She shrugged, "It doesn't matter. As long as it is in me though, I must answer it's incessant urging. If I don't want to do what it wants me to do, then I guess I will have to let it go. I don't know the answers. Just that at the moment that is the way things are." The fire crackled.

"Together we can face anything." He says. He knows that this is true. With what they've already been through he knows they can face anything. He strokes her feathers watching the fire crackle. His mind wanders as he drifts off to sleep. Soon he is leaning against her snoring.

She smiled down at him. Kirin really had no idea what was out there. The people from his town were nothing compared to the horrors she fought. And now this orb wanted her to go save the world. Yeah, right.

Kirin wakes several hours later from a nightmare. He is shaking all over. He relights the fire trying to calm himself down. He starts going over in his mind what the nightmare was about, but is having a hard time with it.

A pounding alarm shot through Larissa. She woke with a start and spread her wings, ready to attack. Nothing was wrong except for Kirin, who until she startled him, had been stirring up the fire. She yelled mentally at the orb as she caught her breathe, "What is wrong? The voice inside her replied, "You are to help heal others. Kirin is in pain. I sense pain flash through him. Heal him. That is my purpose. Go help him. Now." She could have groaned. Lowering her wings and slowly relaxing, she gave Kirin a tired grin. "Blame the orb. It woke me up. But you don't have an orb yelling at you inside, why are you awake?"

"It is nothing." He says. "Just a nightmare." He goes to her. "I didn't mean to wake you." He strokes her feathers. As he strokes her feather's he begins to calm.

The orb seemed satisfied. Larissa, however, was not. She sat back on her haunches and used her front legs to pull Kirin into a huge hug against her chest, almost engulfing him in her feathers. Lifting her wings to create a wall of just her around him and the fire, she laid her beak onto his head. "Tell me about it."

He would rather not, but he knows that Larissa would help him get through it. "I dreamed of this girl. I don't who she was." He takes a breath trying to calm himself and remember the dream. "She was in trouble. Being chased, and... then I woke up." He says. "What does it mean?"

Larissa frowned. That was a rather strange dream. "Do you know her from somewhere? Maybe she was a loved one from when you were little?"

"I don't recognize her, the strangest thing is..." He trails off. He takes a breath. "She looked right at me. Do you think it could be a vision?" He asks leaning against her. "What if I was seeing events that were actually happening?" He is glad to be in Larissa's wings. He truly felt safe here.

She frowned at that. A vision? "Have you ever had a vision before?" It seemed unlikely that he would just start randomly having them. Most likely this girl was trying to lure him or hurt him in some way. Was it possible that there were other apprentices of his father? Or enemies of his father that wished to use him for something sinister? She felt her protective nature for him surfacing at these thoughts. Perhaps she should leave without him. Leave him here where he was safe. Larissa didn't want him to chance getting hurt. His life had been hard enough as it was.

"Yes, I have. You fear it's a trap." He says sensing her unease. "But what if it isn't. What if I'm meant to help her?" He sits and leans back against her. He watches the fire. He knows, deep down, that she would want him to stay here. He lets out a soft sigh.

She wondered why he hadn't mentioned them before, then mentally shrugged it off. Perhaps he had not felt like saying anything. "Of course I fear it is a trap. You don't know her. What clues do you have for finding her? Anything to tell you which direction she is in? What if we fly in the opposite direction?" She didn't like things that were not understandable and this vision was full of the unknown. She had to live with the orb, but at least she knew it's purpose. This vision worried her though.

"I have no idea." He says letting out a frustrated sigh. "I guess we just go, and if we happen to find her we find her." He says pulling his knees to his chest. He hates feeling so powerless. "So I guess I should eat so we can get going." He says, though he stays sitting and leaning against her.

She slowly unfolds herself from around him. It was a bit early. However they were up now and perhaps the fresh air would help clear Kirin's senses up. "Alright. I'm going hunting. I prefer bigger game. I will be back in a little while."

"O.k." Kirin starts preparing himself breakfast. He wishes he knew what his vision meant. He soon has his breakfast made and he starts eating. He's very much lost in thought.

Larissa walked out of the ancient temple. The cool morning air breeze touched her face. She opened and stretched her wings wide, stretching out her muscles from the night's sleep. As she felt her blood pumping, she leaped into the air and beat her wings hard. Feeling the familiar sensation of rising up filled her with joy. Watching the ground fall away, she grinned and began to circle. She slowly worked her way over the forest, letting her eyes pick up any small detail in the early morning light. A sense of expectation filled her as she picked up movement. A wild mountain cat was padding down a trail towards a spring. She narrowed her eyes and planned her exact route down to him. With it set visually in her mind, she went into a dive and tucked her wings in once she was headed exactly in the direction she needed to go. She was aiming for a spot a little bit in front of the mountain lion, but seconds before impact the cat stepped right where she wanted him to be. Beneath her.

Kirin, while waiting for Larissa, decides it might be best to get rid of the small hut he had built. With his magic he slowly starts dismantling it. It wasn't like he had used it much, and this way the area would look as if it didn't have a permanent dweller.

Finishing her meal, she stood and walked down the path on bloody claws away from what was left of her meal. The bones could be left for the vultures, when the sun rose that is. Reaching the spring the cat had originally been for, she smiled at the thought of helping him come the rest of the way. As part of her... he had been breakfast after all. Laying down next to the spring, she began licking away the blood and bits of gore that was on her. Then she stood and stepped into the spring. Preening her feathers carefully, she washed away all trace of blood. Her gray feathers soon were sleek and ready for her flight, wherever that might be. Using her claws, she climbed up the steep cliff next to the spring. Then with a twist and jump, she launched herself into the air and rose with wing thrusts away from the tree tops below. Gaining height, she headed for the glade. The rising sun light the sky, it's rays shining on the approaching lake and white stone ruins of the old temple.

Kirin has finished all his preparations. He is cleaning himself in the lake. His mind is wandering, wondering about this new adventure. A small part of him wants to go and be with other people. But he knows he wouldn't want to be without Larissa. He let's out sigh. Things have changed for him, and they keep changing. But that was life, wasn't it?

Larissa saw a figure out in the lake. Realizing Kirin must be taking a bath, she diverted her flight to land on the shore. Coming in, she landed with a flurry of wings. Settling down, she looked out over the lake before settling down to wait. She looked at the beautiful sunrise and breathed in the crisp, early morning air. A good day to travel indeed.

Kirin comes out of the water and gets dressed. "Did you find a good meal?" He asks going to her. He strokes her feathers. He truly cares for her and is more then happy that she trusts him with her name. He trusts her with his very life. "So when do we leave."

She nodded to his question, "I found a very scrumptious meal that was worth catching." She leans into his strokes and purrs. Who said proud gryphons didn't enjoy a little pampering? However they should get going or the orb might do something she wouldn't like. "Grab your bag and climb on. We best get going."

Kirin takes one last look around, wondering if he'll ever see this place again. He then grabs his bag and gets on her back. He lets out a woop as she takes off. He watches the glade disappear into the distance. "So do we know where we are going?" He asks as they fly.

She thought that over as she pulled them strongly through the air. They couldn't go over the north mountain range where she had patrolled. Much too hostile. She wanted to avoid the far end of the valley where Kirin was from. Helping them seemed, well, traitorous to Kirin. That left east or west. "I'm going for west. See what is outside our valley that direction. It has been years since I was that way. Also, flying with the sun not in my eyes seems like a good idea." She soared through the open air, the mountain dropping away beneath, giving way to the widespread valley. Looking ahead at the otherside, she wondered how high she would have to fly to get over the southern mountain range.