((Haha I have no problem with having my characters moved about or jostled by another!))

Kray tensed when the woman moved to loop her arms behind his back and knees, moving him. His eye widened going stark still, biting his lip as panic began to blossom in his chest. It faded slightly as she gently put him down and placed something cool and wet to his lips-- his eye widened and, with little restraint his arms shot out and he pinched the skin (including her hand) between his bandaged stumps and tilted it back, gulping quickly. When he was done he panted, smiling to himself before jerking, blinking at her. "S-sorry..." he muttered, curling his arms to his chest. When she started to wrap his feet he shivered at the cold wetness, blinking as his feet seemed to go numb. "Th-thank you..." he muttered when she was done, offering a shaky smile. His eyes widened slightly at the mention of a unicorn, eye lighting up slightly. "I thought they were all dead..." He had been so certain that unicorns had been wiped out, killed by men with swords and axes for the beautiful horns. Then again...he had also been certain that centaur were dangerous and cruel to outsiders. And this one had just offered to take him to this...Life Stream? That was a funny name for a river.

((yay! Also I hope you don't mind the idea of alchemist hands if the healing fails >.>.... )

Arie nodded to the centaur but didn't take her eyes off the boy. She was afraid he would bolt or hurt himself really. She raised an eyebrow as he gripped her so tightly but said nothing, knowing he must be thirstier then she expected. She absently wondered how far he had come from but she would ask no questions. He would tell her if and when it pleased him. She simply nodded and continued her work. As he spoke, however, she would laugh and give him a wink.

"Magic never really dies, it just hides for a while. My name's arie kit, what about yours" She said teasingly, her tone leaving it a question if she really meant it as a statement of fact or something else. Still she would then pick him up gently and carry him to the centaur so she could put him on the centaurs back. She glanced at Adrian once in thought but said nothing. She was a little surprised how he acted, still her mind was on the garden once more. The way it kept bringing in such varied people was very.....chaotic. Could a chaos beastie or spell be hiding here? It wouldn't be the first time she had been drawn to such a place... oh well that would wait. Restoring the boys hands were what mattered now... If not via the unicorns healing magic or her own she could always construct some false silver hands from bits of metal and magic. She had forged her own swords and all their enchantments to be nearly apart of her so it would not be so different to fuse a couple living metal and leather gauntlets to this boy. They wouldn't be as pretty as real hands but they would function.

Adrian shifted on his hooves once when Arie introduced herself to the boy. "I am called Adrian." He spoke the words softly, not trying to intrude or interrupt. Then she was bringing the child to him and he found himself once again trying to figure out how someone could be so cruel as to chop off a child's hands. For what crime? In his opinion children could not commit crimes, they were too young to completely understand the complexity of such actions and reactions. He shifted once again on his hooves, just slightly, as the child was placed on him. Adrian was not used to being ridden, only the goddess had ridden him before but that had been so long ago and never often. The weight made him want to rear back for a moment, but he kept himself under control and only danced on his hooves while reaching back with a hand to keep the child steady. He looked at Arie once, then started towards the life stream and willow at an easy pace, that one arm awkwardly reaching back to keep the child from falling off. He could only imagine how hard and difficult things must be for the child without hands. If his goddess were here, if he was sure she listened to his voice, he wouldn't have hesitated to ask her to come down and restore the child's hands, then he would ask her to take the child safely away from the garden. Such a fate as the garden laid out for people should not be suffered by a child.

Hunter waited by the willow as Adrian and Arie went off to greet the newcomer.His stomach growled,but he didn't say anything.He thought about the garden and how such different people kept being brought into it.Through his thoughts,the smell of blood and fear reached him.He looked up,sniffing."Someone's hurt,very badly." He said.

Hikari had sat down by the river while the others went about their business.She looked into the water,not really seeing her reflection there.She sensed the pain of the newcomer before she even realized there was one.Blinking away her thoughts of the beautiful cage they were in,she stood up and looked for Arie and Adrian."You're right.I sense them." She said to the wolf boy.

((Hoho let us see hmmm~?))

