decided to go after her instead.

She climbed a tree and aimed her knives at the female hunter. When she had her target clearly in sight, she threw three of her knives. The knives flew through the air. They hit the female hunter with no warniing. One of them scratched the hunter's cheek, and the other two hit her on her thigh.

SPOILERX

Originally Posted by Kiyoto

The female seemed unsure at first, which was nothing either could blame her for. In this time and place, it was almost a needed feature of one's personality to survive sadly. When she finally seemed to relax a bit, and then said that she meant no harm to them as well. Mitsukai smiled internally, since seeing a tiger smile on the outside seemed to have a less appealing effect on people. She confirmed her identity, introducing herself, before asking if they had seen a white lion. Mitsukai shook his head, looking back up at Hikaru for a moment. "We have not seen many, since leaving that odd gathering a bit back" he said, his eyes turning back on her.

Hikaru folded his arms a bit, so the fire elemental had taken the form of a lion? That was not really to surprising, considering the natural attributes of fire, they would couple quite well with a ferral cat. Many were surprised when they found out that light was a tiger. Many would have expected him to have taken on a ...softer or kinder appearance. It was a bit amusing though, to think of him as anything but a tiger. "We could help look for him if you need?" Mitsukai offered then. Hikaru looked at him, pulled out of his thoughts, he was offering their assistance? So much for heading to the next town.

The other could not simply turn away someone in need of help, he knew this. It went against who he was. Hikaru could not be mad at him for that. Honestly, it would have bugged him as well, if he had simply walked away while she was in need of finding her own partner. He imagined being separated from Mitsukai like that for to long. The two had become close, the thought of losing him or being alone again. His hands clenched a bit. Mitsukai seemed to sense this, his body standing from the ground. He moved around to Hikaru's other side, allowing himself to rub up against the male as he did so.

His presence there beside him, Hikaru felt a better, calmer. The other would never blindly leave him. If they were ever separated or in trouble, he knew they would both fight like hell to get back to one another. Mitsukai glanced off towards the trees after a moment, the feeling of eyes upon them was becoming more apparent to him as well. "What is it?" Hikaru asked, the last thing they needed right this moment was trouble.

--------

Kuro nodded at the other's words, as he moved out of the door. Closing it behind them, he locked it up. Nothing left to do here, he followed the other down the stairs. He stopped by the counter for a moment, to return the key to the owner. After such a simple task was done, he moved to follow the other outside. The sun still warm, yet he still did not seem bothered wearing his dark clothing. His eyes quickly and easily picked the other out of the crowd, he seemed distracted again. That man was going to be distracted and killed one of these days. He chuckled lightly, moving over to his side. It was a good thing then that he was here to be his eyes, ears and mind when such things did happen.

He was speaking out loud to himself, seemed that he wanted to find information. Kuro paused to think for a moment, "it depends on the information you desire. If it is the most accurate reasoning behind this little vendetta, then the best place to go would be straight to the source." By that, he meant paying a visit sadly to the king. He frowned at this thought, he had had some dealings with the king. The only reason he was standing here today, was because he had agreed to become a weapon for the man in exchange for his past dealings to be pardoned. He knew crossing the other, would probably result in the immediate revoking of this pardon. He had only agreed to it for the sake of the man by his side. For a long time now, he had been his sword and shield.

He was who Kuro was most interested in protecting and being by his side. If it meant that he had to put up with the childish demands of the king, he would bear it. "Then again, if you wish for simple information that could possibly merely be rumors or speculation...the world is your oyster" he smiled lightly once more, brushing any glimmer of hint of the thoughts within his mind away, as he passed the other. It was true, they could ask anyone about anything, most would give their thoughts or opinions. Some would tell lies, while others might actually provide fact. It was hard to tell for most, and could drive someone to be wandering around for a long time searching. Kuro did have his contacts and own ways of getting information, for a moment, he pondered taking this route instead.

SPOILERX

Originally Posted by blueblackrose

The strange storm had caught the attention of two others within the forest. Valarie had been the one to spot the lightning which struck further in the forest. “Gotcha,” she shouted to her partner. Swiftly the woman climbed down the tree and swung to the ground, landing beside Galven. “They aren’t too far off. If we hurry we can catch them.” The woman grinned at the man. He gave a nod of agreement.