Kray squeaked as he was moved and placed on the centaur's back, biting his lip as the equine body fidgeted under his. He blinked before giving a shaky smile toward Arie. "I'm Kray. Thank you, Arie," he said, smile fading lightly. There was light licking at his left eye, teasing it. His bandage was coming loose...He turned as the centaur spoke again, smiling widening again. "Hello Adrian..." He blinked as the man-horse's strong hands reached back to keep him steady, biting his lip slightly. "Thank you..." He made sure to keep his left eye closed. He wasn't going to risk having it open if he couldn't tighten it before the bandage fell off. He didn't want to see what these two had hidden...he didn't want them to hate him like everyone else.

((lol I just figure it'll give you lots of things you could play with if you ahve nothing else planned XD without having a character completely dependent on others, since his magic would shift and play with things too to change whatever she created >.>....Also the main thing he'd see in her secrets is just destroying monsters >.> and arriving to her planet just in time to see it burn and then go kaboom because her mother had grown arrogant and foolish and done stupid things with her holy celestial power.))

"Nice to meet you Kray." She murmured softly as she patted the boy's leg with a laugh. She was cheerful, figuring it would help the other cheer up hopefully. She didn't say anything more, simply walking with the two. She was likely not as effected as most by the child's plight it seemed, but then again she always smiled and laughed and joked. It was how she faced the world and her inevitable fate. She would fight and she would die when one day she ran into the spirit of destruction stronger then she. It was the nature of her kind, it always had been.

][Adrian doesn't have secrets. >.>; well other than, usually not telling people the garden won't let them leave. And he's killed a lot of people over the years but mostly they were bad people who tried to hurt him or the garden. ][

Honestly, deep within Adrian's heart, he wanted to meet the person that had taken away this child's hands and put an arrow in their throat. No, he wanted to torture them for a long time before allowing them to die. That desire was pushed away, it was unlikely that he would ever meet the person responsible for such a horrible act, and right now he should focus only on his duty. Being a good host to his guests and let them leave his company to get lost in the garden once they chose to do so. The centaur was scowling, his ears twitching this way and that at the garden's sounds, he tried to keep his gait easy as he made his way to the life stream. Once the others and the stream came into view he glanced at Arie for a moment, but he didn't stop until he was close to the water's edge and near the others.

((Hehe he only sees secrets when someone has something to hide. He sees the truth. Who you really are inside. He's going to have a hard time looking at Arie when the bandages comes off and he's forced to see something he's not ready to. Basically what she is. And those hands might work I'm really just playing around with him right now and trying to figure out how I'm going to make his life terrible later on it it. U v U))

Kray smiled at her voice, but squeaked as Adrian started moving. He trembled lightly, but relaxed when he realized the other wasn't going to let him fall. He had...never really been on a horse before. His family had been poor. He tensed lightly at a hollow pounding somewhere above them, lifting his head to see a dark shape circling them as they stopped. He whimpered slightly, looking away, eyeing the other two when the centaur stopped. A young woman and a...a wolf man. His eye widened and he bit his lip. He curled up slightly, hunching over to hide behind Adrian's torso. He didn't want the wolf man to see him. He didn't want to be eaten. The lady from the woods...the lady from the woods had told him about the wolves in her woods. Said they ate children...

~~*~*~*~~

Hahnu finally saw an arc he could use without the deer-creature in his jaws bruising. He landed with a whump, turning toward where he knew the wolf-boy and his unicorn companion. He stopped, noticing that Stormchaser had returned. And with a new friend. Splendid. He turned toward the wolf-boy, wiggling the deer in his jaw. He had food. Now the little pup could silence that angry stomach.

((Wow not a bit of dialogue what is with me tonight...))