The pair of hunters quietly and quickly made their way in the direction of the lightning strike. It wasn’t long before they spotted the group of elementals and partners. Galven whispered to Valarie telling her to come in from the left while he closed in from the right. They would strike from both sides at his signal. Soon the two hunters were in their positions and the man gave a bird call to signal the attack. While Valarie moved forward to attack. Galven shot a few arrows at the group, aiming at Malik and Katarina.

Valarie took out her weapon of choice, a crescent moon shaped blade on the end of a chain. She swung it around, striking at Caden, Lydia, Euria and Audra. She would push them back towards Galven before closing in further. All seemed to be going well so far.

---------------------------

Her eyes never left the pair. Even if she had relaxed a bit the fact that her partner might be in trouble kept her on a slight edge. When the tiger mentioned leaving an odd gathering she tilted her head slightly. “Strange gathering?” Were there others within the forest as well. Roshan supposed it was possible considering she had met Anubina earlier.

The petite woman’s body shifted slightly. They were being watched, the presence felt slightly familiar to her, but her thoughts were pulled back towards the light pair. Mitsukai offered their assistance in helping her find her partner. Normally Roshan treasured what time she could get away from Cináed because it was so rare to be able to be alone. For some reason instead of feeling elated like she normally would she felt more anxious and like she had to find her partner soon. It was strange, maybe because they had rarely separated from each other during the past six months. Never being more than a couple minutes apart in distance. “That would be very kind of you, but I don’t wish to cause you trouble. I’m sure that I will find him soon.” There was a look of confidence within her azure eyes, overshadowing the anxiety she felt.

Maybe she had been hasty in following Anubina earlier, but she had wanted to know more. Was that so wrong? Inwardly Roshan sighed, she was positive when her and the fire elemental were reunited that he would scold her. That they would end up fighting as usual instead of saying what they truly mean to each other. They were both too stubborn and prideful to do such things.

Roshan’s eyes followed Mitsukai’s, looking towards the trees. She was sure she knew that presence. A small grin played on the woman’s lips. Taking a few steps towards the trees considered letting her form shift into a bird again. Instead she just moved to stand between the trees and the light pair. “How soon we forget.” She sighed. “Didn’t I warn you earlier about spying on people?” For a moment the woman thought about throwing one of her knives at the tree that Anubina stood behind, but she knew the woman meant them no harm. “Come on out water. I know it’s you hiding there, Anubina.”

Abraham had looked around slowly, closing his eyes as he thought for a moment of the possibilities that could happen right now It wasn't until he heard a familiar voice that his dark colored eyes opened up and he looked over towards the male who had been with him for so long. A smile spread on his face as he chuckled a bit. He crossed his arms before thinking again, "Well I, for one, would like to get some decent information. Rumors that are whispered about are normally just some old tale that they have heard. It's not really accurate at times. However, asking now does sound a bit more interesting that going to see the big man himself." The young man said, looking to his left for a moment as he snickered to himself. His long hair shifting a bit as the male's body shifted and turned towards the direction of the palace, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Then again, that is a far walk and I know for sure I am too lazy to walk that far. Why does most of the good information have to be so far? Well, for now, I guess we can go and see the king. Once we have the information we need, then we can ask around the village and hear what they know unless you have something you wish to add?" Abraham asked at the statement. This was something he didn't want to do without Kuro's opinion. Even if the taller male didn't really have an answer, it was still nice to hear what he had to say. he looked up to him after, and not in a literal way. He found someone he could try to model himself after. "I wouldn't want to do anything that made you uncomfortable." The young man stated brushing some of his dark gray bangs back a bit so he could see better.

Anubina had remained silent, blinked her eyes once as she looked up towards the sky. She just listened to the people ahead of her speak, they didn't really seem to notice them there. However, she turned her head over towards her left once she had heard a familiar voice, a young woman. The woman she had met before. She closed her eyes and just listened out for a moment until the young woman called her out. A small smile spread on her face as she placed her hands in front of her. Her dark colored bangs shifted in front of her as her head leaned forward. Her heels dug into the dry dirt and leaves as they ruffled and teared under her feet.

The Water Elemental stepped from behind the tree as her sapphire eyes looked over towards the Fire Elemental's partner. "Hello my dear, it's good to see you again." She said with a soft tone and bowed her head. She placed a hand on her chest, soon straightening her stance. "It has been a while once I last saw you. I am surprised you are still in the woods." She said placing her hands behind her back. Her long dark colored hair shifted a bit as she turned brushed her hair back a bit so it wouldn't be her face.