((well Arie doesn't hide it XD. People just don't tend to know what her kind are or what they do so don't ask and she doesn't tell unless asked xD. If he told her what he can do though she could warn him not to look at her because what she is on the inside, is a deadly warrior that defeats monsters no one should have to see and lives knowing she will die and that's not something she'd want to expose a child too. She doesn't hide anything persay but she knows the reality she lives in and what she's seen/done/even experienced is not something a child should have ot live with too))

"You're alright kit, I have your back." She said almost teasingly as she saw him hunch over. She reached up and patted his shoulder before gently lifting him in her arms and carrying him nearer the unicorn. She sat him down slowly near her and the waters edge. She stayed kneeled next to him, her moon mare coming closer to investigate the boy. The white creature snorted softly as it sniffed his hair. The gentle creature was naturally protective of children really.

(yes lame post is lame >.< ))

Wing beats. Adrian looked up and smiled as Hahnu flew by looking for a nice landing spot. The centaur had become rather fond of the dragon in such a very short time, of course he enjoyed the company of all his guests, and would be sad to see them leave once they decided to try and search for an exit. An exit most of them would never find. He shook his head slightly, pushing away the depressing thoughts. When he felt Kray shift behind him, Adrian turned slightly to peer at the hunched, hiding child. "No one will hurt you here, Kray. I will keep you safe." He would kill the other guests, even fight the dragon to protect the child. Though that was hardly anything new, he would do the same for any of the guests if the others tried to harm them.

Then Arie was pulling the child from his back, and he watched her for a moment, moving a bit closer. His eyes on Kray as he spoke to the child. "Look," He pointed at the water. "This is the life stream, it's waters nourish and sustain everything that lives in this garden. Here," he pointed at the large willow tree. "That willow protects the life stream, and the garden protects the willow and I protect all things that are inside the garden." However, he could not protect things from the garden..those words were left unsaid, he was merely trying to calm the child's fears. Adrian wasn't entirely sure how to calm a child's fears so he was doing the best he could. His eyes landed on Hahnu once again and he pointed at the dragon. "And if I cannot protect you, little one, then the strength of mighty Hahnu the dragon certainly can." What child wouldn't want a mighty dragon to protect them? Adrian glanced at Arie, uncertain if he was saying or doing the right things to help calm the child and ease his fears.

Hunter noticed the boy's reaction on seeing him,and lowered his ears.The boy was younger than him,but not by much.He looked over at Hahnu and smiled."Thank you.I'll eat in a bit-I don't want to scare the boy." He told the dragon.He stood up and slowly approached the boy."Hello there.I am Hunter.I can help protect you,too,if you want." He said reassuringly.

Hikari stepped forward just a little.She didn't want to crowd,but the child's pain was enough to hurt her where she stood.She smiled warmly at the child."Hello young one.My name is Hikari.What are you called?" She asked kindly,reaching a hand out to brush his hair back.It was a comforting gesture that her mother used to use on her,she remembered fondly,and it had always worked.

Kray blinked as he was moved, casting quick glances at the wolf. It seemed skinny and small for what it was. That woman had always told him the wolves in her woods were large. You could tell what they were from a great distance. This one...did not seem large at all, even for one shaped like a human. He relaxed when he was reassured, casting a glance at the large wyrm not far, who had let out a squawk of indignation at being offered up as some kid's protector. He froze as a large horse (an actual horse this time go figure) came sniffing up to him, his brown eye blinking at it cautiously. When it retreated he turned his attention to the Willow. It was large and beautiful and it captivated him, his left eye slipping open. There was a bright flash of color through the bandage and he wrenched it shut, looking back to the others. He was shaking slightly when the other two came forward. The wolf was the one he noticed first. It came forward slowly and he bit his lip. But when it spoke he blinked, eyeing it curiously. "U-uh...okay. Thank you....Hunter," he murmured, eyeing him cautiously but with considerably less fear than before. He turned his attention to the other woman when she came forward. He twitched when she touched his air, cheeks flaring as much as they could with what little blood his body needed to spare. "I'm...Kray..."