Galven managed to get a few more shots off, this time not aiming at Malik, but at the others to help his partner since they all seemed to be focusing on her instead. The male dodged out of the way of the metal wolf that charged at him, tucking and rolling. Once he was out of the way he quickly got back to his feet. He glanced to see how Valarie was doing on her end. Unlike him she was getting triple teamed.

The hunter let out a grunt of annoyance. His partner could hold her own, she had to for a bit longer. With his attention back on the metallic wolf he grinned. His bow was discarded as he drew his swords. “Val, be careful. The others won’t be here for another five minutes.” Galven was attempting to bluff these elementals into believing they had help coming.

Valarie grinned when the crescent blade almost sliced open Lydia. It wasn’t long before daggers of ice were thrown at her by Katarina. She dodged them along with the ice whip, but left herself open the knives thrown at her by the storm elemental. Two knives hit her thigh, the other cutting her cheek. The woman growled.

The female hunter pulled the knives from her thigh and threw them back at the woman who had thrown them. This was going to slow her down. Just as she started swing around the crescent blade again she heard Galven shouting at her to be careful. A look of really crossed her features. “Got it Galven.” The woman shouted back. As the fight continued Valarie appeared to be light on her feet, but her speed did suffer from the wounds on her leg. This was going to have to end soon otherwise she would end up losing too much blood.

While this was all taking place Setsutarou disappeared from the group. He had taken off in the direction of where his sister was hiding. Was he going to warn Akira and the darkness elemental or had he led them all into a trap?

Lydia ducked away from the fight as best she could, happy when Caden intercepted the bladed chain. That was when she heard the hiss of flying weapons. The diplomat squeaked and ducked her head, but realized seconds later that it was only Katarina's blades as they flashed past her. They struck the hunter, much to everyone's relief. Moments later she ducked again - only to see Audra's blades follow Kat's as well. The female hunter was in a tight spot - two elementals and a skilled fighter was more than enough for one person to deal with.

Bronze eyes moved to Malik as the wolf lunged for the hunter. Gritting her teeth, Lydia did her best to concentrate on staying out of the way and unharmed. That was when Caden's hand wrapped about her arm and pulled her free from the fight.

"Malik?" She hesitated as she looked to her partner. She could tell he was winded, but it was only because of their bond. "He ... hurts. Getting worked up is making it worse." Lydia wiped a loose lock of hair from her face. "If this lasts, he will be wear himself to the ground. Malik wants blood. He won't stop until he has it." Swallowing, Lydia shook her head. "I can't stop him." She'd only seen him hunt once. He hadn't stopped until his prey was torn to bits, and that had lasted most of the day.

There was a moment of silence before she slowly frowned. "He isn't as solid as he looks. Not with that lightning strike still hurting him."
-

Malik ... well, he continued his snarling rampage. He slammed into the tree where the hunter stood moments before. Splinters of wood showered the area, and the tree swayed dangerously from the impact. The Metal elemental didn't seem to pause. Instead, he rebounded with speed unheard of for something his size and altered his course.

Metal jaws snapped at the man's arm, and claws raked at the hunter. Galven was light on his feet - but a rampaging beast wasn't something to go toe to toe with.

"Pathetic human," Malik's bestial voice was grating, like rusted gears grinding together. It frustrated the Metal elemental to no end that Galven's attention was focused on the others. Bronze eyes were full of inner fire as the wolf watched the hunter pull his blades. "Your toys can't save you, boy." He'd fought many hunters ... and the scars visible even on his canine form showed it. Apparently they'd never been successful.

Stepping one paw forward, the silvered wolf rippled ... and his features looked sharper. He was bladed, that creature. He didn't need to use his claws or fangs - he was made of sharpened metal and jagged edges. With a barking snarl, Malik came in - but backed off and snapped his jaws inches from Galven's face. Then he came forward like a freight train, his speed increasing from standing still to a full-tilt charge in a single bound. He struck Galven and knocked him from his feet, jaws going for the male's throat. Sharp metal struck deeply, every jostle of their fight feeling like a wave of glass being crammed into Malik's prey. He knew it - and he knew how to use it.

The lion just sat there, his head lowered in his shame. How could he have made such a mistake? His large head rose to meet with Gaia’s gaze as she asked him the question he was asking himself. Cináed stayed where he was. If this woman wanted blood, his blood, she could have it. The only thing is he would not die here, he would not leave Roshan. His partner didn’t need to go through that pain as well. The thorns came up near him, only inches away when the Earth Elemental swiped her hand in front of her.

His great form remained unmoving until Gaia collapsed to her knees. Quickly he stood and leaped over the row of thorns, landing softly by Earth. He had to do something, he had to at least try to make an effort to ease her pain. Even so the Fire Elemental wasn’t sure what exactly he could do for her. At first he did as he would with his own partner, rubbing his head gently against her.

“Earthling I am extremely sorry for your lose which I have caused you. The pain I have caused you. I will not ask for your forgiveness as what I have done by letting my animal-self takeover is unforgivable. This never should have happened. If I could I would take away the pain that you feel from my regrettable actions. Unfortunately my healing cannot heal the kind of wound that I have caused.” All while he spoke he rubbed against her gently like a cat would in an attempt to comfort her. All he really wanted to do was run away, far away, but there was no way he could leave the woman here when she was in so much agony.

“Please know that I am truly and deeply sorry for this.” The entire time Cináed’s voice had been gentle and soft. Really he was at a loss of what to do. If Roshan was here, perhaps she could have helped, but he was on his own for now. It was probably for the best that he was, his partner didn’t need to witness this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rufio watched Aya curiously as she traced out the letters of the name he gave on the palm of her hand while repeating his alias. He chuckled at her. She really did seem rather innocent and naïve. “One would think, but you’re still young so I suppose that it happens from time to time. You haven’t totally learned what dangers are lurking within the shadows. Hopefully you will never have to learn that the hard way miss Mary.”

The man paid little attention to Aya was she snagged her shirt and proceeded to tear a hole in it when she yanked it free. The atmosphere within the forest was changing. Things were growing oddly quiet to the East. Just to the Northeast it was like the forest was crying out in pain. What exactly was going on? Rufio didn’t let on that he was now playing more attention to the forest around him than to the woman he was escorting to the main trail. They would soon be there and he could investigate the odd feelings he was getting. Today really seemed to be his lucky day.

“We shall be at the trail soon. Will you be fine on your own little miss?” The expression the hunter held was one of pure concern. After all he didn’t want to let her get too far away in case she was an elemental’s partner or elemental. Right now this girl was the best lead that he had.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A light hum left Alaric’s lips as her fingers ran through his hair. He listened quietly to his darling queen while she spoke of the recent rumors that were floating around. “InterestingThe look within his eyes became more thoughtful as he considered what Kalypso had to say. “That is just what I was thinking my little black bird. I think I know just who to have look into this matter.” One would think that he would send his twin brother, Alister, since his twin worked with the bounty hunter known as Dante (Rufio). No, he did not trust his brother as what most would think. This job would go to some of his spies instead.

“Such news could be nothing more than someone trying to stir up trouble. Or someone trying to recirculate that ridiculous old legend that most have long forgotten.” The king playfully tugged on a bit of Kalypso’s hair and grinned. “Anything else exciting or interesting happen while I was away?”

It was rare for the two of them to get time alone like this and he wanted to enjoy it. Make it last as long as he could before he returned to being the King and doing his duties as such. Alaric continued to play with a lock of her hair while he listened to any other news she had to tell him.

Alister did no let his twin get into his head or try to manipulate him with his words or tone of voice, in fact he took on a air that said he could careless about what Alaric had to say or felt towards him. He just rolled his eyes at the red-eyed male, walking off down the hallway as he made his way to the lake in the eastern part of the forest. Of course he left a message with Hen Tai, well in his room anyways, just letting him know that he was going back to save the elementals and the other supernatural creatures that he was suppose to be hunting.

Only Tai knew of his allegiance, but not even the old man knew of those that he had saved, placing them in hiding right under his own twin's nose. Creating his own kingdom for those that were different and had just as much of a right to live as they did.

He made sure that he looked nothing like his twin before he exited the castle and the village that surrounded it, the last thing he need was anything about himself to lead back to the King. He sighed heavily as he quickly made his way down the main path, noticing the odd feeling the forest was giving off as he moved through the tress, keeping a low profile as he made his way to the meeting place that he had set up with Rufio.