~~*~*~*~~

Hahnu blinked at the centaur, his fuchsia eyes wide with shock and indignation. The centaur had no idea if he would even protect this little welp! For all he knew he saw the boy as decent snack! Well...of course he didn't but the point was there! He finally sighed through his nose before dropping the deer, smacking his lips and licking the blood from them. He remained silent as the others tried to keep the mortal welp calm. He had never been good with the young of any creature, not even his own offspring really. There was no point in his trying to calm the boy when he knew not how

Adrian's gaze shifted from Arie to the dragon. He pawed at the ground with a hoof and kept his eyes on Hahnu, he had chosen his words rather carefully, he had merely said the dragon could protect the boy, he had not said the creature would. Adrian knew it was within the dragon's power to be able to protect, but the centaur truly did not know if the mighty creature would. He had said the words in a way he thought the child would take comfort in and in a way he hoped the dragon would realize was not meant to offend or demand such protection. It was merely a statement of truth, but just because Adrian had seen it that way, did not mean that Hahnu did. He danced on hooves slightly, he truly had not meant to offend the dragon.

He glanced over the others, they seemed to have everything well in hand, the centaur stepped closer to the dragon. When he was very close to Hahnu, he spoke softly, not really wanting the others to hear his words. "Mighty Hahnu, I meant no disrespect and no offense with my words. They were only words to calm a child's fear." He shifted on his hooves a bit, glancing at Kray. "He is but a child, a lost and injured child, he seems to have suffered greatly at the hands of cruel people. This garden will probably do things to him that are far worse than what he's already been through. I merely wanted him to have peace and calm, to feel safe, if even for a little while. Even if such feelings of safety and peace are false in this place. Everyone deserves to feel safe and well looked after, even if for only a few hours."

Adrian pranced backwards half a step, would his words make the dragon see him as a weak creature? Surely not, surely a mighty dragon knew how strong compassion could make a person. Earlier Hahnu had praised his true name as being a strong name, would this now make the dragon think that he was undeserving of a strong name, that he was more deserving of the weak name he went by now? Adrian frowned at those thoughts, he truly found the idea of Hahnu thinking him a weak creature to be extremely displeasing.

Hahnu shook himself, plopping down with a heavy thud. "It is of no issue, Stormchaser," he spoke, voice curling on the wind in a whisper for the centaur's ears alone. "Your words simply caught me off guard and I would never deny a kiin, a child, protection from anything..." He cast his eyes to the child at those words, eyes narrowing slightly. His nostrils flared for a moment, taking in the blood and fear scent of the young child in their midst. There was...something else just under it. Something he couldn't pinpoint. It left a sour taste in his mouth but he ignored it. The boy could simply have something nasty on his skin or clothes. No need for him to be suspicious. "I have never done well with them, however. My own offspring don't even see appeal in me as their father!" He gave a breathy chuckle, shaking his head. "They are such hot headed welps..."

((Kiin- child/born))

Hunter sat back on his haunches.He noticed when the child's eye seemed to flash,but he didn't bother about it."I hope I didn't scare you.I'd never attack a human." He said quietly.Already he felt a kinship with Kray that he hoped might become friendship.

Hikari took her hand away,noticing how the boy's cheeks turned red.She smiled softly at him."Good to meet you,Kray.You are hurt...would you like me to heal you? I'm not sure how much I can do,but I can make you a little better." She offered.

Adrian had lifted a hand to his own heart as Hahnu spoke. Those ears twitching a bit and his gaze had drifted to settle on Kray for a few moments, before moving to Hunter. His attention returned to Hahnu quickly enough, that hand moving from his heart to the silver ring around his neck. "I have always felt that children should be protected, watched over closely. I was taken from the herd before I could sire any of my own though." That hand lowered, a slight frown on his lips. "I think it is a very sad thing when children are without parents, or when parents and children cannot get along and accept one another." He pawed at the ground with a hoof, suddenly looking away. He said such things, and he often thought about how precious life was, life and freedom, but here he stood. Ready to slaughter any one of them, including children, if he thought it was necessary. Those lips parted slightly, as if he were going to say something, but the words died in his throat. It wouldn't come to that, no child could ever threaten the garden or the guests within. His eyes were on the ground, watching the spot that he pawed at with a hoof.

Kray looked back to Hunter, smiling shakily. "U-uhm no. I w-wasn't scared! It's...just...wolves are b-big and terrible where I a-am from," he said, looking to the river. "S-said to see things...eat people..." His one eye hooded slightly, a soft sheen entering the pupil. His earlier shaking stopped and he seemed to relax, eyeing the water below almost intently. An uneasy sort of air seemed to permeate from his skin, an air that seemed filled with a despair premature for his age. He blinked as the other talked, lifting his face to her. The sheen and air dissipated, leaving the scared boy behind. He blinked, biting his lip. "U-uh...o...k..." he muttered, holding his feet out for her. His arms curled around his stomach, as if protecting the bandaged stumps. He didn't think she'd want them. You couldn't regrow a lost limb. That was impossible. It didn't even happen in the old stories his grandmother used to read to him.

~~*~*~*~~

Hahnu snorted, chuckling deeply. "Please! They're haughty! It's expected of their age! One cannot expect a young serpent to be humble in the slightest!" he chuckled, giving Stormchaser a long smile. "If you want my opinion...it is sometimes best if a child does not have parents. I have seen mortals treat their children worse than rats, giving them little while taking much..." He sighed, looking away. He blinked idly, casting the boy a sharp glance, eyes narrowing. He smelt....odd for a moment. Like garlic and mulberry, but slightly sweeter. It was quite odd. It was gone soon enough and he shook his head, flopping down and idly, hungrily, beginning to poke the deer with his nose.

"I see...perhaps you are right." Adrian was frowning, he really didn't understand how someone could be so cruel to children, but maybe some were better without parents. A shiver ran along his spine, from his tail all the way up his neck and his ears twitched. The willow's branches had shifted slightly with no wind and the centaur looked towards the tree for a moment, then at Kray and the others. When he turned his attention back to Hahnu, the dragon was poking at it's food with his snout. That seemed to turn Adrian's frown to a slight smile, at least for a few moments. "There have never been so many guests at one time before." He spoke the words rather absently, once again looking over the others.

Arie put a comforting hand on the boys shoulder, a silent symbol of her support. As she gazed gazed at the unicorn she absently wondered what to do. She could make a pair of gauntlets if the unicorn couldn't but aligning it with his magic so it would stay and grow and change with him would not be a very comfortable task so she hoped it wouldn't come to that. She felt a soft ripple of guilt, knowing that she would be able to do so and watch with little emotion. She had learned to turn off her emotion at this point, seeing ruins of civilizations who had not allowed her near until the chaos had long put its claws in the place.

She looked away for a moment though her face showed no emotion of her thought. She caught sight of the centaur and the dragon, her cat like ears flickering towards them. She caught the voice of the centaur, frowning a moment. He had just confirmed her suspicion that things were indeed not quite right here. She wondered absently if she should say something, tell everyone their might be trouble. No, it would simply scare the boy and she doubted the others would believe her if they even understood. Nothing felt off and everything seemed fine, it was just Arie's stubborn instinct telling her something was wrong. She felt like she was watching a boiling kettle about to go off.

Hunter tilted his head."Oh,I see.Well,I guess some wolves are like that,but I'm also part human,not all wolf,so maybe that's why I'm different." He said thoughtfully.His fur pricked with uneasiness when the boy's scent changed,but he didn't say anything.Questioning him would just make him nervous.

Hikari nodded and placed her hands gently over the child's feet.A soft blue light surrounded her hands and his feet,and the wounds on them closed up.Sparks of magic danced around the larger wounds,cleaning and healing them.They would feel like a gentle breeze,taking away pain."There.Now,would you like me to try your hands? I have never tried to regrow a limb,but I could try for you." She offered gently.

((that one's up to you,Cupcake.))

Kray leaned into Arie's touch, biting his lip at the odd tingling and numbness the unicorn's magic caused in his feet. His feet were still numbed from when Arie herself had mended his tattered feet. He smiled at Hikari thankfully, turning his attention to Hunter. "Part...human? I've never heard of wolves like that..." he mumbled tilting his head. "But...I like you! You're nice! Everyone's been nice!" He smiled widely, hoping to at least help the wolf relax a bit. He turned and blinked when Hikari offered to heal his hands, unconsciously pulling them closer to him. He trembled at the idea of letting anyone touch his arms again. The last people who did chopped of his hands and spat in his face and called him a thief. He whimpered, biting his lip as his trembling increased, eyeing Hikari fearfully.