---------- Post added 05-22-2015 at 12:46 AM ----------

Gaia was at a lost as to what to do, how to react. She looked towards the lion as he sat there, giving a small cry as she took on her more human form. For now she was going to try and heal herself, but first she needed to continue to protect herself. "You should pay for what you have done..." her words were small as she choked on her voice, wiping the tears from her face.

She continued to clutch at her chest before she pushed at him, not wanting him to touch her as the fire elemental still had blood on his fur. "Fire starter....your apology is falling on deaf ears. You have broken my heart.....just as you have marked me all those years ago. You constantly torment me through out the years....but this...this is taking it to far." she said to Cinead as she basically tried to throw his apology back at him, she was trying to get across to him that it was a very unforgivable thing and there was no forgiveness coming from her.

"If Rachana did not tell me to gather our brothers and sisters for to save our world, then I would try to kill you." she whispered her words as she curled up a bit more, holding her chest as she tried to make the pain go away, sadly there was nothing that could easy it except for time which she did not have. "I pray that this causes you to suffer far more then it is causing me." she mumbled it as if it was a curse, wanting him to hurt and suffer as much as she was at the moment.

Jennifer ran down the path, heading to the first town she would come across. As she ran she didn't pay attention to the occupants of the path, and ran smack dab into the two of them, falling flat on her back and groaning a little before she looked at the damage. She was so thankful she had chosen to stay in her human form as she followed the path, not knowing who was safe and who was working for the foul king. She noticed the man and the women and gave playful smile to the two and quickly regained her footing. "I am so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, and I didn't mean to run into you." She said, a truly apologetic look taking over the smile. This didn't last long though before the smile returned and she stuck her hands out to the two strangers. "I'm Jennifer by the way." The sixteen year old's wide eyes moving between the two to see how they would respond.

“I know…” The lion let her push him away. He didn’t say a word as she spit her venom at him. This wasn’t unexpected. Some of what Gaia said was true, but it isn’t that he had ever meant to torment her. The things that happened between them in the past, what was happening to them now, they were all unfortunate events. Cináed didn’t want her forgiveness, he didn’t deserve it and still he said nothing as she threw his apology back at him.

“Those things never should have happened. If you want blood take it…it’s yours. The only thing I ask is that it be my blood and not that of my partner.” His words were whispered as he hung his head, his gaze to the ground. For all he cared at this moment she could take all of her anger, sadness and pain out on him. He deserved it, but one thing he wouldn’t allow would be for her to kill him. There was no way he could die, not yet. There were still things that needed to be done to save their world.

Cináed’s golden gaze returned to the Earth Elemental when she spoke of Rachana. “Rachana,” he barely breathed the name of the elemental of creation and life. “I wondered if she was alive. Gather our brothers and sisters to save our world. Then that must mean that time the legends of old speak of must be close.” It was good to know that the one who he considered to be the mother of their kind was still living. He couldn’t help, but to wonder why it was that she had given Gaia the task of gathering their brothers and sisters. Why didn’t Rachana do this herself? “Why is Rachana not gathering our fellow elementals?”

Shifting forms he smiled weakly at her words as she mumbled. He was already suffering more than she knew. He would continue to suffer for his actions in silence. What he did would haunt him. Especially since he was one who normally sought justice even if at times he became blinded by his own emotions.

"I'm bored," Euria said to herself as she sat near the tree. It had been quite a while since Audra had left her there. She had told her friend she would stay at the tree, and Euria had done that. She had played with sticks, rocks and leaves to try to keep herself entertained. She was still a little girl though, and she could lose interest in what she was doing pretty fast.

After she played a while, Euria thought about Audra. She was supposed to take care of Audra, not the other way around. While her friend was fighting for the elementals, she was also fighting for her partner. "I'm not the one in danger, Audra is," she told herself. Euria needed to help the elementals in their fight for freedom.

Euria moved away from the tree. She looked at it and said to herself, "I'm going to go find Audra. She needs my help." She gathered a bunch of sticks and stones and kept them in the pockets of her dress. Then she started walking away from the tree. She thought she was walking towards the other elementals, but she was actually walking away from them.

______

Audra caught her knives in mid air. They had blood on them, but she could clean that up later. The good news was that she had hit the hunter. She wasn't going to go very far with the wound on her thigh. The bad news was that the hunter saw her. That meant she needed to move. Audra changed her form and flew off the branch.

She knew she needed to stay away from Malik. He was on a rampage, and if she helped, she could get hurt by him in the process. She had hurt him with the lightning strike. He was probably still ticked off at her for that.