~~*~*~*~~

Hahnu sighed through his nose, slurping up the drool that began to leak past his lips. "Ah well.." he lifted his head, eyeing the group warily. "Fate works in odd ways Stormchaser...we may all be here for a purpose, or we may all be simple wanderers. Whatever reason it may be try not to dwell. It will do you no good, friend." He cast his eyes over the many faces of their little gathering, eyeing the child warily and sadly before moving his attention to the woman holding him. He narrowed his eyes before snorting and flopping his head down once more. HIs stomach gave a rather loud gurgle, causing an almost impetuous whine to come from the grown dragon.

Adrian touched the silver band around his neck. "Fate works in cruel ways." He spoke the words with an edge of bitterness as he looked away from the dragon for a few moments. When his gaze settled back on Hahnu, he took a slight step back, that hand dropping from the collar at his throat. Horse ears twitching as the dragon's stomach gurgled. "You should eat." There wasn't even a hint of that bitterness that had been in his voice moments ago, then he was looking at the obvious meal that lay before Hahnu.

Seeing the child's reaction to her offer,Hikari raised her hands in a gesture of peace."Very well,I won't touch them,if you don't want me to." She said kindly.She didn't want to scare him.

Hunter's ears perked,and he smiled."Thanks! I like you,too.Wanna be my friend? I've never had a friend before." He asked eagerly.No one had ever said they liked him before.It was neat.

Kray continued to tremble, eyeing Hikari with a large, frightened eye. He jerked when Hunter spoke, turning his head. "Y-yeah..." he muttered, smiling shakily. "F-friends..." He turned his attention back to Hikari, but had his eyes lowered. His trembling had gotten worse, sweat beginning to bead his skin. There was a moment where it seemed like he stopped breathing entirely. He remembered the yelling, the spitting...his eyes screwed shut as he recalled the gleam of the ax and the feel of the metal cuffs holding his hands to the chopping block.

He cracked his eye open, casting a glance up at Hikari-- only for his eye to widen as his fear played the nasty trick of making her look like her raised hands gripped an ax in their fingers. He let out a strangled noise, pushing himself back and away on freshly mended feet. His body jerked out of Arie's grip and he fell with a thud, curling up around his handless arms, eyes screwed shut as he babbled incoherently under his breath. Tears began to well out and stream down his cheek, plopping down into the grass below. The grass the tears touched seemed to shrivel lightly, slumping down as if the life was drained out of them, as if they were filled with sorrow and despair.

~~*~*~*~~

Hahnu snorted at that, but ultimately kept his mouth shut. "I suppose I should..." he muttered, poking the corpse. With a shrug of his shoulders he opened his mouth and tore, the sound of tearing flesh filling the air as he tore the beast in half, taking the creature's head and chest into his mouth and swallowing with a sickening noise. He purred in light satisfaction, only for the feeling to suddenly vanish at the terribly bitter scent of pure terror. His head snapped to the side, pupils retracted to pinpoints in his fuchsia irises, searching for any danger. He only saw the child trembling and babbling. The wyrm's head tilted in confusion as he continued to look about. He still saw no danger....so why was the child in such a panic.

"it's alright, It's alright. I promised I wouldn't let anything hurt you didn't I?" Arie said softly as her tail went to wrap behind Kray and protect the back of his head as he fell. She winced slightly as he hit the ground as a twinge of pain traveled up her tail but just turned and motioned her moon mare between Kray and the others. She gave an apologizing smile to the unicorn as she did so before focusing only on the boy. She moved to be next to him and pulled his head into her lap to craddle the small boy, her tail shifting to be more comfortable. She continued to speak in a soft voice, stroking his hair gently as her kind often had done to their kits. She knew a panic attack when she saw one and knew there was little to do but let him ride it out and give him something safe to cling to.

"I never break a promise love, it's alright."