"Then again," she thought, "I could help him out by giving the male hunter a fatal wound. It would slow the hunter down." Audra landed on another branch. She aimed a knife at the male hunter and threw it towards him. The knife flew through the air, but it missed the hunter completely.
"Okay, time for plan B," she said to herself. Audra jumped from the branch and snatched her knife from the ground.

Watching the female hunter like a predator would watch it’s prey, Katarina kept up a steady onslaught with her ice whip. Ice crackled in the air as she snapped her whip over and over at the girl. She was quick on her feet, the elemental had to give her that but she was going to starting slowing down soon from blood loss.

Kat kept her senses open to everyone so their wouldn’t be any surprises. When the male hunter spoke of others joining she huffed. “Bluff,” she growled out, pale eyes glowing. “You would have never spoken of them if they were coming.”

As she talked she cracked the whip in her right hand and at the same time used her left to send another stream of ice knives at the female hunter. She would only be able to miss one of them, but a miracle could happen and she could dodge both.
---

Caden listened to Lydia while focusing on the two battles. Kat was doing just fine as was Malik. He just hoped he didn’t grow tired. The Elven man had angled Lydia so at her back stood a large boulder, keeping her safe from behind.

Calling upon his dark elf powers he used her shadow and his own to create guard dogs for her. They were huge and snarling. “Just incase I have to jump in somewhere quickly, they’ll guard you.” He gave her a quick wink and smile before turning his focus back on the battles.

---

The Queen continued to run her fingers through his hair as he thought. She studied his eyes and knew he wouldn’t be sending his brother. Good, there were better people for the job.

“True my love it could be that.” When he tugged on her hair and grinned she laughed. “Oh same ol same ol you know. Farmers having troubles with their crops. The usual bar brawls. Some stealing, oh there was a minor fire in town but there was minimal damage. I already sent a few men to help clean it up.”

All the instances had been minor, nothing to worrying and easy to handle. She hated when something major came up and her husband wasn’t home. Oh she could handle any problem that came up. The Queen was a sharp and shrewd woman, she just liked Alaric to be in charge.

The male did his best to stay light on his feet, keeping just out of the Metal Elemental’s reach. Unfortunately for him he wasn’t as quick was his partner who was facing the other two elementals. Galven had face several elementals before, but none had been so full of malice and as vicious as Malik. In many was that metal wolf was nothing more than a rampaging beast, protected with sharp jagged edges which were also his weapon.

Galven ignored the Metal Elemental’s words. Yes his attention was divide briefly. The man knew that this hadn’t been the best of plans and there was a good chance neither of them would make it out alive. If he could he would make sure that Valarie did.

“Your toys can’t save you, boy.” In the back of his mind Galven knew this. Still he would continue to fight, he had no choice.

When Malik rushed in and snapped at his face the hunter didn’t bat an eye. Even with how prepared he had been for the hit from Malik he was knocked off his feet. Somehow he managed to keep the beast’s jaws from latching onto his throat using one of his blades. Galven was thankful that he had worn armor beneath his clothes.

As they jostled the sharp metal found its way through the man’s armor, embedding itself further within his flesh. A pained growl came from the hunter as he struggled to keep Malik’s jaws away. Using his other blade the man stabbed at the wolf’s side. The sound of metal against metal ringing out as his attempts were practically useless.

Finding his strength the hunter managed to roll them enough to get out from beneath the heavy beast and put some space between them again. While he rolled away, a knife flew by him, barely missing him. His eyes briefly shot to the Storm Elemental. Damn it, he needed to focus on Metal and only Metal. Why hasn’t Valarie taken care of one of them yet? Better yet why aren't the others of our group here yet?

Galven put as much space as he could between him and the metallic wolf. Gingerly he held his side that took the brunt of the blow. His shirt was becoming stained as blood oozed through the holes in his hidden armor. From the way his side burned he was sure that he had at least a few cracked ribs if not one broken one. The hunter chuckled slightly at himself. Here he had been telling his partner to be careful and he was the one getting the hell beat out of him.

Determined to at least keep this metal wolf, Malik, at bay he forced himself to charge forward with both blades in hand. When the pair collided it sounded almost like a clash of thunder, but with more of a metallic ring to it. The sound of bones cracking could also be faintly heard. The male’s ribs were definitely broken now. The struggle between the elemental and the hunter continued.